bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The PhotoStory Method as a Legitimate Research Tool in Evaluations: More than a Nice Story
Authors: Skrzypiec Grace , Harvey-Murray Rosalind , Krieg Susan
Published: March 2019

THE INTENT OF THIS REPORT is to examine the use of the PhotoStory method as a qualitative component of the KidsMatter Early Childhood (KMEC) mixed-method evaluation. One hundred family and staff photographers, at 10 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across Australia, participated in the PhotoStory study by taking 162 photographs to illustrate children's social and emotional learning. Educators provided photographs to show how KMEC had affected them and their work practices. Analysis of the photos and stories underscores the importance of social cultural aspects of children's social and emotional learning. Findings provided evidence of the personal as well as professional changes that staff attributed to KMEC. The PhotoStory method used was an effective and powerful research tool providing unique rich and informative qualitative data as part of an evaluation study. This study suggests that the PhotoStory methodology deserves its place among the suite of qualitative data collection approaches available to researchers undertaking mixed-method evaluation studies.
Perceptions of Rebates for Nanny Care: An Analysis of an Online Discussion
Authors: Garvis Susanne , Pendergast Donna
Published: March 2019

CHILDCARE SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA have experienced a rapid growth in demand over the last 30 years. This has paralleled a number of shifts in society, including: the changing roles and expectations of women; the structuring of an economy that relies on dual income as the norm; the assigning of responsibility to the wider community for the adequate provision of child care; and more recently, an expectation that early years child care also performs an educative role. The current Australian context features a mini baby boom (Bryant, 2011) resulting in a strong demand for child care but with an unmatched supply of services. As a potential election promise, the federal opposition leader in 2012 suggested that the Australian childcare rebate for families should be extended to nannies to increase supply and to help with out-of-hours care. This would be a new initiative for the childcare industry. This paper reports on the text analysis of a self-selected group of 113 respondents who posted comments to a website in response to this proposal. Key themes emerged in the posts relating to: the role of women; middle-class welfare; the role of nannies; and the pressures of modern living. Findings from this investigation are important as they provide a moment in time snapshot of perceptions about early childhood education and care. Policy initiatives are explored with a view to address the shortfall in childcare provision; findings are important to provide initial glimpses of community perceptions.
Quality Early Childhood Education for my Child or for all Children? Parents as Activists for Equitable, High-Quality Early Childhood Education in Australia
Authors: Fenech Marianne
Published: March 2019

Historical accounts of the development of early childhood education (ECE) in Australia up to the passing of Child Care Act in 1972 (Brennan, 1998; Wong, 2006) show that parents' role in the development of the sector has been limited. This trend has continued since the 1970s, with parents seemingly contributing to the development and quality of individual centres more so than to the development of a quality system of ECE in Australia. In the absence of parent-driven demand for such a system, significant and longstanding barriers to the universal provision of high-quality ECE prevail. This paper suggests that three intersecting influences have collectively induced parents to think about ECE as a personal rather than a public concern. These influences are ECE policy as an ‘art of government’ (Foucault 1991[1978], p. 92); maternalist discourses that naturalise motherhood; and educators' limited engagement with and enacting of systems advocacy. The paper discusses possibilities for educators to subvert these influences and develop activist collaborations with the goal of achieving universal provision of high-quality education for all children in Australia.
From Your Perspective: Black Preservice Early Childhood Education Students Share Their Stories
Authors: Harris Teresa , Steyn Miemsie
Published: March 2019

AT A TIME WHEN TEACHER demand is high, especially in urban and rural areas of South Africa, the numbers of Black South African students entering teacher education remain low. This study examines the potential barriers and supports available in the University of Pretoria early childhood teacher education program from the perspectives of the black students themselves as a way to inform future efforts to recruit and retain future students. The Critical Race Theory serves as the theoretical framework for analysis of students' stories.
‘Time to Ponder’: Professional Learning in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Whitington Victoria , Shore Sue , Thompson Carol
Published: March 2019

EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER KNOWLEDGE and professional capacity is critical to the achievement of the goals of the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) early childhood policy agenda. This paper reports on a study of the professional development challenges that faced 87 preschool teachers at a time of major policy change. Employing Dorothy Smith's (2005) notion of ‘generous work’, a university upgrade program was designed to map teachers' existing skills and knowledge against four-year graduate proficiency standards. Teachers experienced substantial challenges to their identities as competent professionals as they re-entered the ‘modern’ university learning environment. Lecturers noticed that teachers had difficulties in re-engaging in study and articulating their practice using early childhood education theory and policy. The study concluded that to engage effectively in ongoing professional learning and so build ‘extended professionalism’ teachers require inbuilt ‘slow time’. Implications for cross-sectoral partnerships are also included.
Lessons from a Face-to-Face Meeting on Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives: ‘A Contract of Intimacy’
Authors: Lampert Jo , Burnett Bruce , Martin Rebecca , McCrea Lisa
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE findings from a conversation between an Aboriginal educator and a non-Indigenous pre-service educator about the importance and complexities of building productive partnerships. Although the participants focused on the challenges and benefits of building relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and non-Indigenous educators in Australian early years settings, the more significant outcome of the meeting was the personal connection two young women were able to make when a friendship began to develop. The project was intended to enable an opportunity for the participants ‘to engage in reflexivity on their pedagogic work’, something Mills (2012) understands as crucial to the support of social justice and transformation in the classroom.
Civil (Dis) Obedience: Understanding Resistance and Value in Child Care
Authors: Andrew Yarrow
Published: March 2019

DRAWING ON A FEMINIST materialist framework, this paper explores the resistance of workers in Australian childcare settings to the conditions of their work, and the perceptions of its value in the wider community. I argue that such resistance often goes unrecognised because of the constraints under which it is practiced, as a result of a distinctively gendered and classed workforce. I explore three forms of this resistance—dis-ease, subversion and foot-dragging—and how these represent different responses to the same dilemma, a search for recognition of effort and skills in this work. I conclude by suggesting that this recognition is vital to the wellbeing not just of workers, but to the entire childcare system.
Interrupting Listening to Children: Researching with Children's Secret Places in Early Childhood Settings
Authors: Moore Deborah
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER EXAMINES A definitive turning point in an early childhood research study involving children's construction of secret places juxtaposed against the challenge of authentically researching with children. The study was a qualitative case study theoretically positioned within the sociology of childhood. It used child-based research methods and participatory tools from the Mosaic Approach. A dramatic shift in the study occurred when the author realised that to move beyond the dominant discourse of past paradigms required an interruption to the methodological approach of adult-contrived interviews to an approach of listening to but not fully knowing children.
Children's Perspectives on Values and Rules in Australian Early Education
Authors: Johansson Eva , Cobb-Moore Charlotte , Lunn-Brownlee Joanne , Walker Sue , Boulton-Lewis Gillian , Ailwood Jo
Published: March 2019

IN RECENT YEARS, ISSUES relating to moral and conventional values have been emphasized in educational policies. This study examines young children's (100 children aged 4–8 years) own understandings of values and rules for how to treat others and participate in school. Eleven classrooms, within seven different elementary schools in Queensland, were visited. Children were interviewed regarding their views about moral and conventional issues, rules and participation in everyday school life. According to the children, ‘doing the right thing’ in school involved both a concern for others' wellbeing and for the social order in school, including conventions, rules and behaviour connected with discipline. The children's responsibility seemed, however, to be to adapt to the (school) system, rather than being an active participant in constructing the system.
We're Offering True Play-Based Learning: Teacher Perspectives on Educational Dis/Continuity in the Early Years
Authors: Hunkin Elise
Published: March 2019

EDUCATIONAL CONTINUITY IS A well-documented challenge facing the early childhood field. This research project investigated preschool and primary teachers' perspectives of educational dis/continuity, as they have been under-represented in the literature to date. The inclusion of dual-qualified educators in the sample group provided the counter-perspective of those who have trained and taught in both settings. It was found that teacher perceptions of how preschool and primary school differentiate have historical roots, and are orientated in the belief that the two settings apply incongruent approaches to teaching and learning. It was argued that gaining knowledge and experience in both settings could open up teachers' perceptions and assist them to find opportunities for improving continuity.
Social Media Technologies for Collaboration and Communication: Perceptions of Childcare Professionals and Families
Authors: Yost Helen , Fan Si
Published: March 2019

