Relooking Assessment: A Study on Assessing Developmental Learning Outcomes in Toddlers

In most countries the funding for early childhood education has increased and governments in some countries have taken serious steps to bring about positive change in the profession. However, the increase in funding by governments and other funding organisations around the world has, understandably, attracted increased accountability as these organisations need to know that their financial investments are achieving desired outcomes. To seek evidence that positive learning outcomes have indeed been achieved through these investments is a reasonable request, and there is a shared responsibility and accountability for professionals to provide appropriate evidence. The downside, however, can be the request for standardised test information, as if performance on such tests provides proof of all desired outcomes. More than ever before, it is important for early childhood educators to be able to provide accurate, objective information about children’s assessment in ways other than by standardised testing, which may not reflect the complex reality of children’s lives. This paper reports on a research study in Singapore that investigated curriculum effectiveness using developmental learning outcomes as a means of assessing children. The research was devised to examine if eight specified broad developmental learning outcomes could measure the effectiveness of the curriculum by assessing children’s learning as shown in qualitative data. Practical examples showed evidence of children’s learning and the role of the educator in facilitating and documenting developmental learning outcomes.     

The Early Years and the Development of Tolerance

This paper describes some of the issues surrounding the development of tolerance in young children, including the need to recognise that children's moral development is closely tied to their cognitive development. The importance of the family and other adult models is recognised as children make progress in understanding the views and rights of others. Teaching the young child about tolerance should be embedded in an inclusive approach to curriculum and children given opportunities to make decisions and take responsibility for their own actions consistent with their evolving capabilities.     

Image of the Singapore Child

The purpose of this study was to analyse the contents of one of the leading newspapers of Singapore in an effort to identify the public image of the children of the nation. Newspaper clippings of news/articles, pictures/photographs and advertisements featuring children below 15 years of age were collected over a one-week period and the content analysed in an attempt to find out the extent to which children in Singapore are visible and how they are portrayed in the media. While it is impossible to generalise the findings due to the small scale of this research, the findings show that the visibility of children in the media is low compared to their total presence in the population. Another interesting finding is that while the children in this study were portrayed as passive, vulnerable or a potential victim, the rights of the child were rarely mentioned.     

A Study of Child Rearing Practices Amongst Selected,Sudanese Families in South Australia: Implications for Child Care Service Selection

Child care services in Australia, for example, are largely defined and shaped by the historically dominant Anglo-Australian discourse and norms. The aim of this research was to examine critically and to find meaning in the experiences of recently arrived Sudanese families as they began to settle into their new cultural environment. The cultural values of some 30 Sudanese families were investigated and related to how these affected the selection of child care services. Qualitative research methods including an indigenous approach were used to gather data. Interactions with Sudanese families took place in their home environments. Interviews were conducted in a way that put those people interviewed at ease. Techniques used included narrative interviewing and vignettes.     

Continuity of Care: Primary Caregiving in Singapore

Early Childhood Education Journal - Child care centres in many developed countries have expanded exponentially due to the increased participation of women in the workforce. Consequently, children...     

Early Experiences Matter: A Relationships-Based Curriculum for the Birth-to-Three Age Group

The paper discusses some research findings in Singapore that investigated if a relationships-based curriculum extended the active involvement of the infants, toddlers, and young children (up to the age of three) in their learning. Using a relationships-based curriculum, a study conducted over a year involved the use of a well-tested, traditional before-and-after methodology to find out if any change had occurred in the phenomenon under study between two points in time. A sample of 58 infants, toddlers and young children (up to the age of three) in an experimental cohort and 59 of comparable ages in a control cohort, were measured using the Laevers’ Active Involvement scale before and after a curriculum intervention. The results showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in the active involvement of the children in the experimental cohort as compared to no improvement in the control cohort. It is proposed that the relationships-based approach has the potential to raise the quality of curriculum and could be considered for application in child care centres in other countries.     

Developing a Reading Community: Involving LIS Students in Planning a Readers’ Advisory Event

Graduate students in an elective Readers' Advisory class created a variation of a one book–one community event. The event provided a forum for discussing issues related to technology and the future and how it relates to the evolving mission of the public library. Students gained experience in project management and reflected on how they expanded their readers' advisory skills. Future events could be improved with more careful task assignment, better marketing, and better timing.     

Instituting Change in Early Childhood Education: Recent Developments in Singapore

In an effort to improve preschool education, the Singapore government has embraced the need for change by identifying needed policies related to preschool education. These changes require teachers to rethink their approach to learning and teaching. A proposed tool suggested in this paper that may help facilitate curriculum change is the use of pedagogical documentation. This paper examines some impact, implications and challenges for adopting such a tool with the stakeholders in Singapore.     

Encouraging a Culture of Research in Practicing Teachers in Singapore

Upgrading the status of early childhood teaching and improving job satisfaction are areas of concern to practitioners, policy makers and other stakeholders in the early childhood field. Ways to upgrade practicing teachers, including their involvement in research, is an on-going challenge. This paper reports on a research in Singapore where a sample of practicing teachers was asked about their views on practitioner research. The interviews focused on the possible challenges faced by practitioners in implementing practitioner inquiry research. In addition, the participants discussed changes that can be made to support practitioner inquiry research in early childhood settings in Singapore.