Showing papers in "Early Childhood Education in 1997"

Teacher Play Interaction Styles : Effects on Play Behavior and Relationships with Teacher Training and Experience

Abstract: This study examined how four preschool teachers, who differed greatly in terms of experience and training, interacted with children during play. Over the course of three months, each teacher was videotaped interacting with three groups of children. The teachers were taped twice with each group. The videotaped play sessions were then transcripted and analyzed. Six different play interaction styles were identified: uninvolved, interviewer, stage manager, co-player, player leaders and director. The stage-manager, co-player and play leaders styles appeared to have a positive impact on children`s pretend play, whereas the uninvolved, interviewer and director styles impeded children`s play efforts. The teachers` differences in training and experience paralleled their choice of play styles. The two most experienced teachers relied heavily on the three effective styles, while the two inexperienced teachers consistently used less effective styles.

Directors of Early Childhood Services: Experience, Preparedness and Selection.

Abstract: The role of the early childhood director has been a neglected area of research in Australia. This study set out to address the gap in understanding of directors and the administration/management function in child care and preschool settings. Through a survey of practicing directors and a series of follow-up interviews with selected respondents, baseline data were gathered which identified the background, experience, means of recruitment, levels of satisfaction, training needs, and other concerns of administrators in a representational sample of preschool and child care centers in New South Wales. Results showed that while the cohort overall has experience in a director's role, 41 percent of directors worked in the field for less than two years before taking on the role of director. Administrators rated in-service training as much more useful than pre-service degrees or courses. Most stated that they had a full understanding of their position, or that they knew most things about it, before taking it on. A majority of respondents identified technical and human relations issues as the most difficult for them as new directors, but almost half also claimed that these issues were the ones for which they were best prepared. Most directors were motivated to pursue their positions because of their desire for a change or challenge or because of positive impressions about the job or inspiration from a specific role model. Only 5 percent were pursuing their position for the salary. Almost one-third of respondents were appointed without going through competition processes. Overall, the majority of directors reported a strong personal and professional commitment to the management role, and they reported success at foraging out their own information and support resources. (Contains 25 resources.) (EV) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************

How Family-Centered Are Early Intervention Services: Staff and Parent Perceptions?.

Abstract: The 1990s has seen a dramatic shift in the desired orientation of early intervention services, involving a movement away from child-centered approaches in assessment and intervention to a family-centered approach in service delivery. This study attempted to contribute to the little research available on the efficacy of the family-centered approach. Early intervention staff (187 respondents) and parents with a young child attending an early intervention program (273 respondents) in New South Wales were surveyed about their perceptions of the extent to which support, provided or received, was family-centered, and their perceptions of the way in which they would like support to be provided or received. Overall, results indicated that staff are more concerned about the practices generally believed to demonstrate a family-centered approach than are parents. Family-centered practices in early intervention services appeared to be widely implemented in the Australian state, and the vast majority of parents were satisfied with the level of support they receive from these services. Although there were significant differences between parent and staff ratings of the actual and desired level of implementation of family-centered practice, the differences were not large enough to constitute a gulf between families and intervention services. (Contains 17 references.) (EV) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** HOW FAMILY-CENTERED ARE EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES: STAFF AND PARENT PERCEPTIONS? Ian Dempsey and Anne Carruthers Special Education Centre University of Newcastle ABSTRACT Early intervention staff (N=187) and parents (N=273) with a young child attending an early intervention program were surveyed about their perceptions of the extent to which support, provided or received, was family-centered, and their perceptions of the way in which they would like support to be provided or received. The results indicated differences between current and preferred support for both groups, and differences across groups. The results are discussed in relation to the changing orientation of early intervention services, the level of familycentered support apparent in services, and how well service staff may be meeting the needs of the families they support. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality.Early intervention staff (N=187) and parents (N=273) with a young child attending an early intervention program were surveyed about their perceptions of the extent to which support, provided or received, was family-centered, and their perceptions of the way in which they would like support to be provided or received. The results indicated differences between current and preferred support for both groups, and differences across groups. The results are discussed in relation to the changing orientation of early intervention services, the level of familycentered support apparent in services, and how well service staff may be meeting the needs of the families they support. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. :Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Cr1 . TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) The past decade has seen a dramatic shift in the desired orientation of early intervention services in several Western countries. This shift has involved a movement away from childcentered approaches in assessment and intervention, to a family-centered approach in service delivery. This change in focus has considerable intuitive appeal. However, while it is based on a range of value statements outlined below, and is supported by legislation in the United States, there has been very little research to confirm the assumed efficacy of the familycentered approach. Family-centered '...refers to a combination of beliefs and practices that define particular ways of working with families that are consumer driven and competency enhancing' (Dunst, Johanson, Trivette & Hamby, 1991:115). Despite the multi-faceted nature of the familycentered approach, there is general agreement as to what constitutes this orientation. In a brief review of the literature, McBride, Brotherson, Joanning, Whiddon and Demmitt (1993) identified three major principles that encompass the family-centered approach. First, the establishment of the family as the focus of service provision (Krauss, 1990). The young child with special needs is recognised as living in a family context, and so it is argued that interventions to support the child are likely to be more effective when framed within that context. Second, families are supported to play a role in decision-making about the nature of the service that is provided to them (Bailey, 1987). The implementation of this principle recognises that families have the right to participate with service staff as partners, and have a right to maintain control over the support that they receive. Finally, service provision should also attempt to strengthen family functioning by promoting the capabilities of the family (Kaiser & Hemmeter, 1989). This principle sees families as possessing a range of strengths and capabilities that may assist them to use available resources to meet their own needs. As a service orientation, family-centered service provision shares many of the components of enabling and empowering approaches (Dunst, Trivette & Deal, 1988). It has also been influenced by the substantial literature on family support and social support in the disciplines of welfare and social services (Gottleib, 1985; Weissbourd, 1990; Wolcott, 1989). There is anecdotal evidence that the use of a family-centered approach in the delivery of early intervention services has been widely accepted in Australia, at least from the beginning of this decade. For instance, the approach is frequently mentioned in the professional literature in this Journal of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education Volume 1 1997