THE PRIMARY AIM OF the study was to develop an understanding of how social media technologies, such as Web 2.0, can be used to facilitate collaboration and communication between childcare professionals and families of young children. Participants involved in this project were selected from three childcare centres and included two centre directors, seven childcare workers, and eight parents of children attending one of the three centres1. Semi-structured individual interviews (n = 17) were conducted by the two researchers. Results confirmed differing perspectives about the value of using social media for collaboration and communication between families and early childhood professionals. This paper discusses participants' perceptions of influential factors in adopting social media.
Reporting of Ethics in Early Childhood Journals: A Meta-Analysis of 10 Journals from 2009 to 2012
Authors: Mayne Fiona , Howitt Christine
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER PRESENTS A comprehensive review of reporting practices of research ethics in 10 scholarly international early childhood education journals. Peer-reviewed primary research articles published between 2009 and 2012 (inclusive) were reviewed for reported parent consent, child consent and institutional ethics approval. Of the 506 articles identified as relevant, 49 per cent reported parent consent (with a range across journals from 23–66 per cent), 19 per cent reported child consent (9–40 per cent) and 16 per cent reported institutional ethics approval (6–23 per cent). Only 24 per cent of articles specified the type of parent consent, while only 11 per cent of articles specified the type of child consent. These results highlight considerable under-reporting of ethical procedures in early childhood education research journals, and in those who do report there is a lack of detail. The potential benefits of increased reporting of ethics are discussed in relation to the Rights of the Child movement and journal editorial and author guidelines.
Mal adaptive Parenting and Child Emotional Symptoms in the Early School Years: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Authors: Farrant Brad
Published: March 2019

EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS ARE ONE of the primary manifestations of child mental health problems. The current study investigated whether being exposed to maladaptive parenting (high hostility and low warmth) and/or marital conflict in infancy is associated with a significantly increased risk of having emotional symptoms in the early school years. Relevant data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) were available for 3161 children (1621 boys) who had a median age of nine months (M age = 8.8 months, SD = 2.5 months) at wave 1 and a median age of 58 months (M = 57.5 months, SD = 2.8 months) at wave 3. Children who were exposed to maladaptive parenting and/or marital conflict at wave 1 were found to have a significantly increased risk of having emotional symptoms at wave 3. These findings indicate that by incorporating a focus earlier in children's development it should be possible to achieve better outcomes from programs that target parenting behaviours and family functioning.
The ‘State of Play’ in Australia: Early Childhood Educators and Play-Based Learning
Authors: Sumsion Jennifer , Grieshaber Sue , McArdle Felicity , Shield Paul
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES AN overview of the Education Meets Play study that will investigate early childhood educators' use of play-based learning, now mandatory under the National Quality Standard. By building on what can be gleaned about educators' approaches to play-based learning prior to the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework, the study will contribute to the evidence base concerning the implementation and effects of Australia's early childhood education and care policy reform initiatives.
Exploring Educators' Perspectives: How does Learning through ‘Happiness’ Promote Quality Early Childhood Education?
Authors: Ikegami Kiiko , Agbenyega Joseph Seyram
Published: March 2019

THE QUALITY OF EARLY childhood education has dominated current debates in the ways educators develop and implement learning programs for children yet conceptions of quality vary contextually and culturally. This qualitative case study explored the insider perspectives of six early childhood educators in Sapporo, Japan regarding their conceptions of the quality of early childhood education. Analysis of the data collected through interviews indicated that the most important factor the educators consider when programming for quality learning in early childhood is ‘happiness’. The conception of happiness expressed by the educators emanated from the philosophical thinking of three Japanese philosophers namely, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda. These thinkers argued that for education to be meaningful and serve society, happiness must form the fundamental principle of all learning programs. In this paper we argue that, by framing the quality of early childhood education in happiness, educators and children can engage deeply with learning that has the potential to influence the whole child and their full participation in society.
Through the Eyes of Parents: A Singaporean Perspective of the Importance of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills for Six-Year-Old Children
Authors: Carter Margaret Anne , Frewen Amie , Chunn Jennifer
Published: March 2019

THIS STUDY REPORTS THE importance 244 parents of six-year-old children living in Singapore placed on cognitive (problem-solving and creativity) and non-cognitive (practical school skills and conforming) behaviours. Our research team hypothesised that, as the age of the parent increased, the importance placed on each covariant skill (problem solving, creativity, practical, conformity) would differ. It was further hypothesised that the importance placed on cognitive skills compared with non-cognitive skills for six-year-old children would decrease.

