Journal of Childhood, Education & Society

Teachers’ experiences of promoting young students’ language development in inclusive settings

Heidi Selenius, Linda Fälth — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Early education is essential in promoting language development for all young students. Teachers will meet 6-year-olds with various language skills in the preschool class in Sweden. They are expected to engage and involve all students in language education to promote each student’s language development. The study aimed to explore teachers’ experiences promoting language development among young students in inclusive settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 teachers working with young students in the preschool class. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed with thematic analysis. Three themes were identified, representing the teachers’ knowledge of language development, the pedagogical approach to promoting language development, and students with special needs in oral and written language. The results are related to Shulman's (1986, 1987) framework on teachers’ competence in integrating content and pedagogical knowledge for successful teaching. Teachers in preschool classes might need education and in-service training to master young students' diverse language abilities and needs.

Is there a place for children in the making of public policy? Insights from the research evidence

Elina Stenvall, Marjo Kurki, Petri Virtanen — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that children have a right to express their views with this article being one of the most frequently cited principles in the convention. This scoping review summarises the existing research evidence on how children participate in the making of public policy. This paper concludes that a plethora of practical guidelines and gray literature are available addressing children as policy-making partners, but the empirical research around the subject is very rare. Children’s participation should be planned prior to any planned public policy reforms – and to be supported by appropriate academic research integrated into the different stages of the policymaking processes. If policymakers are willing to develop mechanisms for children’s participation in the policy cycle, children’s role and agency will be clarified. It seems that there is a need for new sensemaking in terms of how adults treat the value of children´s participation and how to include children in the policymaking process around the subjects that matter to them. Participatory practices should be co-created with children, not for them.

Greek early childhood educators’ knowledge of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Iraklis Grigoropoulos — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

As more children enter preschool programs, there is an increasing need for early education professionals to recognize and understand Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study examined 120 Greek early childhood educators’ knowledge of ADHD using a Greek self-report ADHD Knowledge Questionnaire (ADHD-KQ). All participants worked in infant/child centers operated by municipalities in Greece. Results point out early childhood educators’ lack of fundamental knowledge about the causes, symptoms/diagnosis, cognitive deficits, and interventions regarding ADHD. Among the personal and professional variables (years of teaching experience, age, and educational level) studied as predictors of overall knowledge about ADHD age was found as the only significant. Older participants seemed to have better knowledge regarding the basic aspects of ADHD. Results suggest greater efforts must be made to provide training specifically in the management of children with ADHD.

Re-defining silence in unvoiced dialogues in storying-play: The sound of affects

Alison M.-C. Li, Janet S. Gaffney, Adrienne N. Sansom, Jacoba Matapo — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

This article chronicles three stories selected from a post-intentional phenomenological study conducted by the first author. The authors aim to investigate affective connections in children’s silent play by addressing three research questions: (a) How do children engage in dialogue with the teacher, their peers, and the material environment without words? (b) What emotions are produced in silent play? and (c) What changes in children’s affective connections occur through silence? We drew on the notion of intentionality in post-intentional phenomenology to illuminate meanings of the phenomenon for individuals about what they felt and experienced. With a focus on intentionality, we delved into the ways children meaningfully communicated with others and connected to the environment in their unspeaking moments. We also took on a posthuman notion of intra-actions to rethink silence as an inaudible yet sensible sound communicated between children and things. The prior studies showed that children’s silence was a mode of expression. Through storying the silent play-stories, we offered two alternative meanings of silence––intra-active communication with people and things and inaudible inner wellbeing, in addition to a mode of nonverbal expression as identified in prior studies. The findings are significant in enriching and renewing our understanding of children’s silence in inclusive ECE environments. Silence is re-defined as a mode of embodied communication and affective connections. This article invites researchers and educators to genuinely “listen” to children’s stories, even in silent play.