Teachers Coping with Change: The Stories of Two Preschool Teachers.

Abstract: In this paper, the impact of change on two Queensland preschool teachers is reported. Twelve preschool teachers were given opportunities to record and describe their work within their specific teaching context, as well as within the wider contexts of the school campus and the educational and social system. A reflective journal was kept daily over a two-week period and entries frequently identified the influence that mandated educational change had on daily work. The keeping of the reflective journal and a follow-up conversation enabled the creation of teachers' stories about their experiences. In this paper, two of the stories are explored. The stories are illuminating and assist in an understanding of the dimensions and conditions of teachers' work, and of current issues impacting on early childhood education.

Intertextuality and Beginning Reading Instruction in the Initial School Years.

Abstract: This research draws upon both a preliminary study conducted over a 3-year period, in which a group of 15 children was tracked through the first 3 years of school, as well as works-in-progress. The particular concern of this research is the accessibility of the complex organization of reading instruction to young readers, realized by explicit and implicit relationships among written, spoken, and visual texts which constitute the intertextual fabric of reading instruction. The research is framed by a view of intertextuality as a constellation of theoretical approaches concerned with relationships between texts. Data gathered through audiotape transcripts and observational field notes have shown that teacher-meditated classroom reading lessons contain a complex of intertextual links. These intertextual relationships may be realized at varying levels of graphology/phonology, lexico-grammar and semantics, as well as in connections across contexts. In any one lesson, there was often found a continual moving from one level to another as relationships were drawn out, and the relationships were seen to be cued both explicitly through verbal interactions and implicitly through body positioning, intonation, gestures, and the arrangement of the physical context. The data also frequently revealed the transient nature of teaching and learning processes, in which children's very significant intertextual understandings (influenced by their particular cultural and social background) may be missed, and therefore invalidated, in the pursuit of intertextual agendas that impose dominant adult frames of reference upon children's utterances and experiences. Classroom data and interview data have also revealed differences in the kinds of relationships among texts perceived and valued by children and teachers. (Contains 9 references.) (EV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OE RI position or policy. 32 INTERTEXTUALITY AND BEGINNING READING INSTRUCTION IN THE INITIAL SCHOOLS YEARS Pauline Harris and Jillian Trezise University of Wollongong

Some Implications of Popularity at Age Four.

