<p> The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Position Statement of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (2009) serves as a pedagogical framework for best practice among early childhood educators. Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) is guided by what is known about how children develop and learn. Teachers draw upon these principles to make decisions about planning experiences which promote learning and optimize children's growth. The DAP statement is accepted in the early childhood field as the standard by which quality early learning experiences are defined and is used as a guidepost for planning (Copple &amp; Bredekamp, 2009).</p><p> Copple and Bredekamp (2009) state that "intentional teachers are purposeful and thoughtful about the actions they take, and they direct their teaching towards the goals the program is trying to help children reach" (p. 10).</p><p> This qualitative descriptive study explored preschool teachers' perceptions of DAP and their use of DAP in planning learning experiences. Semi-structured interviews and document analyses were utilized to examine potential gaps between preschool teachers' perceptions and more fully understand daily planning decisions related to DAP. Utilizing Rubin and Rubin's responsive interviewing model (2012), (<i>N</i>=7) degreed preschool teachers employed at NAEYC accredited group care facilities were interviewed. Findings revealed inconsistencies among teachers' descriptions of key learning experiences for preschool children, implementation of learning experiences, and planning practices, thus, indicating a disconnect between theory and DAP.</p><p> The findings of this study may benefit pre-service and in-service teacher training programs as well as administrators of childcare centers. It is useful in identifying ways in which preschool teachers' understandings of developmentally appropriate practice can be further supported and developmentally inappropriate perceptions can be challenged.</p>

<p> This qualitative case study is an investigation of the role of race, school context, and personal and professional experiences in the formation of an early childhood teacher's professional identity. Data sources included interviews, observations, conversations, field notes, and school artifacts. Member checking, triangulation, and extended observation supported the trustworthiness of the results. The findings of the research indicate that major themes related to identity formation included family influence, teaching values and beliefs, and identity shift. Main themes related to the minority status of the participant were emotions and feeling of alienation. Finally, major themes related to school context and personal and professional experiences included relationships with children and parents, relationships with teachers and staff members at the school, early learning experiences, and images of a good teacher. The study concludes with suggestions for early childhood education programs and future researchers.</p>

<p> The purpose of this feminist case study was two-fold: (1) to describe the ways that Collaborative Inquiry (CI) can be proposed as a counter-discourse of professional development that acknowledges the multiple forms of personal and professional knowledge among five women preschool practitioners, and (2) to explore alternative constructs of the preschool practitioner that seek to disrupt the preschool teacher/child care worker dichotomy. Data were collected through transcripts of CI group meetings, semi-structured participant interviews, selected researcher field notes, and participant observations during select classroom visits and meetings with participants. Feminist and poststructural perspectives set forth by Butler (1990), Osgood (2010), and Foucault (1977), among others, were utilized to interpret the data. Findings from the CI process included the importance of conversation and 'small talk' informal and shared readings, the use of student documentation and artifacts, and collaboration as important tools and processes of the group. Findings from the case included the positioning of the Center and its staff within a business discourse. Data revealed how these preschool practitioners complied with and/or negotiated the discursive practices of power relations, regulation, normalization, and surveillance, as the Center participated in the voluntary <i>Step Up to Quality</i> accreditation process to increase Center funding. </p>

This study is an inquiry into the professional identity constructions of early childhood educators, where identity is conceptualised as social and contextual. Through a genealogical analysis of narratives of four Queensland early childhood teachers, the thesis renders as problematic universal and fixed notions of what it is to be an early childhood professional. The data are the four teachers’ professional life history narratives recounted through a series of conversational interviews with each participant. As they spoke about professionalism and ethics, these teachers struggled to locate themselves as professionals, as they drew on a number of dominant discourses available to them. These dominant discourses were located and mapped through analysis of the participants’ talk about relationships with parents, colleagues and authorities. Genealogical analysis enabled multiple readings of the ways in which the participants’ talk held together certainties and uncertainties, as they recounted their experiences and spoke of early childhood expertise, relational engagement and ethics. The thesis concludes with suggestions for ways to support early childhood teachers and pre-service teachers to both engage with and resist normative processes and expectations of professional identity construction. In so doing, multiple and contextual opportunities can be made available when it comes to being professional and ‘doing’ ethics. The thesis makes an argument for new possibilities for thinking and speaking professional identities that include both certainty and uncertainty, comfort and discomfort, and these seemingly oppositional terms are held together in tension, with an insistence that both are necessary and true. The use of provocations offers tools through which pre-service teachers, teachers and teacher educators can access new positions associated with certainties and uncertainties in professional identities. These new positions call for work that supports experiences of ‘de-comfort’ – that is, experiences that encourage early childhood educators to step away from the comfort zones that can become part of expertise, professional relationships and ethics embedded within normative representations of what it is to be an early childhood professional.

