bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity in Preschool: Defusing and Maintaining Differences
Authors: Löfdahl Annica , Hägglund Solveig
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE complexities of social and cultural diversity as demonstrated by children in a Swedish multicultural preschool setting. An integrated theoretical model which holds contemporary child and childhood theories is developed. Our particular interest is in the cultural determinants underlying diversity at a structural as well as a practice level. Results show how diversity is both defused and maintained through planned activities. The ‘social knowledge domain’ is used as a concept for describing how social interactions between children confirm and construct common clusters of social knowledge about diversity with relevance for social life at preschool.
These Children Aren't Creative: Insights from Beginning Teachers on Early Childhood Arts Education
Authors: Garvis Susanne
Published: March 2019

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL EDUCATION and the Arts Statement (MCETYA and Cultural Ministers' Council, 2007), all children should have access to high-quality arts experiences, especially within early childhood. The delivery of arts education in classrooms is dependent on early childhood teachers' beliefs (known as self-efficacy) about their own capability. This study explores the self-efficacy of beginning teachers as they engaged with the arts during practical experience in early childhood classrooms. Using Bandura's model of self-regulated learning, the study addresses issues of self-efficacy as a base for considering sources of an early childhood teacher's sense of agency related to teaching the arts. It starts to explain reasons for beginning early childhood teachers in another recent study reporting lower teacher self-efficacy for the arts (Garvis & Pendergast, 2010). Findings suggest that practical experience in an early childhood classroom influenced the beginning teachers' beliefs towards teaching arts education. The findings highlight the need for training in the arts for beginning and supervising teachers.
Case management of young children with behaviour and mental health disorders in school
Authors: Browne Graeme , Cashin Andrew , Graham Iain
Published: March 2019

WHEN YOUNG CHILDREN WITH behaviour and mental health disorders do not receive appropriate specialised support their problems can escalate over time. Their parents find the transition to and early years of schooling stressful and difficult. This paper argues that case management can be an effective strategy for this group of children. Although there is a body of literature on the topic of case management in schools, most of it supportive of this as a strategy, the bulk of the literature consists of policy discussion and anecdotal evidence; there is very little research in the area. This is especially true of the critical area of early childhood and the transition to and early years of schooling.
Under-fives swimming as a site for capital building: Supporting and enhancing transitions
Authors: Jorgensen Robyn
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER THEORISES THE possibilities of under-five swimming to add new forms of knowledge and skills to young children. The paper draws on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to frame these new learnings as forms of capital that have been made possible through participating in early years swimming. This paper draws on elements of under-five swimming lessons to illustrate the definitions that are developed within this paper. The framing made possible through notions of capital underpin a much larger project.
New possibilities in thinking, speaking and doing: Early childhood teachers' professional identity constructions and ethics
Authors: Thomas Louise
Published: March 2019

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SECTOR HAS in recent times engaged in processes of professionalisation. The expectations associated with engagement in professional relationships is one element of such processes. Another element is an expectation of ethical practice. The paper considers how particular representations of relationships and representations of ethics contribute to the construction of the professional identities of early childhood teachers. Discussion is presented of the ways early childhood teachers experience relationships with parents and colleagues. Possibilities of ‘new’ constructions of professionalism are explored through disruptions to taken-for-granted discursive practices which shape relationships between teachers and parents and between teachers and colleagues. To engage in such disruptions, a theoretical framework of poststructuralism is used to analyse early childhood literature, which works to construct particular identities for early childhood teachers. This analysis identifies possible challenges to a binary response of either acceptance of, or resistance to, dominant discourses at work in identity constructions. One outcome of this challenge is to argue the possibility of holding opposites together in the work of identity construction. Holding opposites together makes possible new, socially and contextually informed ways to think, speak and do constructions of these identities. Representation of ethics as a relational construct is located within these new possibilities of professional identity constructions.
Value of Play as an Early Learning Instrument in Bangladesh Context: A Sociocultural Study
Authors: Chowdhury Nurun Nahar , Rivalland Corine
Published: March 2019

IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION the dominant discourse of play-based pedagogy is greatly influenced by a western play approach. This paper examines how play is valued as early learning in Bangladesh. It reports on a qualitative study that explored the understandings of four parents and four early childhood educators in semi-rural Bangladesh. Findings revealed that the value of play as learning is determined by the sociocultural, historical, educational, economic and political factors of the given society. Parents considered play as leisure while teachers acknowledged it as accelerating young children's learning and aiding their preparation for school. However, participants admitted that play could help the young children to overcome their feeling of fear about school. Since the value of play as learning in the Bangladesh context differed from the western practices, the paper emphasises sociocultural, political and economic considerations while adopting an imported pedagogical approach like play.
Creating Polyphony with Exploratory Web Documentation in Singapore
Authors: Lim Sirene , Hoo Lum Chee
Published: March 2019