Our results indicate that, when controlling for demographics, as parents aged they did place different levels of importance on each of the cognitive skills but not the non-cognitive skills. Furthermore, older parents placed less importance on cognitive compared with non-cognitive skills. The gap between average cognitive rating and average non-cognitive scores decreased as parents' age increased. This gap was found to be smaller for Chinese than non-Chinese parents. It decreased with age when controlling for child gender and parent ethnicity, gender and occupation.
Family Day Care Educators' Knowledge, Confidence and Skills in Promoting Children's Social and Emotional Wellbeing: Baseline Data from Thrive
Authors: Davis Elise , Corr Lara , Ummer-Christian Rahila , Gilson Kim-Michelle , Waters Elizabeth , Cook Kay , Harrison Linda , Herrman Helen , Mackinnon Andrew , Sims Margaret , Mihalopoulos Cathrine , Marshall Bernie
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER PRESENTS BASELINE data from Thrive, a capacity-building program for family day care educators. Educators completed a self-report survey assessing knowledge and confidence in promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing. An in-home observation was used to assess care quality. Twenty-four educators responded to the survey (40 per cent response rate). They had an average of nine years' experience and 82 per cent held childcare qualifications. Educators reported knowledge of, on average, three early signs of social and emotional problems in children, three risk factors and two protective factors. Using a scale from 0–10, mean educator confidence levels ranged from an average of 6.69 to 7.25. Quality of care ratings were moderate. Although educators had a good understanding of children's social and emotional wellbeing, the study identified opportunities for significant changes in the quality of the educators' interactions with children in their care and their professional development.
Looking Forward, Looking Back: Framing the Future for Teaching for Social Justice in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Hawkins Karen
Published: March 2019

THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT that throughout the preschool years children are not only becoming more aware of themselves and their surroundings but they are also developing their moral frameworks by absorbing the attitudes and values of their family, culture and society. Undeniably the preschool years are crucial in shaping cultural and racial understandings and are critical in forming attitudes towards difference and diversity. Consequently, for a future characterised by justice, peace and understanding it is imperative that early childhood educators take responsibility in guiding children towards a positive attitude regarding difference and diversity, and upholding equity, justice and human dignity. However, teachers may struggle to find suitable pedagogical strategies that work to support and promote teaching for social justice and inclusion. This article highlights a doctoral study conducted in Australia that built upon successes in the US and UK that incorporated the use of children's literature in prior-to-school settings. This article will outline the strategies that were successfully implemented by teachers involved in this collaborative study using children's literature to promote and support teaching for social justice and inclusion. It is anticipated that teaching for social justice in the early years will form a foundation that will guide learners towards a lifelong concern for the valuing of difference, diversity, human dignity and justice.
Insider Perspectives on Influence and Decision Making in the Australian Political Sphere: A Case Study of National Quality Policy in ECEC 2006–09
Authors: Bown Kathryn
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE EMPLOYS A method known as ‘eventalisation’ (Foucault, 1988) to investigate influences on politicians' decision making for early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy in Australia. Eventalisation involves looking for multiple perspectives on the one ‘event’ and calls for a questioning of what might otherwise be thought of as self-evident (Foucault, 1988). The National Reform Agenda, an extensive program of national reform in the areas of competition, regulation and human capital, while seemingly developed by the Rudd Labor Government after their 2007 election win, was in fact a long-term policy agenda largely originating in the Australian state of Victoria circa 2004–05. This article presents an excavation of the National Reform Agenda policy undercurrent since the early millennium to illustrate the significant influence it had on ECEC policy 2006–09. Using a case study design involving interviews with politicians and key early childhood policy activists and advocates, this eventalisation argues that human capital discourses, while highly influential and widely disseminated in national ECEC policy reform, have limited capacity to support the generation of policy that comprehensively addresses fundamental policy problems in the ECEC field.
Mothers and Fathers Resourcing Early Learning and Development
Authors: Nichols Sue
Published: March 2019

YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE preschool period are being positioned as early learners with parents being attributed with responsibility for facilitating their children's learning and development. This study concerns parents' awareness of and access to a broad range of resources which they understood as relevant to this task. Interviews with 25 mothers and eight fathers of children aged birth–six formed the basis of this analysis. Commonalities and differences between mothers and fathers were found which suggest a need for further research into gender as a dimension of parental resourcing. Three themes are explored in the discussion: maternity as an entry point into resource networks; female kin as resource providers; and the internet as a gender equaliser in resource access.
Encouraging Reflective Practice with Future Early Childhood Teachers to Support the National Standards: An Australian Case Study
Authors: Lemon Narelle , Garvis Susanne
Published: March 2019