‘Education as democracy’ is based upon a belief that children have the right to equity in their educational experiences. To honour this right, those who implement this educational philosophy use democratic values and practices to democratise the process and content of education. Although advocates cite a number of benefits for both individual children and the school community, there is a lack of empirical research on this topic, especially in the field of early childhood education. / This qualitative study contributes to filling this gap by examining four Australian kindergarten teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, practices, influences, and challenges about implementing this philosophy in their classrooms. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, direct classroom observations, and document analysis. The participants were considered one cohort, and across-case analysis and triangulation of the three data sources uncovered common themes and patterns in the data. Findings suggest that there are both similarities and variations among the participants’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices, as well as among the influences and challenges they have experienced. Identified similarities include the participants’ levels of motivation, categories of teacher practice, types of influencing factors, and the presence of challenges. Conversely, the participants showed variation regarding their beliefs and knowledge, the use of some specific classroom practices, and selected influences and challenges. / This study makes a significant contribution to the current knowledge base due to its clarification of how this democratic educational philosophy can be practically implemented in early childhood classrooms, and its implications for early childhood practice and policy. Regarding the initial training of early childhood teachers, the findings suggest that professional benefits may occur if training programs explicitly introduced this philosophy to trainees. Additionally, the findings imply that early childhood policies that enhance supporting conditions and lessen challenges experienced by teachers implementing ‘education as democracy’ can have positive benefits for all teachers.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-01, Section: A, page: 0078. Adviser: Mary B. McMullen. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 11, 2006).

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how instructors became aware of culturally relevant teaching (CRT) and developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) that support African American students&rsquo; academic achievement. The Grounded Theory approach was used to uncover themes from the individual interviews of African American preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers of African American pre-kindergarten children in Los Angeles County. The interview questions identified the source of information for creating a culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate classroom environment and instructional practices. The literature review identified the benefits of a high-quality preschool experience for African American children. A high-quality learning environment and the consistent implementation of research-based instructional practices are created and sustained by culturally competent teachers who receive ongoing professional development and access to quality resources. The literature showed that African American teachers expressed concerns about the universal aspect of DAP for all children, leading teachers to adapt their practices to meet the cultural and developmental needs of the children. The key findings for the source of information for creating a CRT environment and instructional practices identified personal experiences, other preschool programs, multicultural workshops, multicultural resource books, and child development classes. The literature review and study findings supported the connection between the belief in DAP and the implementation of DAP in the classroom. The key findings for the source of information for creating a DAP environment and instructional practices were child development classes, trial and error, DAP workshops, and other preschool teachers. An additional finding was the challenge participants experienced when attempting to discern between creating the classroom environment and identifying instructional practices to implement the curriculum. The conclusions drawn from the study were that preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers used personal experiences as the primary source information for creating a CRT and DAP environment and implementing CRT and DAP instructional practices. Lastly, the disconnect between the culture of the students, real-life classroom experiences and child development classes, multicultural workshops, and multicultural resources impact the quality and consistency of implementation of CRT and DAP in the classroom.</p><p>

Within the last decade, the pressures of implementing state mandated early learning guidelines and meeting the requirements from federal, state and local agencies, have taken their toll on many preschool programs. In the present study, preschool programs were given a chance to voice their opinions about how curriculum standards and other external mandates were directly and indirectly influencing curriculum planning, teaching practices, and child activity. A brief survey was sent to 90 preschool directors in a region in Massachusetts, 28 directors completed this survey. A sample of nine directors, from the survey respondents, volunteered to be interviewed. In two separate interviews the researcher asked a series of questions to obtain data from the participants. These interview questions focused on how the participants made sense of the mandatory integration of early learning standards and other external mandates into their preschool program and their concerns based on their role as a preschool director. The results of the study revealed that external guidelines set forth by the state and federal government were a great concern to the preschool directors. These directors agreed that curriculum mandates were necessary yet the amount of work, time and expenditure needed to meet the demands of these mandates could be quite overwhelming. Concerns were particularly relevant in the areas of obtaining or maintaining NAEYC accreditation and the push for a standardized curriculum and/or a standardized assessment tool. To receive specific types of funding, a program must be using a standardized assessment tool. Many funding sources also require that a program be accredited by NAEYC. The financial and physical expense of both of these requirements was prohibitive. The results were analyzed with respect to child development and early childhood education principles. The findings indicated that curriculum mandates focused primarily on young children's cognitive development to the detriment of social and emotional competence. The findings also indicated that children were being pressured to spend more time on narrow academic skills and less time on play. Yet play has been found to provide children with opportunities to interact socially, express and control emotions, and develop symbolic thinking skills (Nicolopoulou, 2010).