WE INTRODUCE AND REFLECT ON Images of Teaching, an ongoing web documentation research project on preschool teaching in Singapore. This paper discusses the project's purpose, methodological process, and our learning points as researchers who aim to contribute towards inquiry-based professional learning. The website offers a window into some Singaporean ways of working with young children in preschool settings; it contains video examples of authentic classroom teaching, contextualised with teacher reflections, artefacts, and interview transcripts. Based on two years of reflection and research meetings, we discuss four key learning points: a) utilising the affordances of web technology to create heteroglossia; b) the need to diversify ‘best practices'; c) encouraging dialogue and interrogation; and d) the need to see ourselves as knowledge brokers.
An International Perspective on Regulated Family Day Care Systems
Authors: Davis Elise , Freeman Ramona , Doherty Gillian , Karlsson Malene , Everiss Liz , Couch Jane , Foote Lyn , Murray Patricia , Modigliani Kathy , Owen Sue , Griffin Sue , Friendly Martha , McDonald Grace , Bohanna India , Corr Lara , Smyth Lisa , Mørkeseth Elisabeth Ianke , Morreaunet Sissel , Ogi Mari , Fukukawa Sumi , Hinke-Rahnau Jutta
Published: March 2019

DESPITE EMERGING EVIDENCE OF THE contributors to high-quality family day care, a comprehensive comparison of international family day care systems has not been undertaken. The aim of this paper is to compare regulated family day care (FDC) in Australia, Canada, England and Wales, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, and the USA, using standard information about FDC usage and each country's structural characteristics, regulatory approach, quality assurance indicators, supervision and support, and sector challenges. A template was developed by representatives of the International Family Day Care Organisation, including academics, FDC providers, and FDC educators and management staff. The paper demonstrates that, although the existing body of published research is sufficient to provide clear guidance for developing and maintaining quality FDC, this knowledge is not always being applied in current practices. Three practices, each pertaining to several countries, are of concern: (a) minimal requirements for being a regulated FDC provider, (b) minimal quality assurance guidelines, and (c) minimal provider supports. There is great potential to learn from countries that have a high level of success in providing high-quality FDC and strong support for providers and families.
The Interface of the National Australian Curriculum and the Pre-year 1 Class in School: Exploring Tensions
Authors: Petriwskyj Anne , O'Gorman Lyndal , Turunen Tuija
Published: March 2019

THE AUSTRALIAN STATE-BASED educational system of a national school curriculum that includes a pre-Year 1 Foundation Year has raised questions about the purpose of this year of early education. A document analysis was undertaken across three Australian states, examining three constructions of the pre-Year 1 class and tensions arising from varied perspectives. Tensions have emerged over state-based adaptations of the national curriculum, scripted pedagogies for change management, differing ideological perspectives and positioning of stakeholders. The results indicate that since 2012 there has been a shift in constructions of the pre-Year 1 class towards school-based ideologies, especially in Queensland. Accordingly, positioning of children, parents and teachers has also changed. These results resonate with previous international indications of ‘schooling’ early education. The experiences of Australian early adopters of the curriculum offer insights for other jurisdictions in Australia and internationally, and raise questions about future development in early years education.
How do you Make a Bear Look like a Butterfly?: Exploring the Metropolitan Opera's Production of Mozart's Magic Flute with a Group of Preschool Children
Authors: Nyland Berenice , Acker Aleksandra , Ferris Jill , Deans Jan
Published: March 2019

IN THIS RESEARCH PAPER WE discuss a music program in an early learning centre and present an example of practice that involved children engaging with a picture book of The magic flute. The children researched the opera by watching a film, had conversations about the music and story, drew pictures and dramatised the story during spontaneous play. Relationships between familiar events (the literary exploration of a book) with unfamiliar experiences (watching an opera as a serial) gave the children's activities depth. These relationships are discussed to explore how children used their competence in language and literature to frame their understandings of the story of The magic flute and music of the opera and to anticipate and enjoy the weekly serial. We conclude by relating our discussion to ‘intentional teaching’ as a practice and the Early Years Learning Framework.
Diversifying Early Years Professional Learning—One Size No Longer Fits All
Authors: Carter Margaret Anne , Fewster Caroline
Published: March 2019