THE NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARDS (NQS) for early childhood education and care (ECEC) were implemented in Australia in 2012. A thorough understanding of the Standards is important for educators to improve and enhance quality in the sector. This imperative also applies in early childhood teacher education where capabilities to incorporate the NQS are essential to enhance the knowledge and understanding of future early childhood teachers. This investigation reports on the creation and evaluation of the effectiveness of a Reflective Template, based on Bloom's revised taxonomy to scaffold pre-service teacher understanding about early childhood practices and to specifically link to/unpack these policy documents' desired outcomes. The Reflective Template was utilised with 29 pre-service teachers undertaking study in a Bachelor of Education (Primary) program who were specialising in early childhood education. The findings revealed the template enabled movement beyond observing and recounting a situation to creating questions to reflect on their own practice and transfer of higher order reflection that was deeper than experienced in other teacher education subjects.
Parents' Beliefs and Evaluations of Young Children's Computer Use
Authors: Hatzigianni Maria , Margetts Kay
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER PRESENTS PARENTS’ beliefs about how and why their young children are using computers. Fifty-one parents completed two questionnaires (before and after a seven-month computer intervention) and findings suggest that parents hold positive beliefs about computer use by their children, mostly for enhancing their educational development and their technological awareness. Parents also referred to connections between children's computer use and children's self-characteristics. However, parents did not consider engaging with computers as influential on children's development as sports or other social activities. The need for further research on young children's home computer use (and other technologies) is underlined together with implications for parents and the early childhood sector.
Habitus and the Accomplishment of Natural Growth: Maternal Parenting Practices and the Achievement of ‘School-Readiness’
Authors: Podesta Jennifer
Published: March 2019

RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT the cognitive and developmental foundations laid down in the first two to three years of a child's life are very significant in determining future educational outcomes and life chances. These first few years, when most children spend the majority of their time at home, usually with their mothers, are vital in determining whether or not a child will be ‘school-ready’ when it is time for them to make the transition to formal schooling. The relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage, parenting practices, ‘school-readiness’ and future educational outcomes for children has been well researched. Understanding the factors that influence these relationships, particularly the role played by the mother's perceptions, attitudes and beliefs, is an area where further study will be of benefit. Bourdieu's (1984) theories linking ‘habitus’ to the reproduction of class and disadvantage through education provides the framework for this study, informed by Annette Lareau's (2003) work detailing two distinct class-based parenting styles, ‘concerted cultivation’ and ‘accomplishment of natural growth’. The research informing this paper employed qualitative interviews with five mothers living in regional Australia to gain some insights into their attitudes and practices in preparing their children for the important early life transition to school. The findings highlight the important role of a mother's own life experiences and socioeconomic status in determining these attitudes and practices and indicate a need for further study to understand how this impacts on children's school-readiness and future life course.
Teacher Knowledge, Child Interest and Parent Expectation: Factors Influencing Multicultural Programs in an Early Childhood Setting
Authors: Guo Karen
Published: March 2019

MULTICULTURAL CURRICULA/PROGRAMS assume an important role within a cultural approach to learning and teaching in early childhood education in New Zealand. Te Wh‘ariki, the national early childhood curriculum framework of New Zealand, is an emancipatory and socially constructive document that emphasises equity, social justice and the important position of culture in children's learning and development. In practice this means developing early childhood programs that are sensitive and responsive to the needs and interests of children and families of minority cultures. Drawing on a critical social constructivist framework, this study of one early childhood centre in New Zealand identifies the features of its multicultural curriculum. The paper argues that a devotion to supporting children of minority cultures has persisted in the curriculum, but there is a reliance on mainstream pedagogy focused on children's learning within the centre environment and teachers' subjective knowledge about children's needs.
Diversity in Teaching and Learning: Practitioners' Perspectives in a Multicultural Early Childhood Setting in Australia
Authors: Buchori Sylvia , Dobinson Toni
Published: March 2019

ENCOUNTERS WITH DOMINANT sociocultural values begin with the early childhood classroom setting. This qualitative study reported the perceptions that early childhood educators in an Australian setting had of their culturally diverse classrooms and the pedagogic practices they implemented to address the needs of the children from diverse cultural backgrounds in their care. Findings highlighted the dilemmas that teachers face in trying to value and preserve children's background cultures while at the same time enabling transition into the new dominant culture. Teachers in the study sometimes viewed children's previous cultural backgrounds as a burden, being preoccupied with conformity into the dominant culture. At the same time, they were concerned for students who were not performing to curriculum standards and fearful of not meeting their own expectations, those of the system and those of the children's parents.
Learning from Early Childhood Philosophy, Theory and Pedagogy: Inspiring Effective Art Education
Authors: Boyd Wendy , Cutcher Lexi
Published: March 2019

