Pre-service and Experienced Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of Their Work with Families.
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Family involvement in children's early education has been associated with advantages for both children and parents (Corter Pelletier, 2005). Although the outcomes of family involvement in child care settings have not been documented to the same extent as in school settings, there is growing evidence to suggest that children, families and childcare staff all benefit from these partnerships (Ghazvini Readdick, 1994; Owen, Ware Barfoot, 2000). Early childhood educators (ECEs) in Canada and around the world are expected to establish partnerships with families and family involvement in child care has been extolled as a pillar of high quality child care (Mathers, Eisenstadt, Sylva, Soukakoukou Ereky-Stevens, 2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2006; 2012). In spite of this, there is evidence to suggest that these partnerships may not be routinely established (Howe, Jacobs, Vukelich Recchia, 2013; Perlman Fletcher, 2012). While it seems reasonable to suppose that the challenges of establishing partnerships between child care staff and families are multiply determined, the two papers presented in this dissertation focused on the prior experiences, perceptions and motivations of 432 pre-service and 30 practicing ECEs. The first study examined the influence of pre-service ECEs' biographical experience of parent involvement on their perceptions of parent and ECE knowledge, the importance and feasibility of variety of family involvement activities and their level of preparation for these activities. The second study explored soon-to-graduate ECE students' and experienced ECEs' motivation to work with families, the qualities and skills they valued and what, specifically, they thought parents and ECEs knew about child development and learning. Results indicated that pre-service ECEs' biographical experience of parent involvement was related to their perceptions of parent knowledge, and their cohort (beginning or graduating) was associated with their perceptions of the importance of parent involvement activities. Although virtually none of the participants' motivation to enter the field was directly related to supporting families, the qualities and characteristics they generally valued were those necessary for establishing partnerships with families. These findings underscore the need for further research on the influence of ECE training in relation to services for families.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Constance Marilyn Winder
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2756347548