CONTROVERSY AND CONTRADICTION SURROUND the structure, content, and delivery mode of effective professional development (PD) for early years teachers. Long-held traditions of generic and short-term solution PD courses are being replaced by customised programs relevant to participants, the learning from which is reflected as new practices, processes and strategies in work settings. If the implementation of new ways of being and doing are successful in terms of student outcome, then the participants' attitude to the PD is positive and their commitment to their new and revised practices are ongoing. These PD courses concentrate on systematic efforts that go beyond session content and focus on building participants' capacity by contextualising their learnings with action research projects within work contexts. Participants' practices and commitment to change are influenced by positive changes in student outcomes. These changes then influence their perception of the worth of the PD (Guskey, 2000; 2002).

In 2008, the Bond University team, led by Dr Margaret Anne Carter and Assistant Professor Caroline Fewster, provided action research-driven PD to 2,205 early childhood practitioners in the area of ‘guiding children's behaviour’. This PD program, funded by Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA), was administered by Professional Support Coordinator Queensland (PSCQ) and Workforce Council, and designed and delivered by the Bond University team.

This PD was delivered statewide across 13 metropolitan, regional and remote areas of Queensland. Course duration ranged from one-,two-and three-hour sessions; and one, two and three full days. Participants committed themselves to the implementation of action research projects, transferring learnings from PD sessions specific to their own needs and circumstances into their workplace. Significant change in participants' attitudes occurred primarily after evidence was gathered of growth and development in student learning. Improvements in student behaviour influenced changes in paradigm, practices, processes and strategies—new instructional methods, revised environmental systems and structures, new materials in social behaviour curriculum.

It was not the PD per se, but the successful implementation of the PD learnings that changed paradigms, resulting in new and revised practices and processes within work settings (Guskey, 2002).
Young Learners: Defining Literacy in the Early Years—a Contested Space
Authors: Raban Bridie , Scull Janet
Published: March 2019

WITH THE RECENT PUBLICATION of the Early Years Learning Framework for all Australian children during the years before they start school, there is now for the first time a national document to guide the work of all Australian early childhood educators. This document identifies five learning outcomes designed to capture the integrated and complex learning and development of all children in the birth to five years age range. In particular, learning outcome five addresses children as effective communicators; and one of the key components of this outcome is children gaining meaning from a range of texts. This paper reviews issues surrounding early literacy in the years before school and seeks to identify a definition of early literacy which will clarify early childhood educators' understanding of this important area of young children's learning and development, and support their practice more specifically.
Using Children's Representations to Investigate Meaning-Making in Mathematics
Authors: MacDonald Amy
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES HOW YOUNG children's representations can reveal the ways in which children make meaning in mathematics. It has been suggested by Kendrick and McKay (2004) that as educators seek to acknowledge children's diverse experiences, they must also embrace children's multifaceted ways of knowing. As such, educators' major pedagogical challenge is to help children transform what they know into modes of representation. Building on ideas published elsewhere (see Smith & MacDonald, 2009), this article presents examples of children's mathematical meaning-making collected during a three-year study focusing on children's representations of their mathematical experiences and understandings. The representations presented include drawings and narratives produced by children aged four to six years from two Australian primary schools. This article suggests that by asking children to create representations we are offered an insight into the ways in which children construct meaningful understandings of mathematics.
A Comparison of Early Childhood Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about Music and Developmentally Appropriate Practice between South Korea and the US
Authors: Kim Hae Kyoung
Published: March 2019

THE PURPOSE OF THIS study is to examine the beliefs of early childhood preservice teachers in Korea (South) and the US about music, developmentally appropriate practices (DAP), and the relationship between the two. Participants of the study generally believed in the importance of music. In terms of the benefits of music, teachers believed more in the aesthetic and social-emotional benefits of music than quality-of-life benefits for young children. The results indicate that preservice teachers in Korea possess stronger beliefs about the importance of music than the teachers in the US. In particular, preservice teachers in Korea hold stronger beliefs about aesthetic benefits of music than their US counterparts. All the teachers in the study generally endorsed DAP, yet Korean preservice teachers had stronger beliefs in DAP. In this examination of the relationship between music and DAP, prospective teachers in Korea demonstrated more positive acceptance of the relationship. Some differences were found in the correlations of subcategories of music and DAP between the teachers in the US and Korea. This study may influence the design and implementation of teacher education programs in Korea and the US with regard to not only music curricula but other subjects as well. Discussions and implications for early childhood teacher educators are provided.
Pedagogies of Inclusive Transition to School
Authors: Petriwskyj Anne
Published: March 2019