AS CHILDREN GROW OLDER, they seem to lose their uninhibited enthusiasm for painting and drawing, and leave behind what is perhaps the best art-making of their lives. What can educators learn from the art-making of young children in early childhood settings? Can this learning be transferred to other educational settings, such as the primary school, to support children's ongoing art-making and creativity? This paper reports on an intensive art-making project in an early childhood setting, recognised for supporting children's creative art-making in an authentic and continuous manner. The philosophy, theories and pedagogical approaches used in this centre and in the project are reported and analysed with a view to developing deeper understanding of application of effective art education in primary schools. Specifically, the authors contend that best practice in early childhood education theory, philosophy and pedagogy can inspire effective art education in other educational settings.
Social Capital in Metropolitan Playgroups: A Qualitative Analysis of Early Parental Interactions
Authors: Gibson Hebba , Harman Bronwyn , Guilfoyle Andrew
Published: March 2019

PLAYGROUPS ARE COMMUNITY-BASED programs that enable the creation of social capital resources by providing opportunities for young families to network and access peer support. However, there are insufficient Australian studies on community playgroups and the extent to which new parents feel supported through their playgroup involvement. This research sought to study the ways early parental interactions in community playgroups reflect parents' social capital. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen playgroup parents in Perth, Western Australia (WA). Data gave rise to three main themes: getting together, generating stocks of social capital and missing out. The study concludes that although community playgroups have the capacity to support young families, vulnerable and socially disadvantaged individuals may continue to feel isolated, excluded or left out. A number of policy implications can be drawn from this study, including consideration for employing support workers and enhancing the community playgroup model.
Optimising Children's Readiness to Learn through Mediating Social Disadvantage: Exploring Models of Best Practice
Authors: Targowska Anna , Teather Susan , Guilfoyle Andrew
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE importance of early support for families in increasing their children's readiness to learn and optimising their developmental outcomes. It reports the findings of the evaluation of the It Takes a Village: Multicultural Early Learning Program, a research project undertaken in 2009–2011 by a research team from Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. The unique model and characteristics of the program are discussed in the context of its role in facilitating children's developmental potential, through the mediation of social disadvantage of the new migrant and humanitarian entrant families in the south-east corridor of Perth's metropolitan area.
Just Another Meeting?: Investigating Mentoring for Early Childhood Teachers in Victoria
Authors: Morrissey Anne-Marie , Nolan Andrea
Published: March 2019

IN A TIME OF REFORM FOR children's services in Australia, this paper explores the current mentoring programs on offer to the early childhood sector in the state of Victoria. The commissioned research involved the mapping of existing mentoring programs, supported by an extensive literature review. A thematic analysis of the data identified the following aspects as impacting on the success of the programs: the value placed on mentoring; the mentor's role; the level of support and training for mentors; the availability of resources; the divisions between mentoring and other management functions; tailoring of mentoring to individual professional desires and needs; and the presence or absence of formal evaluations to inform the future success of programs. The questions raised by this research prompt further consideration as to what mentoring for early childhood practitioners should look like in the future, especially related to collaborative practice and the balance between autonomy and guidance.
Signs and Codes in Early Childhood: An Investigation of Young Children's Creative Approaches to Communication
Authors: Guo Karen , Mackenzie Noella
Published: March 2019

PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AND MAKE meaning through the use of the signs, codes and rules of their community and its language/s. On the way to learning these signs, codes and rules, children often create or invent their own unique and sometimes temporary systems of meaning making. In this paper we use Vygotsky's concept of semiotic mediation and Bernstein's code theory to reflect on some examples of children's creative approaches to communication that involved the creation and use of signs. We will argue that young language learners' invention of their own languages and creative use of drawing as a form of sign creation are symbolic expressions of their intent to generate and reinforce desired social and cultural situations of learning. We conclude that individuals mediate social and individual functioning in order to make meaning of their world, and argue for a move away from viewing second language learning and emergent writing as static sets of abilities to a more dynamic interpretation.
A Critical Analysis of the Australian ECEC Policy Reform: An Opportunity for Transforming Educators into Pedagogical Leaders?
Authors: Loo Jasmine Kah Yan , Agbenyega Joseph
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER SEEKS TO engage the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) leadership in critical analysis. Drawing on theorisations from the ‘new image of the child’, the paper is structured to provide some analytic insight into the implications that current conceptualisations of children have for leadership practices in the field of ECEC. The discussion highlights the need for multi-layered understanding of leadership among ECEC professionals and the importance of leadership for quality ECEC. This paper also identifies and analyses two main issues present in the current Australian ECEC context that appeared to be hindering leadership enactment among ECEC educators. The ultimate intent of this paper is not to critique the existing state of ECEC practice; rather, the value of this work is its potential to intervene in the scholarship of the ECEC transformation and practice, to disrupt dominant practices and highlight the benefits of embracing the explicit and implicit layers of leadership in early childhood pedagogical practices.
Intentional Pedagogies: Insights from the Past
Authors: Kilderry Anna
Published: March 2019

