The understanding of early childhood development that Alberta kindergarten teachers bring to their work when administering the early development instrument (EDI)

ix Chapter 1: Investigating the Experiences of Kindergarten Teachers in Alberta who Have Administered the Early Development Instrument (EDI) . 1 The Early Development Instrument (EDI) – A Brief Overview . 1 The Significance of This Study . 2 Questions of what Influences Practices . 3 What constitutes a Canadian approach to Early Childhood Education . 4 Confining the Scope . 6 The Canadian Context for Early Childhood Development: National Policy Directions . 7 Canadian Public Policy and Early Childhood Development . 8 The Relationship between Discourse and Policy . 9 Pan-Canadian research and Population Level Data Collection . 10 The EDI and Discourses of Vulnerability . 11 Policy Responses to Issues of Addressing Vulnerability . 12 Learning through play is supported by science. 13 Implementing the EDI . 15 The Context for the Present Study: Early Childhood Services in Alberta . 18 Contemporary Discourses Influencing ECD Policy in Alberta . 20 Economic ‘Investment’ in ECD . 21 The Relationship between Neoliberal Discourse and the ‘New Sciences’ . 22 The Core Story. 25 Positioning the EDI within Contemporary Policy Discourses . 26 Critiques of the EDI . 28 Thesis Structure . 29 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 31 The Early Development Instrument . 31 School Entry Assessment in Canada . 34 Identifying Major Debates on the EDI and Locating My Study within These Debates . 36 The Literature Concerning Practitioners and the EDI . 41 Sociocultural Epistemological Perspectives on Teacher Knowledge. 43 Funds of Knowledge . 47 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE EDI v Translating Theory into Practice . 52 Teachers’ Expectations . 54 Chapter Summary . 55 Chapter 3: Theorising Teacher Knowledge and Practice from a Sociocultural Perspective. 59 Social Constructionism . 60 What is Mediation? 62 Key Conceptual Tools used by Teachers to Construct their Practice . 65 Sociocultural Theory . 69 Sociocultural theory and teacher learning . 75 Chapter Summary . 76 Chapter 4: Methodology . 79 Rigour . 79 Methodological Basis and Rationale for the Chosen Research Approach . 81 Discourse as a Feature of Constructionist Methodologies . 84 Discourse analysis. 85 Discourse analysis as a research method. 86 Discourse analysis as a research tool. 88 Discourse analysis of interviews and focus groups. 90 Interviews . 90 Individual Interview Questions for Kindergarten Teachers . 91 Focus Group. 93 Approach to Data Analysis . 94 Participants in this Study . 97 Pen Portraits of the Participants . 98 Ethical Considerations . 103 Chapter Summary . 105 Chapter 5: How Teachers Access Dominant Discourses of Child Development . 107 The Struggle to Locate Discourses of Child Development in the Teachers’ Talk109 The Discursive Shift from ‘I’ to ‘We’ . 114 The Influence of Available Discourses of ‘Atypical’ Development and ‘Screening’ . 117 Discourses of Development in the Context of Child Development Theory . 119 Administering the EDI . 123 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE EDI vi Discourses and the Role of the School Authority. 126 Chapter Summary . 128 Chapter 6: Teachers’ Alternatives to a Discourse of Child Development . 131 Discourses of School Readiness . 133 Discourses of Practice: ‘Practical’ and ‘Inspired’ Approaches . 136 The Place of Professional Development in Shaping ‘Practical’ Approaches . 138 A Discourse of Learning Through Play . 141 Participants’ Collaborative Discourses . 145 The EDI as a Mediating Tool Within a Collective Discourse . 148 Chapter Summary . 151 Chapter 7: Discourses of Professional Values, Advocacy, and Ethics . 153 Speaking from the ‘I’ . 154 Negotiating Competing Discourses . 161 Children as Capable . 166 A Personal Ethic and View of Childhood . 168 The Importance of Family and Community . 172 The Relationship Between Discourses of Family and Community, and Administering the EDI . 175 Advocacy and the EDI . 178 Chapter Summary . 182 Chapter 8: Conclusion . 185 Aims of the Study . 185 Summary of Key Findings of the Study . 186 1. Developmentally appropriate practice discourse underpins the practice of kindergarten teachers. 189 2. Incorporating the EDI into their educational philosophy . 190 3. What does this mean for teacher training and professional development? 191 4. The role of school authorities in leading and shaping ECD approaches adopted in schools .