TEACHERS IN INCLUSIVE EARLY education classrooms face competing pressures that are highlighted as children transition from play-based settings into formal school. Their challenge is to engage in pedagogical practice that caters for the complex range of school entrants. Yet the existing literature reports on transition challenges for separate groups of children rather than on shared needs or processes within diverse class populations. This study addressed this gap by investigating practices that supported transition in three Australian sites in which the populations represented different types of pedagogic challenge. Four themes regarding inclusion and transition were identified from a synthesis of the literature and applied to three cases. Results indicated that teachers adopted a range of approaches framed by the visibility of diversity, by classroom and school context and by the teachers' professional transition in enacting changing policies. The results suggest that competing demands are balanced through dynamic, contextually framed strategies of relevance to both ECEC and schools.
Conceptions of Learning in Pre-Service and in-Service Early Childhood Education Students and the Impact of Teaching Experience
Authors: Leung Chi-hung , Wong Betty Kit-Mei , Wong Judith
Published: March 2019

A DUAL ANALYSIS WAS USED to examine the conceptions of learning of both pre-service and in-service early childhood teaching students. Four hundred and sixty-one students were asked to rank six statements about conceptions of learning. The samples of both pre-service student teachers in Hong Kong and in-service teachers in Macau are said to be highly representative. The results showed that while pre-service students have no clear patterns with regard to ranking the important conceptions of learning, they indicated ‘memorising and reproducing important facts' as the least important. This is said to be a traditional conception of learning. In-service students make a connection between the qualitative and quantitative conceptions of learning being an integral part of understanding and applying what one has learned, suggesting that teaching experience influences a student's conception of learning, and leads to a more child-centered approach. Compared with other Hong Kong studies on pre-service teachers—which indicate that student teachers' conceptions of learning can adjust to students' natures and abilities and the impact of teaching experience and professional knowledge on the conceptions of learning—the Macau samples showed a higher tendency toward qualitative than quantitative conceptions of learning. Finally, suggestions have been made about embedding the practicum early and setting up a mentor teacher scheme and a professional development program in the existing early childhood education (ECE) program.
Becoming Multimodal Authors: Pre-Service Teachers' Interventions to Support Young Children with Autism
Authors: Oakley Grace , Howitt Christine , Garwood Rebekah , Durack Annie-Rose
Published: March 2019

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is to describe two case studies of classroom-based teaching interventions, conducted by final-year pre-service teachers, which were successful in assisting young children with autism engage in and learn literacy through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The 10-day interventions were carried out as part of a two-year Master of Teaching course at an Australian university, and were designed to identify specific learning needs in young children, and then implement targeted interventions. The two cases described here show how ICTs were successfully used to create multimodal texts to support the literacy learning and engagement of young children with autism. The first case involved an intervention that employed two iPad apps—which were not intended specifically for children with autism—to support the literacy learning and engagement of a five-year-old. The second case involved the use of Microsoft PowerPoint on a laptop to develop multimodal non-fiction texts to improve an eight-year-old's attitude to, and engagement with, reading. Each intervention was found to be effective in improving the participating child's literacy achievement and engagement. Each used multisensory and student-centred approaches that acknowledged the children's strengths and interests, with ICTs being used to transform teaching and learning tasks. This article illustrates the successful drawing together of pre-service teachers' technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK), as well as their knowledge of the children concerned, to devise evidence-based interventions using ICTs to assist young children with autism to engage in, and learn, literacy.
The New South Wales Campaign for Improved Staff Ratios for Babies in Centre-Based ECEC (2002–2009): Influences on Politicians' Decisions
Authors: Bown Kathryn
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS FINDINGS from a case study investigation of a longstanding campaign in one Australian state to change the minimum regulated staff–child ratios for babies from one staff member for every five babies (1:5) to one staff member for every four (1:4). Using interviews with early childhood professionals and politicians, and document analysis of key policy texts, an ‘eventalization’ (Foucault, 1991) is generated to argue multiple ‘contingent events’ (Mills, 2003, p. 115) at the state, national and international level, enabled ratio campaign activists to intensively promote the 1:4 ratio. Simultaneously New South Wales politicians strategically aligned themselves with national early childhood education and care policy by approving 1:4. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings and implications for ECEC activists agitating for policy change in the future.
Supporting Breastfeeding through Workplace, Early Childhood Centre and Family Relations: Educators' Experiences
Authors: Monk Hilary , Gilmour Carole , Hall Helen
Published: March 2019