CONTRIBUTING TO RECENT RESEARCH findings and discussion about educators' multiple understandings and enactments of intentional teaching, this paper sheds light on why early childhood educators might find the practice of intentional teaching problematic. It presents research findings from a study conducted in the state of Victoria a decade ago that investigated how dominant discourses influence teacher decision making in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The study found that teacher-directed practice was legitimated, marginalised and silenced by teachers in the study. Through the process of looking back to look forward, insights gained from a critical discourse analysis illustrate why intentional pedagogies, such as intentional teaching and teacher-directed practice, might be difficult pedagogical practices in ECEC in Australia.
Constructs of Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Close Examination of the NQS Assessment and Rating Instrument
Authors: Jackson Jen
Published: March 2019

THE NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD (NQS) Assessment and Rating Instrument is an important tool for supporting reliability and validity in the assessment and rating process for Australian early childhood education and care services. The Instrument provides a guide for authorised officers and practitioners, by describing each element of the NQS at each of the three most frequently applied quality levels: Working Towards NQS, Meeting NQS and Exceeding NQS. This minor research project involved detailed content analysis of the Instrument, to identify the constructs used to differentiate between the three quality levels and the frequency with which each construct occurred. The analysis found that intentionality, frequency, extent and inclusivity are the four constructs most commonly used for differentiating between NQS quality levels.
Narratives of Childhood in Regional Western Australian Towns: A Trajectory of Hope and Collective Wisdom for Landmark Reforms
Authors: Giamminuti Stefania , Tye Marian , Buckley Amma , Merewether Jane , Kuzich Sonja
Published: March 2019

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION and care reforms in Australia have been heralded as a cause for celebration, greatly anticipated by a sector that has lamented its invisibility. Drawing on qualitative data from a study of three towns in the south-west of Western Australia, this article aims to provoke reflection on where we stand with the celebrated aim of putting young children at the centre of the vision for Australia. The South-West Early Childhood Project investigated how childhood is constructed and how communities welcome families and young children. The study identified several themes: narratives of invisibility/visibility; narratives of sitting still/being active; and narratives of conformity/diversity. The article foregrounds the acclaimed experience of the city of Reggio Emilia (Italy) and extends an invitation to communities in Australia to position themselves on a trajectory of hope by harnessing collective wisdom in support of landmark early childhood reforms.
Strengthening Aboriginal Child Development in Central Australia through a Universal Preschool Readiness Program
Authors: Moss Bonita , Harper Helen , Silburn Sven
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER EXAMINES A recent example of a transition-to-preschool program in regional Australia. The program is significant in linking Aboriginal child health and early childhood learning services. The discussion is drawn from a mixed method evaluation undertaken at the end of the program's first two years of funding. Evaluation findings suggest that many barriers to participation in early childhood learning programs for Aboriginal children can be reduced with responsive support. The study points to the need for funding for innovations to be seen as an essential investment, not an unwanted cost.
How Far have we come in respecting young Children in our research?: A Meta-Analysis of Reported early Childhood Research Practice from 2009 to 2012
Authors: Mayne Fiona , Howitt Christine
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER SUMMARISES THE reporting of early childhood (EC) research practices through a meta-analysis of 10 scholarly international EC education journals. The analysis included 506 peer-reviewed primary research articles published between 2009 and 2012 (inclusive) involving young children between the ages of birth and eight years. These were reviewed for child status within research, researcher perspective of children involved in research and respectful research culture within EC research. This review provides a broad picture of how young children are currently being involved in research and whether an ideological shift towards more participatory approaches is filtering through to EC research practice. The results indicated that for child status, 96.6 per cent of articles positioned young children in traditional roles as non-participant objects of research (64.6 per cent) and semi-participant subjects (32.0 per cent). Only 3.4 per cent of studies positioned children in inclusive, participatory roles as social actors (3.0 per cent) and co-researchers (0.4 per cent). Similarly, for researcher perspective, 70.2 per cent of articles were identified as research conducted on children, with the remaining 29.8 per cent as research with or by children. In terms of research culture, 89.7 per cent of articles were non- respectful by focusing on what children could do for the research, rather than valuing the children themselves. These results highlight a gap between rights-based EC research literature and the way in which research is being reported with young children. A new Rights-based Research Accountability Framework is presented to assist researchers in understanding how well their research upholds children's rights principles and what areas need to be addressed to transition towards more inclusive approaches.
Children's Literature as an Invitation to Science Inquiry in Early Childhood Education
Authors: McLean Karen , Jones Mellita , Schaper Clare
Published: March 2019

