Teacher‐involved conversations with young children during small group activity

This qualitative study examines the conversations of two preschool teachers with two‐ and three‐year‐old children during small‐group activity settings in two high‐quality child development centers. Using interviews, observations and videotaping of small‐group activities, the conversations are characterized in terms of the kind and function of language, the usage of cognitive demands and the reciprocal nature of these conversations. The findings indicate that teachers use declarative statements primarily to manage instruction and encourage language development. While teachers control most conversations, teacher–child reciprocity is evident and more genuine in authentic, teacher‐guided activities. In both classrooms, the language during small‐group activities is characterized as having low cognitive demands. Teachers and teacher educators need to be more cognizant of their language, including its purpose and opportunities to facilitate cognitively challenging conversations with young children. Recommendations for practice are provided.     

Teaching and learning in a multilingual Europe: findings from a cross-European study

School classrooms within the EU are multilingual learning environments. The diversity of pupils in classrooms raises significant challenges for teachers, but to date, there are no data from large-scale surveys that compare views within and across European countries. A bespoke questionnaire was designed to examine views of current classroom learning environments with respect to the multilingualism. The questionnaire was piloted and subsequently completed by 2792 teachers across different European countries. Eleven countries provided sufficient data for analyses. Results from structural equation modelling showed that teachers’ attitudes could be reliably measured across Europe with the use of carefully devised questionnaire, whose loading and factor structure remained invariant across countries. Teachers’ views about multilingualism were most challenged by the numbers of children in their classes, not the percentage of multilingual pupils in the class. Countries differed in how they perceived multilingualism, with their differences leading to distinctive country clusters. Gender and education level (elementary vs. secondary) differences were also observed irrespective of country. These findings enhance our understanding of the role that the characteristics of teachers and their classrooms play in a multilingual setting across diverse European settings. The practical relevance of the results and new opportunities for teacher training are discussed.

     

Environmental and Individual Influences on Adolescents,Aspirations: A Moderation-Mediation Model

A moderation-mediation model was constructed to examine relationships among distal family contexts, children,s cognitive performance and cognitive attitudes, adolescents, proximal family and school settings, and adolescents, aspirations. The sample in the longitudinal study included 250 female and 250 male 16-year-olds and their parents from Adelaide, Australia. The findings from moderation-mediation investigations and from regression surface analyses indicated that (1) distal family contexts moderate the relations among children,s individual characteristics and adolescents, aspirations, (2) the associations between distal family contexts and adolescents, aspirations are mediated, in part, by the adolescents, perceptions of their parents, and teachers, educational capital, (3) there are different patterns for females and males in terms of relationships among distal family contexts, children,s individual characteristics, perceptions of proximal settings, and adolescents, aspirations and (4) there are family-context differences in the linear and curvilinear nature of the relations among individual characteristics, proximal settings, and adolescents, aspirations, that also vary between females and males in those family contexts.     

Teacher–Child Interactions in Free Choice and Teacher-Directed Activity Settings: Prediction to School Readiness

Research Findings: This article examines whether time spent in free choice and teacher-directed activity settings within preschool was associated with indicators of school readiness and the extent to which children’s learning was associated with the quality of teachers’ behavior within these settings. Participants were 325 preschool teachers and 1,407 children from low-income backgrounds. Teacher–child interactions were measured in multiple cycles across 1 day of classroom observation within teacher-organized free choice and teacher-directed activity settings. The overall proportion of class time spent in free choice was positively related to children’s average gains in inhibitory control, whereas class time spent in teacher-directed activities predicted gains in language development and early literacy skills. And more effective teacher–child interactions within the free choice setting were significantly related to children’s average gains in language development and early literacy skills. Practice or Policy: Findings confirm that both free choice and teacher-directed settings in early education classrooms can be assets for children’s learning; however, the value of time in child-managed activities is partially dependent on teachers’ behavior with children.     

Pre-kindergarten teachers’ use of transition practices and children's adjustment to kindergarten

This study describes pre-kindergarten teachers’ use of kindergarten transition practices and examined the extent to which these practices were associated with kindergarten teachers’ judgments of children's social, self-regulatory, and academic skills upon their entry into kindergarten. Participants were 722 children from 214 pre-kindergarten classrooms participating in the National Center for Early Development and Learning's (NCEDL) Multi-State Pre-kindergarten Study. Of nine transition practices intended to promote children's adaptation to kindergarten, pre-kindergarten teachers reported implementing, on average, six transition practices, with notable variation across pre-kindergarten classrooms. Children were judged by their kindergarten teachers to have more positive social competencies and fewer problem behaviors when they attended pre-kindergarten classrooms in which more transition activities were implemented and, specifically, in which teachers discussed curricula or specific children with kindergarten teachers. In addition, positive associations between kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of children's social competence and pre-kindergarten transition activities (total number of activities and activities that children experience directly) were stronger for children who experienced social and economic risks. Implications of these findings related to alignment across the pre-kindergarten to kindergarten settings to improve children's school readiness are discussed.     