BREASTFEEDING IS OF BENEFIT to both infants and mothers (World Health Organization [WHO], 2009). WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months and continued breastfeeding up to two years of age. For mothers returning to work or study during the first 12 months of the infants' life, the issue of how to best support breastfeeding becomes paramount. This qualitative study explored early childhood educators' experiences of supporting breastfeeding mothers returning to work or study at a multi-campus Australian university. Five educators from two university-based workplace early childhood centres were interviewed. The findings from the educator interviews were analysed using Rogoff's (2003) cultural-institutional focus of analysis. We found that promotion and support of breastfeeding for working mothers depends upon the inter-related factors of workplace/early childhood centre proximity, flexibility and communication. We argue that the development of mutual trust and confidence between the mother, early childhood centre and workplace are essential for enabling working women to breastfeed for longer.
A Snapshot of 40 Years in Early Childhood Education and Care through Oral Histories
Authors: Theobald Maryanne , Cobb-Moore Charlotte , Irvine Susan
Published: March 2019

THE YEAR 2012 MARKED 40 years since the introduction of the Child Care Act 1972 and the federal government introduced financial support for the provision of childcare services in Australia. Significant changes have occurred in social, political and theoretical contexts of early childhood education and care (ECEC) during this time. Bringing these to life, this paper investigates archival data of key changes in ECEC in association with oral histories of staff, parents and children associated with The Gowrie Qld during the years 1972–2012. With narrative analysis considered alongside historical information, two dominant issues emerge as integral to ECEC in the past, now and the future. These are: 1) what constitutes effective teaching and learning in the educational program; and 2) professional expectations in ECEC. Building an historical picture, this paper provides for critical reflection on the past to inform current and future practices.
‘Belonging Means you can Go In’: Children's Perspectives and Experiences of Membership of Kindergarten
Authors: Joerdens Sarah Heinrich
Published: March 2019

STARTING FORMAL SCHOOLING IS a significant transition for young children and their families; a process rather than a one-off event. A sense of belonging or membership is identified by key national documents in early learning as critical to young children's wellbeing and as an essential aspect of quality care and education (DEEWR, 2009, 2010). This paper provides an overview of a partial ethnography conducted over one year with children in their first year of formal school (known as Kindergarten in the site under study). The study investigated young children's experiences and perspectives during their first year of school. The results of the study indicate that children become members of the group or community of practice (CoP) (Wenger, 1998) as they begin school and their membership emerges as they participate in this CoP. Data from the study documents and celebrates young children's competencies in negotiating and participating in their Kindergarten CoP and becoming members of the school.
Shared Book Reading by Parents with Young Children: Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Sim Susan , Berthelsen Donna
Published: March 2019

THERE IS CONSIDERABLE RECOGNITION that shared book reading helps develop young children's early reading and literacy skills. Home is an important context in which children first start to develop their early literacy skills. This paper reviews Australian and international literature of shared book-reading intervention pertaining to the effects of two different strategies (dialogic reading and print referencing) on young children's early literacy skills. Further, a brief summary of findings of a recent Australian study are presented that showed some significant effects of shared reading on children's early literacy skills. This research used a pragmatic RCT (randomised controlled trial) to investigate a combination of these two forms of shared book-reading home intervention with parents and their children enrolled in the Prep year of school in Queensland. The paper concludes with a discussion of the significance of the findings and implications for parents and teachers to use an evidence-based approach to help children develop early literacy skills.
Exploring the Dance of Early Childhood Educational Leadership
Authors: Krieg Susan , Davis Karina , Smith Kylie Anne
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON the emerging findings of the first year of an inquiry-based professional development program called Educational Leadership in Early Childhood Settings (ELECS). The program was funded by the then Early Childhood Policy and Strategic Projects Division of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Victoria, Australia) and delivered under the auspices of the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership. The intent of the program was to support early childhood educational leaders to mentor early childhood educators in the implementation of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). The paper interweaves some of the initial data drawn from the program evaluations through a review of the early childhood leadership literature. The paper includes examples of participant understandings of themselves as educational leaders and demonstrates how their involvement in the program informed their leadership in relation to the VEYLDF. The paper concludes with a discussion of the outcomes of the program in terms of the participants' changing perceptions of early childhood leadership.
Racism? Surely Not
Authors: Sims Margaret
Published: March 2019