<p> There were dual purposes of this exploratory, case study. The first purpose was to investigate and describe the teaching strategies of six Head Start teachers within one program in Oregon whose dual language learners had shown gains of at least three levels in receptive and expressive English language development, as determined by their assessment ratings in Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System. The second purpose was to identify what, if any, professional development strategies and resources have been beneficial to those teachers in promoting English language development for children who are dual language learners. </p><p> This qualitative study utilized three data collection methods: interviews, observations and review of artifacts. The one-on-one interviews with the purposive sample of teachers occurred during the first phase. The interview questions were designed to learn about teaching strategies utilized by Head Start teachers to promote English language development for children who are dual language learners as well as teachers' relevant professional development resources and opportunities. During the second phase of the study, the <i>Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition</i> (CASEBA) instrument was used to conduct classroom observations in each of the six teachers' classrooms. Furthermore, a review of relevant artifacts was conducted during the observations. </p><p> Seven conclusions emerged from the study. First, home language support in the classrooms contributed to English language development. Second, teachers' use of pictures, gestures and other visual cues promoted children's comprehension of English. Third, culturally responsive curriculum was not necessary for promoting enhanced language outcomes. Fourth, a supportive social/emotional environment in the classroom contributed to progress in expressive language development. Next, singing songs with gestures and high quality teachers' talk in English also contributed to expressive language development. Lastly, professional development, formal and informal, is beneficial and needed for preschool teachers. </p><p> Five recommendations emerged from the study. Policy recommendations are for college teacher preparation programs to require coursework pertaining to dual language learning and for programs to actively recruit bilingual teachers. Practice recommendations are for programs to implement a Planned Language Approach, set up peer mentoring and training opportunities, and for teachers to plan individual and small group read alouds. </p>

Orientador: Francisco Haschimoto / Banca: Catarina Satiko Tanaka / Banca: Maria Luisa Louro de Castro Valente / Resumo: Para esta pesquisa investigamos o desejo de ser professor de educação infantil, a partir das relações que se estabelecem no contexto do trabalho, buscando o entendimento do conflito entre o desejo e o sofrimento existente no sujeito, durante o desenvolvimento da atividade profissional. Objetivamos compreender como as angústias e os desejos infantis dos professores de educação infantil são reeditados na vida adulta, principalmente na esfera do trabalho. Para tanto, analisamos o processo de escolha da profissão, considerando o histórico pessoal, o contato com o trabalho e a sua singularidade. Buscamos também compreender o sofrimento psíquico do professor no desenvolvimento de suas atividades docentes. Concluímos que o espaço da palavra no trabalho é importante, como condição para o pensamento. Junto com a ressonância simbólica, o indivíduo pode manter uma articulação entre sua história pessoal e a realização do trabalho; essa condição possibilita o sofrimento criativo e a superação do sofrimento patológico, sendo esses dois sofrimentos interligados, ambíguos e psicodinâmicos. / Abstract: The research presented here investigates the desire of becoming a childhood education teachers, having as a starting point the relationships which are established in the work context, searching an understanding of the conflict between desire and suffering, existing in the individual/subject during the development of the professional activities. Our main objective was to understand how childhood anguishes and desires of the childhood education teachers are reenacted in their adult life, especially in the working situations. We have analyzed the process of choosing a professional career, considering the personal history, the contact with the work and its singularity. We have also tried to comprehend the psychic suffering of the teachers in the development of their educational activities. We conclude that the word space is important in the work, as condition for thinking. Together with the symbolic resonance, the individual may sustain an articulation between his personal history and self-fulfillment in the work ; this condition make it possible the creative suffering and the overcoming of the pathologic suffering, as these two sufferings are interlinked ambiguous and psychodynamic. / Mestre