Tipping the scales: overcoming obstacles to support school readiness for all in low- and middle-income countries

Despite evidence for the substantial benefits of school readiness among children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most lack access to any pre-primary education at all, let alone high-quality preprimary education. In this article, we discuss obstacles and example of solutions to providing universal access to high-quality preprimary education in LMICs. We address (1) the need for a vision among policymakers, educators and families of what high-quality preprimary education should look like and how it could be provided in their context, and the motivation to make the vision a reality; (2) human resources, including motivated, skilled and qualified teachers as the center of a broad support system at national, regional and local levels; (3) material resources and infrastructure, including culturally appropriate play materials and child-friendly spaces; and (4) stable financing that allows for flexible adaptations of the model to different local contexts. For each element, we provide examples of these challenges and how they can be addressed, with a geographical focus on West Africa, the Middle East, Southern and Eastern Asia.     

Being a ‘professional’ primary school teacher at the beginning of the 21st century: a comparative analysis of primary teacher professionalism in New Zealand and England

This article analyses findings from two studies conducted collaboratively across two educational settings, New Zealand and England, in 2001–2002. These studies examined the impact of national educational policy reforms on the nature of primary teachers’ work and sense of their own professionalism and compared these impacts across the two countries. Adopting a policy ethnography approach, using in‐depth interview data from samples of teachers in each country, it is argued that there have been discursive shifts in the meaning of the three key terms, autonomy, altruism and knowledge, embodied in the classical professionalism triangle. These shifts reflect policy‐makers’ moves from a ‘professional‐contextualist’ conception of teacher professionalism towards the ‘technocratic‐reductionist’ conception that accompanies neo‐liberal educational reforms in many countries. Teachers in both countries experienced increasing constraints on their autonomy as they became far more subject to ‘extrinsic’ accountability demands. Whether these demands were perceived as enhancing or diminishing teacher professionalism depended on the manner in which they were filtered through the profession’s defining quality, namely teachers’ altruistic concerns for the welfare of the children in their care.     

Investigation and comparison of Turkish and American preschool teacher candidates’ attitudes towards inclusion of young children with disabilities

Inclusion of young children with disabilities into general education classrooms is a common practice that has been implemented for many years in developed countries around the world and many developing countries have been creating and implementing laws and regulations to support inclusive education in early years. Although extant literature includes a commonly agreed definition for inclusion, the implementation of inclusive practices varies across countries. A critical factor for successful implementation of inclusive practices is teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to compare Turkish and American pre-service preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of young children with disabilities and their willingness to work with children with severe behavioural, physical, and cognitive disabilities. A total of 123 pre-service teachers participated in the study. The results showed that pre-service teachers across two countries had similar attitudes towards inclusion and their attitudes were positive. Additionally, both groups of pre-service teachers reported more favourable attitudes towards working with children with severe physical disabilities than those who have severe cognitive and behavioural disabilities. Implications for future research and practices are discussed.     

浅议内蒙古学前教育发展中存在的问题及对策

学前教育作为教育体系的重要组成部分和发展基石,不仅事关我国学龄前儿童的健康成长和基础教育的普及与质量,更与国民素质的整体提高和国家的长远发展紧密相联。本文通过对内蒙古自治区学前教育发展现状的研究,全面了解该地区在学前教育发展中存在的问题,分析问题形成的根本原因,试提出一系列促进该地区学前教育事业发展的对策建议。     

打比方在幼儿园语言教学中的应用

3-6岁幼儿处于语言发展的关键期,这一阶段的幼儿认知结构中知觉成分占主导,其思维方式表现为直观形象思维。打比方是幼儿园语言教学中常用的一种方法,这种方法对幼儿具有重要的语言教育价值:打比方为幼儿创造良好的语言环境,有助于其语言的习得;打比方符合幼儿思维发展特点,有益于其学习支架的搭建。在幼儿园语言教学中运用打比方具体体现为:打比方以幼儿已有生活经验为支架加深幼儿记忆,化未知为已知;依靠灵活多变的教学方法激发幼儿兴趣,化抽象为具体;创设具体情境降低知识难度,化深奥为浅显;寓创造于活动之中活跃课堂氛围,化平淡为生动。幼儿园教师在语言教学过程中,要善于巧妙运用打比方,如此方能产生好的教学效果。     