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSION is underpinned by a philosophy that respects and reinforces equality. The role of early childhood professionals in delivering culturally competent services is identified in the Early Years Learning Framework. However, recent critique of the concepts underpinning Closing the Gap, concepts of social inclusion and cultural competency, identify inherent racism that impacts on our ability to achieve the aspirations identified in Closing the Gap. Recent research argues that racism is still strong in Australia as it is in other western nations, though its form is different than in the past. This research posits denial of racism results in a form of racism that positions the hegemonic white culture as a benchmark against which other cultures are evaluated. Silencing the voices of those identifying racism serves to support the denial of its existence. In this paper I reflect on the critiques presented in this body of research and speculate on its implications for early childhood professionals working with children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Pedagogical Practice of Early Childhood Teachers: Explicit Enhancement of Students' Literacy
Authors: Watson Rashmi , Wildy Helen
Published: March 2019

IN A CLIMATE OF INTENSIFYING interest in early years' literacy education, this research investigates the pedagogical practices of (both novice and experienced) early childhood teachers within literacy education in Western Australian Catholic schools. Narrative accounts are used to depict the classroom practices of four teachers. The study shows that the teachers who explicitly enhanced their students' literacy used a differentiated approach including a child-centred approach, a teacher-directed approach and a co-constructed method. In addition, these early years' teachers have a shared responsibility for learning, foster positive relationships, and continually develop their own professional skills. The study recommends supportive leadership through a professional development model inclusive of mentoring, coaching and feedback, all seen as critical to the effectiveness of both novice and experienced teachers.
Perceived School Culture, Personality Types, and Wellbeing among Kindergarten Teachers in Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Yau-ho Paul , Zhang Li-fang
Published: March 2019

WHILE RESEARCH HAS INDICATED that kindergarten teachers across cultures have consistently faced high work stress that may influence their wellbeing, little research has examined the relationships among kindergarten teachers' wellbeing, perceived school culture, and personality types. In the research, 371 in-service kindergarten teachers completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the School Culture Survey, the Job Satisfaction Survey, the General Health Questionaire-12, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. Results indicated that teachers who perceived their school culture more positively tended to show higher levels of job satisfaction and self-esteem, but less mental health complaints. In addition, teachers of the extraverted, feeling, and judging types tended to perceive their school culture more positively, have higher levels of job satisfaction and self-esteem than those teachers of the introverted, thinking, and perceiving types. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to senior school managers and policy-makers in their effort to promote school development and teacher professional development.
Preschoolers Consider the Recipient's Merit and the Role of Allocator When Distributing Resources
Authors: Wong Mun , Nunes Terezinha
Published: March 2019

THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE effects of contextual factors embedded in stories on children's conception of the fair allocation of resources. Previous studies on children's concept of distributive justice led to the conclusion that preschool children use only the equality rule to allocate resources among recipients and are unable to use the equity rule to reward effort or task performance. We hypothesised that children's allocation decisions can include an equity rule, depending on the context of resource allocation. Five-year-olds' allocation decisions varied with contextual factors, supporting the view that cognitive development takes place in context. They used the equity rule more in the family context and preferred the equality rule in the school context. Implications for classroom practice are discussed.
Talk about a YouTube Video in Preschool: The Mutual Production of Shared Understanding for Learning with Digital Technology
Authors: Davidson Christina , Given Lisa M. , Danby Susan , Thorpe Karen
Published: March 2019

MUCH OF WHAT IS WRITTEN about digital technologies in preschool contexts focuses on young children's acquisition of skills rather than their meaning-making during use of technologies. In this paper, we consider how the viewing of a YouTube video was used by a teacher and children to produce shared understandings about it. Conversation analysis of talk and interaction during the viewing of the video establishes some of the ways that individual accounts of events were produced for others and then endorsed as shared understandings. The analysis establishes how adults and children made use of verbal and embodied actions during interactions to produce shared understandings of the YouTube video, the events it recorded and written commentary about those events.
Professional Conversations: A Collaborative Approach to Support Policy Implementation, Professional Learning and Practice Change in ECEC
Authors: Irvine Susan , Price Julie
Published: March 2019

