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

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

THE ARTS APPROACH BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING AND THE PROJECT METHOD AS A MEANS OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION. LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE

The diverse and rapidly evolving society at political, social and technological levels makes Universal Education Planning based on the principles of Differentiated Instruction and the Project method a necessary condition. In accordance with the recommendation of the European Parliament and UNESCO, inclusive education needs to be consolidated. This paper attempts to show that a holistic approach to the Arts can be a main instrument for a pluralistic education space that responds to the wide range of diversity of children. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to explore through a literature review the contribution of Arts to the development of a holistic approach to Early Childhood Education for all children without exception. Subsequently, a survey will be examined whether Preschool Educators are aware of and implement Art programs based on the modern pedagogical practice of Universal Educational Planning. The method used is quantitative data analysis using SPSS with random sampling after the distribution of a questionnaire after approval of the Ethics Committee of the Educators regardless of their level of study working in Primary Kindergartens in different regions of Attica. The conclusions that will emerge from the analysis of the data will be useful for the field of Early Childhood Education, because they will be the trigger for further investigation in order to ensure the implementation of effective teaching practices, such as Differentiated Instruction & the Project Method and, by extension, Universal Design for Learning in the field of Early Childhood Education.  Article visualizations

Implementing Effective Inclusion in Prekindergarten

This literature review will act as a guide for implementing quality inclusion effectively in preschool classrooms. The inclusion of children with special needs in education is of concern to educators worldwide. Inclusive education involves the transformation of the education system-legislation and policy, systems for financing, administration, design, delivery, and monitoring of the education and the way schools are organized (Zabeli & Gjelaj, 2020, p. 3). This literature review examines the variables predicting overall quality, curriculum, training, tools for communication and engagement, teacher views, and peer interaction pertaining to inclusion in prekindergarten classrooms. Two themes were constant in the research: training and support. Effective training for all involved, as well as support from government, administrators, districts, and peers, greatly increases the quality of preschool while ensuring effective inclusion

PLANNING AND EVALUATING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF PLAY WITHIN GREEK PRESCHOOL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON PRESENT AND FUTURE EDUCATORS

Despite the importance of play as an instructional medium and its contribution on children's learning, development and creativity at all levels of education, research data extracted from Greek literature demonstrate that teaching does not depend on play at the extend that it should. The current study was conducted during the 2019 academic year and investigates on the views of current Kindergarten Educators (N:100) working on faculties of the Region of Epirus as well as Senior Students (N:100) at the Department of Early Education of the University of Ioannina, and it scrutinizes on the planning and evaluation of the educational process in terms of play within preschool cognitive environments and also on the role play holds in the Kindergarten’s educational procedure. The findings of this research pointed out the significance of play’s role towards learning and development of preschool aged children. Nonetheless, the current Educators do not acknowledge the importance of children’s participation in the actual planning of play scholar environments in opposition to the prospective Educators who deem such as vital. Both groups, Educators and Students show an encouraging attitude towards their pupils when it comes to them desiring to design play activities, however the Students show limited confidence on educational planning issues, due to their lacking teaching experience within actual Kindergarten faculties. Educators as well as Students who have undertaken training courses regarding the educational merit of play, evaluate children’s learning through play to a higher degree than their colleagues who have not attended such courses. Finally, the current research points out the pedagogical expertise of the Instructors needed towards a more comprehensive use of play in the educational praxis.  Article visualizations

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO PRIMARY SCHOOL

The transition of children from preschool to primary school is considered one of the most critical periods of childhood. For this reason, in recent years, great emphasis has been given on children’s successful entrance in primary education. The purpose of this paper is to record the opinions of Greek teachers on which children are more likely to experience difficulties in their transition to the next educational level. The survey was carried out on a sample of 1,602 teachers from the entire Greek educational territory. The tool that was used was a questionnaire of closed-ended questions. It was also analyzed how their responses varied according to their job position (preschool teachers, primary school teachers and school directors). Teachers believe that the most important factors that are related to the successful transition of children to primary school include the socio-emotional development and the interpersonal relationships of children in preschool, their good relations with teachers, their ability to follow the rules of school, but also parents' trust towards teachers.  Article visualizations

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO PRIMARY SCHOOL

The transition of children from preschool to primary school is considered one of the most critical periods of childhood. For this reason, in recent years, great emphasis has been given on children’s successful entrance in primary education. The purpose of this paper is to record the opinions of Greek teachers on which children are more likely to experience difficulties in their transition to the next educational level. The survey was carried out on a sample of 1,602 teachers from the entire Greek educational territory. The tool that was used was a questionnaire of closed-ended questions. It was also analyzed how their responses varied according to their job position (preschool teachers, primary school teachers and school directors). Teachers believe that the most important factors that are related to the successful transition of children to primary school include the socio-emotional development and the interpersonal relationships of children in preschool, their good relations with teachers, their ability to follow the rules of school, but also parents' trust towards teachers