Predictors of family burden in families caring for children with special needs

Salih Rakap, Meryem Vural-Batik, Heather Coleman — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Having a child with special needs has a significant impact on family life. While adapting to this new situation, parents often face difficulties related to the care of their children, family relations, and financial situation. The present study examined differences between family burden and spousal support perceived by mothers and fathers of children with special needs and investigated predictors of perceived family burden and spousal support. A total of 394 parents of children with disabilities (197 couples) from a large urban city in Northern Turkey participated in this survey study. Results showed the perceived family burden and spousal support differed significantly between couples. Mothers of children with special needs had significantly higher perceived family burden and significantly lower perceived spousal support in comparison to fathers. Moreover, perceived spousal support significantly predicted family burden perceived by mothers and fathers. Implications in relation to services offered to families of children with disabilities along with the recommendations for future research in this area are discussed.

Bilingualism matters: Early childhood teachers' attitudes toward children's creativity

Sabha Hakim Allehyani — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Children can learn any language and acquire its skills at a very early age. Creativity is central to the curriculum. Early Childhood (EC) teachers should provide children with appropriate resources to individually spark their imaginations and encourage them to adopt different ideas. The objective of the current study was to determine the attitudes of EC teachers who are teaching bilingual students and integrating creativity into classroom activities. The study adopted the exploratory approach, where a total of 299 EC teachers in the western region of Saudi Arabia participated in this study by filling out a questionnaire. EC teachers believed that there are differences between bilingual boys and girls in creative competencies. Most teachers stated that they did not receive sufficient training and preparation to incorporate creativity into all subjects in EC schools. Teachers in private EC schools showed more positive attitudes toward creativity than teachers in government schools. These findings provide reliable evidence for international research on teachers' attitudes and perceptions toward creativity in bilingual children. Policy makers can also benefit from these results and pay more attention to teacher preparation programs in order to raise their efficiency in supporting and enhancing the creative inclinations of learners.

How digital activities become (im)possible in Swedish school-age educare centres

Helene Elvstrand, Linnéa Stenliden, Lina Lago — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

This study explores how digital tools play a part in the practices of Swedish school-age educare centres (SAEC). The aim is to contribute knowledge about opportunities and/or obstacles in and with digital activities in SAEC practices. Data is produced using observations and conversations at five SAEC centres. The SAEC practice is found to be characterized by three different approaches to digital tools and their use: 1) A permeating practice, where digital tools are an integrated part of the whole day, 2) A happening practice, where digital tools are present on special occasions, and 3) A neglecting practice, where digital tools are absent. These differences can be connected to how teachers interpret their assignment but also to differences in competence, access, and interest in relation to digital tools. This entails that SAEC pupils are given unequal opportunities to develop digital skills.

‘What are the goals of kindergarten?’ Consistency of teachers’ and parents’ beliefs about kindergarten goals

Nikolaos Oudatzis, Konstantinos Tzikas, Charalmpos Poulos — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum or their beliefs about how children learn can influence the quality of the teaching activity and its final outcome. Furthermore, the importance of an extended cooperation and mutual understanding between the actors involved (kindergarten teachers – parents) seems to be a crucial issue in order to establish a supportive framework. The research is structured in two dimensions. We seek the beliefs of kindergarten teachers (K-teachers) and parents, as well as their mutual perceptions of each other’s beliefs, i.e., K-teachers for parents and parents for K-teachers, about the importance of kindergarten goals. The study was conducted in Greece, specifically in the region of Central Macedonia, in June 2021, after the re-opening of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A sample of 330 K-teachers and 419 parents from public and private schools responded to closed-ended questionnaires, rating –on a 5-point Likert scale- the importance of 14 Kindergarten goals. We found that K-teachers generally underestimated parents’ beliefs about kindergarten goals relative to their own beliefs and overestimated parents’ beliefs about the ‘academic’ curriculum goals; a trend that was not confirmed by the parallel survey of parents’ beliefs. In contrast, parents appeared to express a more balanced perception between their own beliefs and those they perceived K-teachers to hold. We also found evidence of differentiation between private and public schools. According to the findings, a harmonized perception of kindergarten goals by K-teachers and parents in private versus public schools is apparent.