IN 2012, AUSTRALIA INTRODUCED a new National Quality Framework (NQF), comprising enhanced quality expectations for early childhood education and care services, two national learning frameworks and a new assessment and rating system spanning childcare centres, kindergartens and preschools, family day care and outside school hours care. This is the linchpin in a series of education reforms designed to support increased access to higher quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) and successful transition to school. As with any policy change, success in real terms relies upon building shared understanding and the capacity of educators to apply new knowledge and to support change and improved practice within their service. With this in mind, a collaborative research project investigated the efficacy of a new approach to professional learning in ECEC: the professional conversation. This paper reports on the trial and evaluation of a series of professional conversations to support implementation of one element of the NQF, the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009), and their capacity to promote collaborative reflective practice, shared understanding, and improved practice in ECEC. Set against the backdrop of the NQF, this paper details the professional conversation approach, key challenges and critical success factors, and the learning outcomes for conversation participants. Findings support the efficacy of this approach to professional learning in ECEC, and its capacity to support policy reform and practice change in ECEC.
Transition to Early Childhood Education: Parents' Use of Coping Strategies in Dealing with Children's Adjustment Difficulties in Hong Kong
Authors: Lam Mei Seung
Published: March 2019

THE TRANSITION FROM HOME to early childhood education can be stressful for both children and parents. How parents cope with this potentially stressful event affects both the children's adaptation and the parents' lives during the preschooler stage of the family lifecycle. This paper examines how parents respond to their children's adjustment difficulties, particularly a reluctance to attend school, by examining the coping strategies of 29 Hong Kong parents. The parents expressed different kinds of negative emotions regarding their children's reluctance to go to school due to various adjustment difficulties. Parents' coping strategies can be classified as planful coping, seeking social support, accepting responsibilities, distancing, self-controlling and positive reappraisal according to Folkman and Lazarus's Ways of Coping (WOC) framework. The implications of these strategies for how early childhood professionals can support parents are discussed.
The Place of Infants in the Evolving Australian Policy Context
Authors: Fleet Alma , Farrell Lynn
Published: March 2019

IN AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL INITIATIVES have prioritised the education, care and wellbeing of young children through a government agenda delivering an Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009) and a package of National Quality Standards (ACECQA, 2011). While research is available on appropriate practices for working with young children, little research is available, however, related to the impact on settings working with these documents. This paper shares research on the perceptions of the potential or actual impact of the evolving policy context as explored through interviews with 20 educators working with very young children. Issues are raised regarding staff development and qualifications in relation to educator understanding of the evolving policy context.
Leading Professional Learning in Early Childhood Centres: Who are the Educational Leaders?
Authors: Colmer Kaye , Waniganayake Manjula , Field Laurie
Published: March 2019

IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES directors have responsibility for ongoing professional learning to support the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Currently there is limited understanding about how early childhood leaders support educators to participate in professional learning. This article presents findings from two case studies undertaken as part of a larger research project aimed at exploring the enactment of leadership for professional learning in early childhood centres. Key findings from this research show that directors played a key role as the centre's educational leader and distributing leadership to room leaders was critical in supporting educators' professional learning.
Colour, Magnets and Photosynthesis
Authors: O'Brien Frances , Herbert Sandra
Published: March 2019

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE teaching and learning approaches of three Victorian early childhood kindergarten teachers to science education, and how they used the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) to support them in the development of science in their curriculum. A qualitative, collective case study was designed to investigate how the participants introduced and explored science in their curriculum through two face-to-face individual, semi-structured interviews, separated by a week during which they completed a reflective journal focusing on science in their curriculum. The findings revealed teachers' own negative school experiences of science education and an overall lack of confidence in their current science knowledge impacts on science in their curriculum. Conversely the findings also revealed instances of science learning and discovery, as well as a desire by the early childhood teachers to enhance science education in their curriculum.
Organisational Capacity Building: Readiness for Change in Australian Child Care
Authors: Davis Elise , Corr Lara , Gilson Kim-Michelle , Ting Christina , Ummer-Christian Rahila , Cook Kay , Sims Margaret
Published: March 2019

THIS STUDY ASSESSES FAMILY day care educators' readiness for increasing their knowledge and skills in promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing by applying the Transtheoretical Model of Change conceptual framework. Forty-eight educators in one family day care scheme, in a low socioeconomic area of Victoria, Australia participated in telephone interviews. Their readiness to improve children's social and emotional wellbeing was classified according to the stages of change model. A high proportion of educators were classified into the action or maintenance stage. Educators reported a range of activities that they were undertaking such as attending professional development sessions and studying formal early childhood qualifications. While educators were open to increasing their knowledge and skills in promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing, they were juggling many demands. The stages of change model was useful in providing an understanding of the processes and principles for progressing through stages, essential for organisational capacity building.
Children's School Readiness: The Experiences of African Refugee Women in a Supported Playgroup
Authors: New Rebecca , Guilfoyle Andrew , Harman Bronwyn
Published: March 2019