Variation in the effectiveness of instructional interactions across preschool classroom settings and learning activities

This exploratory study examined the extent to which the effectiveness of instructional interactions varies among classroom social settings (i.e., large group, free choice, meals, and routines), learning activities (i.e., shared reading, literacy, math, science, social studies, and esthetics), or their combination. Participants were 314 preschool teachers primarily serving children from low-income backgrounds. Instructional interactions were measured in multiple cycles across one day of classroom observation as teachers engaged in a variety of settings and learning activities. Linear mixed models indicated that the effectiveness of teachers’ instructional interactions was generally higher in the large group setting than in free choice, meals, and routine settings. When considering settings and learning activities in combination, teachers displayed the most effective global instructional interactions when leading science activities in large group or free choice settings, and the most effective literacy-focused interactions during large group literacy activities.     

Do inclusive education laws improve primary schooling among children with disabilities?

Of the approximately 93 million children with moderate or severe disabilities around the world, large numbers do not have access to quality education. Inclusive education systems have been advocated as a solution to this problem. In this paper, we examine whether legislation to advance inclusive education can increase the likelihood of children with disabilities attending school in a low-income country. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, we find that children with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities, who began school at a time when inclusive education was guaranteed in Uganda, had a significantly higher likelihood of going to school than children with disabilities in comparator countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as children with disabilities in Uganda who became of school age prior to the passage of legislation. However, this was no longer true when considering only the sample of children reported to have no ability to see, hear, or engage in physical activities. While our findings are promising, comparable data on more countries are needed to comprehensively examine the impact of similar legislation across multiple settings.     

Associations Among Professional Development,Teachers’ Use of Naturalistic Language Strategies,and Preschoolers’ Functional Communication

Research Findings: Naturalistic instruction is the intentional use of strategies embedded within typical activities of the environment to create learning opportunities for children. We used multilevel modeling to analyze data from this single-case design study that focused on improving teachers’ use of naturalistic language strategies and children’s communication through professional development with bug-in-ear coaching. Our results showed that professional development was positively associated with children’s communication during and after professional development. During generalization sessions in different types of activities, teachers’ use of the naturalistic language strategies was positively associated with children’s functional communication. We also found that children were more likely to communicate during child-led activities. Practice or Policy: Associations among professional development, teachers’ use of evidence-based strategies, and children’s outcomes have yet to be fully understood. Administrators and professional development providers should support teachers’ use of naturalistic language strategies to create equitable exposure to language-learning opportunities for all children. Moreover, professional development efforts should support teachers’ intentional use of child-led activities to embed language-learning opportunities based on children’s interests. Finally, to strengthen children’s generalization of skills across routines, professional development providers should identify methods to support teachers’ generalized use of strategies within the typical activities of the setting.     

Preschool as an Arena for Developing Teacher Knowledge Concerning Children’s Language Learning

The most important benefits of international comparisons are the indications that make hidden national characteristics visible and shed new light on the system in each country. From a comparative perspective, this article explores what Swedish and Norwegian preschool teachers emphasise as important to preschool student teachers about preschool as an arena for children’s language learning. The theoretical framework of the study is based on ecological system theories (Bronfenbrenner in The ecology of human development, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1979; Bronfenbrenner in Dev Psychology 22(6):723–742, 1986) and socio-cultural theories concerning language learning (Vygotsky in Thought and language, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1986). The data are produced through interviews with 69 Swedish and 35 Norwegian preschool teachers. The analyses focused on what the preschool teachers stated to be the most important elements to work with concerning children’s language learning, how and why they worked like this, and what rationales may have led to their pedagogy. The two countries seem quite alike in terms of the values embedded in early childhood education and political ideas concerning a rich childhood based on play and democratic ideals. By comparing the two countries, the results reveal differences that can lead to a deeper knowledge of cultural concepts that are often taken for granted, such as pedagogical approaches, and how these create different conditions for children’s preschool language learning.     

