Supporting novice early childhood teachers' classroom practices through an online community of practice
Year: 2010
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This descriptive study examined novice early childhood teachers’ perceptions about their effectiveness in supporting young children’s social emotional development and addressing challenging behavior. The study also examined the types of social and emotional challenges novice teachers perceive to be the most salient to their success as teachers and the solutions they found most helpful. Participation in an online community of practice was examined for its value as an induction and mentoring activity for novice early childhood teachers. The results indicated that all participants had taught or were currently teaching young children with challenging behavior. Participants described using recommended practices in their classrooms to support young children’s social and emotional competence and address challenging behavior. They reported that they worked in collaborative school settings where they received support from mentors, administrators, and colleagues. Participants reported that membership in the online community of practice was of value to them and they would recommend this experience to other novice early childhood teachers. Limitations of the study and implications for research and practice are discussed.
Author: Bernadette M. Laumann
Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1565192092