AN EMERGING PRESSURE FOR refugee parents in Australia relates to children's ‘school readiness'. Existing research on mainstream, ethnic and migrant parents has highlighted that preparing children for school can be stressful; however, current literature has not considered this phenomenon for refugees in Australia. Social support is important for parents as they navigate school-related problems, and supported playgroups can potentially play an important role here for refugees. However, existing research has not yet examined the ways such programs can support these individuals in dealing with school readiness issues. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences of African refugee mothers in relation to their children's school readiness and transitions to school, and the ways one supported playgroup assisted them in this context. A focus group and interviews were conducted with a sample of 11 women. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, four main themes were identified: preparing for school; mothers' experiences of children's transitions to school; perceived supports; and playgroup support. It was found that women's experiences were fraught with underlying tensions and conflicts influenced by social and cultural factors, and assistance provided through the supported playgroup was highly important to the women in this context.
Young Children's Perspectives of Outdoor Learning Spaces: What Matters?
Authors: Merewether Jane
Published: March 2019

OUTDOOR SPACES ARE A FEATURE of most Australian early learning settings and have potential for many learning opportunities. This article reports on a study that investigated three- and four-year-old children's perspectives of the outdoor environment in their early childhood education setting. The research was conducted using multi-method approaches including child-led tours and photography, photographic elicitation and conversations. Findings emphasise the importance for children of being able to pretend, move, observe and be social. These findings have implications for designers of both curriculum and outdoor spaces for young children.
Early Childhood Family Learning Environment's Influence on Adolescent Learning Achievement in Taiwan
Authors: Lin Chunn-Ying , Chen Cheng-Hung
Published: March 2019

THIS STUDY USED FOUR waves of the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS) for seventh to twelfth grade students to construct a latent growth model (LGM) and carry out a longitudinal analysis, in order to explore the influence of the early childhood family learning environment on later adolescent learning achievement, performance and change. The results showed that adolescents with better performance in early learning had greater growth in later learning achievements. In addition, when preschool children had a good family learning environment, it benefited their cognitive skill development before they entered elementary school, and enhanced their reading interest as well as self-education expectations. This consequence further improved adolescent learning achievements, and these advantaged children had significantly higher learning growth levels later than children without such advantages.
The Influence of a Structured Physical Education Plan on Preschool Children's Psychomotor Development Profiles
Authors: Costa Hélder José Teixeira , Barcala-Furelos Roberto , Abelairas-Gomez Cristian , Arufe-Giraldez Victor
Published: March 2019

IN THE TEACHING–LEARNING process, regular physical activity and structured physical education (PE) classes develop children's motor skills and mental capacities during early childhood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of PE on the psychomotor development of three-year-old preschool children. The participant sample consisted of 95 three-year-old students (both sexes) from nine public kindergarten classes in Oporto, Portugal. A battery of psychomotor tests (pre-test) was used to assess the students' psychomotor development profiles. The sample was divided in two groups: an experimental group (47 students) and a control group (48 students). PE teachers used a structured 24-week PE plan in the experimental group. After the plan was completed, the same battery of tests (post-test) was administered to both groups. Both groups developed their psychomotor profiles, but the development was always statistically higher in the experimental group. There were no significant variations associated with gender. Structured PE is important for preschool children's psychomotor development. The significance of physical activity for children's relationships with the outside world was verified because their overall development was enhanced by structured PE lessons.
Studying Early Brain Development: Educators' reports about their Learning and its Applications to Early Childhood Policies and Practices
Authors: Diamond Alexandra , Whitington Victoria
Published: March 2019

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH Australia's online course ‘Brain development in the Early Years' is a response to Mustard's Thinker in Residence Report (2008) which recommended the early childhood educator workforce acquire knowledge about young children's brain development. This research investigated educators' views on the value for their work of learning about early brain development. Data comprised responses to course content in online course discussions and a standard anonymous online course evaluation instrument, written by 45 in-service and pre-service educators enrolled in the course. Analysis revealed four themes regarding educators' statements about the value of brain development knowledge for their roles as educators: ‘Working with families', ‘Working with children’, ‘Advocacy’ and ‘Working across services'. Themes are described and illustrated with examples from students' writing. Findings are discussed in terms of the impact of educators' knowledge about brain development on their thinking about their professional practice.