Abstract: Recently, within the field of early childhood education, there has been an increasing emphasis on the role of social construction of knowledge and on the inter-relatedness of aspects of social and cognitive development. This study investigated a proposed relationship between young children's popularity status among peers and a representational theory of mind. Twenty-four 5-year-olds participated in a series of sociometric interviews in which they were asked to rate their peers according to whether they "liked to play with them a lot," "liked to play with them sometimes," or "didn't like to play with them." These ratings were used to generate an overall likability measure, which was then compared with a measure of performance on a series of theory of mind tasks. Comparison of these measures indicated a significant correlation between the ranking of individual children as popular, or unpopular, by their peers and a measure of theory of mind. These results indicated that social interactions among peers provide opportunities for understanding of self and others and for explaining and predicting the actions of others based on mental states. Teachers were also asked to rate the children in terms of perceived popularity. Comparisons of the ratings made by teachers and children indicated considerable differences. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/EV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************

The Development of the Early Childhood Teacher's Role Rating Scale in Korea

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the procedures used for constructing the early childhood teacher`s role rating scale. The procedures for constructing the instrument, the Early Childhood Teacher`s Role Rating Scale (ECTRRS), consisted of : (1) designing the instrument (selecting the type of instrument, conducting the interviews and identifying items); (2) piloting and refining the instrument; (3) administering the refined instrument; (4) examining the instrument`s validity; (5) estimating the instrument`s reliability; (6) analyzing the items for discriminating performance level. The final scale consists of 73 items in 5 subareas of roles: role as the curriculum designer (16 items); role as the performer of instruction (14 items); role as the counselor/advisor (9 items); role as the researcher (15 items); role as the manager of administrative affairs (19 items).

Humour and self-concept: a multicultural perspective

Abstract: Humour and play have many features in common, both of which are important aspects in children's lives. In this article the focus is set on the relationship between different aspects of children's self-concept, including their humoristic self-concept, and interest in learning, play and local cultural activities. Participants in this study were drawn nonrandomly from primary schools in Australia, Norway and the United States. The students in the sample were 8 to 11 years old and were recruited from the majority culture and from Indigenous groups in the three countries. Results show interesting relationships between the humour self-concept and gender. More boys than girls describe themselves as funny. In the majority cultures humoristic self concept seems to be related to interest in free play, free learning and free local cultural activities. Within the Indigenous groups these relations were not significant. There are reasons to consider most of the documented differences to be caused by dissimilarities between cultures, school systems, and how representatives of different cultural groups perceive and think about upbringing and education. In particular, the gender differences found call for further research.

Questioning National Standards in the Field of Early Childhood Education

Abstract: To ensure that all children will have a certain equality of education and will achieve academically, many nations have developed national curriculum standards. This article begins with a discussion of the potential benefits and disadvantages of curriculum standards in the field of early childhood education. As curriculum for young children must hold deep personal meaning, be of interest to children, age appropriate, first-hand, and value diversity and inclusion, the usefulness of national standards for early childhood educators is questioned. The article concludes with suggestions for how educators might meld the intent of national standards with the rights of young children in every nation to experience an emergent, meaningful curriculum.

Suggestions for Assessing Process Skills in the Classroom

Abstract: Teachers take process skills into account when assessing student performance and assigning grades. These include skills like planning, organizing and monitoring work, and making decisions. Teachers need a meaningful structure for their observations of process skills in order to reduce subjective judgements, create a clearer focus for teaching these skills, and facilitate communication with others about a child`s status and progress. This paper suggests categories teachers might use as prototypes for structuring their observations of process skills. The categories provide objective evidence of a child`s skills, a focus for teaching where skills are lacking, and a way of explaining process skills so that a child`s progress may be monitored and communicated to others.

Child - Centred Education for Pacific - Rim Cultures?

Abstract: This paper argues that we should exercise caution in considering transplanting theory from one culture to another. The thesis is illustrated by reference to Frameable`s supposedly uniform theory of education. Using a historical approach it distinguishes there distinct versions: the Christian, the Progressive and the Child-Care, and raises doubts about the appropriateness of each one in turn. It concludes that the underlying culture in which the theory is intended to take root is of crucial importance.