DESPITE WIDESPREAD RECOGNITION of the importance of science in early childhood, the quality and quantity of science teaching in early childhood remains a concern. One way of addressing this problem may be to utilise early childhood teachers' familiarity with children's literature and play pedagogies to foster inquiry-based pedagogical approaches to science in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of children's literature to provide thematic links to science inquiry play experiences in an early childhood preschool setting. To understand the influences on an early childhood teacher's confidence in her/his ability to teach science, a participatory approach to research using a narrative case study was employed. The sources of data included multiple semi-structured teacher interviews, teacher reflective journals and digital video. The findings indicate that the use of children's literature as invitational in providing contexts for science inquiry play may offer a way for early childhood teachers to develop confidence and competence to teach science by inquiry. A model informed by the findings of this study is presented for further investigation.
Grade Repetition Risk for Boys in early Schooling in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Anderson Robyn
Published: March 2019

A SIGNIFICANT GAP EXISTS in the Australian literature in the disproportionate over-representation of boys in grade repetition in early schooling. The current study aims to contribute to the evidence-based research in grade repetition in early schooling in Australia by drawing on, and offering an analysis of, data from Queensland's state education department, the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE). Descriptive statistics and relative risk ratio were the methods employed to analyse the data and assess the relative risk of grade repetition for boys. Findings show that boys are over-represented in grade repetition in the year prior to schooling and in all year levels of early schooling (Prep to Year 3). Contributing factors to the disproportionate over-representation of boys in early grade repetition are discussed and recommendations for future policy and practice are suggested.
Tolerance of Food Intolerance: A Sociocultural Study of Parent Perceptions on Food, Behaviour and Learning in Children aged between two and 14
Authors: Golemac Dianne , Hallowell Leanne
Published: March 2019

THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY FOCUSES on the beliefs of parents who have investigated food intolerance in their children, and their perspectives on the behaviour and learning of their children when on a diet of food they can tolerate. It aims to provide further information to early childhood educators about food intolerance, its impact on families and how it may be managed in early childhood settings.

The participants in this study—parents of children with food intolerance—used self-reported journals and interviews to describe improvements in the health, behaviour and learning of their children when they ate food they were able to tolerate. They also believed that family relationships were better. They identified hardships in communicating food intolerance management with their extended families and with those responsible for the care and education of their children. An online discussion forum for people investigating food intolerance was also identified as a support.
Defining ‘Meaningfulness’: Enabling Preschoolers to get the most out of Parental Involvement
Authors: Zhang Qilong
Published: March 2019

WHILE PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE shown the potential benefits of parental involvement for children's learning and development, certain types of parental involvement are considered by some researchers to be ‘ineffectual’ and ‘meaningless’, which leads to the question: What types of parental involvement are meaningful? Adopting Grounded Theory Method (GTM), the study aimed to identify elements that constitute meaningfulness of parental involvement in early childhood education. Interviews were conducted with 23 participants (11 teachers, 12 parents) from three types of early childhood settings in New Zealand. The findings showed that a combination of desirability, practicality and effectuality determined meaningfulness of parental involvement, which was a complex interplay between the dynamics of involvement, activity of involvement and impact of involvement that engaged all parties of the parent–teacher–child trinity.
Parents' Satisfaction with Kindergarten Services in Beijing at a Time of Systemic Expansion
Authors: Nyland Berenice , Pan Beibei , Cooper Brian , Nyland Chris , Zeng Xiaodong
Published: March 2019

IN 2010, CHINA'S GOVERNMENT announced that by 2020 all kindergarten-aged children will be able to gain access to at least a one-year, high-quality kindergarten experience. This announcement reflected the state's acceptance that a formal kindergarten experience can assist children to become the learners China will need as it transitions to a knowledge economy, the government's wish to reduce social inequality and the increasing proportion of families that do not have grandparents who can help care for young children. The aim of this research was to investigate parents' satisfaction with their children's kindergarten and the factors that influence their satisfaction. This mixed-method research, using survey and interview data, suggests these parents were informed consumers of early childhood education services.