Correlates of overrating and underrating of cognitive competence among kindergarten children

This study focused on kindergarten children who were rated by teachers as low but rated themselves as high on cognitive competence (“overraters”), and on kindergarteners who were classified by teachers as high but rated themselves as low on cognitive competence (“underraters”). Children rated themselves and were rated by their teachers on Harter and Pike's (1984) Pictorial Scale for Young Children. Results showed that overrating and underrating in the cognitive domain were associated with similar tendencies in the physical, peer, and mother acceptance domains. Overraters were rated by teachers as lower on peer and mother acceptance than were accurate perceivers with similar teacher-rated cognitive competence. Underraters did not differ on these variables from accurate perceivers of similar teacher-rated cognitive competence. The findings are consistent with the notion that extreme overrating among kindergarteners is not a chance phenomenon, but a defensive strategy that occurs most often among children who are particularly unsuccessful in the social domains. In contrast, underrating among kindergarteners does not seem to be associated with low social acceptance.     

The impact of preprimary school on primary school achievement in Bangladesh

Evidence was collected regarding changes over 3 years in the quality of a preprimary program in rural Bangladesh and differences in school achievement of children who did and did not attend. The quality of 30 preprimary schools was evaluated using the ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised) and ECERS-E (- Extension). Results indicated that the quality improved overall from 3.50 in 2006 to 5.24 in 2008. Samples of 180 graduates of these schools were annually followed into first and second grades and tested for five competencies: speaking, writing, reading, oral mathematics and written mathematics. Their achievement scores were compared with students in their classrooms and students in neighboring schools who did not have the opportunity to attend preprimary schools. First graders in 2008 performed significantly better than comparisons in all competencies, and better than earlier graduates. Second graders performed significantly better than comparisons on all but Reading. Qualities of the math preprimary program correlated with math achievement in Grade 1 only. Consequently the quality of the preprimary program improved over time along with higher achievement for its graduates. The findings support efforts to expand high-quality programs in developing countries to help children succeed in the early primary grades.     

谈学前儿童色彩情感教育

以培养学前儿童色彩情感认知力和表达力为目标,从学前儿童生理心理的特殊性入手,引导其认识现实世界中丰富的色彩表现,树立正确的色彩价值体系,并启发其通过色彩来表达自我内心世界的心理体验,进而促进学前儿童早期智商和情商的发展。     

基于MQI评估系统的大班数学集体活动质量分析及其启示

数学是学前儿童学习和入学准备的重要领域,也是学前教育质量监测的重要方面。MQI评估系统作为一种评估数学课堂教学质量的框架,体现了最新数学教育观念,突出了数学的学科特性和认知要求,强调儿童的主动参与和生成性的教学过程,可同时对教师的教和儿童的学进行评估。本研究使用MQI评估系统对我国幼儿园大班数学集体活动的质量进行考察,结果表明除数学意义建构和数学语言之外,数学丰富度领域各维度表现水平不高;教师对儿童行为进行处理和反馈的水平较低;大多数活动片段中不存在数学表达和语言上的错误及不严密性问题;儿童参与有意义的解释或者提问和推理较少,参与活动的认知要求不高。幼儿园大班数学集体活动质量受到集体教学中"教"与"学"的关系、教师对数学领域知识和儿童数学发展目标的认知、教师评价儿童数学思维的能力及师幼互动技巧、教师培训与考核的侧重点等因素的影响。我国学前教育界应重视数学教育活动的过程性质量,关注儿童数学学习过程性能力的发展,并应在借鉴MQI评估系统的基础上开发适合我国幼儿园数学教育实践的质量评估系统。     

Teacher education for inclusive education in the Arab world: The case of Jordan

This article examines teacher education programmes in the Arab region and the extent to which teachers are prepared to work in inclusive education settings. In the Arab world, the emerging area of inclusive education faces various challenges, among them a teaching force that is not adequately prepared to teach all children. This challenge arises partly because, without content on inclusive education, current pre-service and in-service programmes produce teachers who lack the skills to work with children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. This article focuses on teacher education in Jordan, where the problems and challenges surrounding teacher education programmes for inclusive education mirror those in other Arab countries. In Jordan, training for inclusive education is very limited at both pre-service and in-service levels, both because the idea has only recently been introduced and because of limited financial resources in the country. Still, the growing interest in adopting an inclusive education system has raised awareness about the importance of providing teachers with education that enables them to work with children with special needs in inclusive settings.     

陈鹤琴幼儿教育思想及其成因

陈鹤琴先生是我国现代幼儿教育的开创者和改革者，他探索出一条适合中国国情又符合幼儿心理发展特点的幼儿教育之路，形成了独特的幼儿教育理论和思想体系。为了继承、弘扬和发展陈老的幼儿教育思想，本文着重介绍陈老幼儿教育理论和思想产生、发展的过程，并分析其成因。