Local Culture and Early Parenting in China

With the increase of Chinese Christians born in the "post-70s" and "post-80s" generations, the issue of early childhood education in Christian families deserves attention from an academic standpoint in these days. This study aims to interpret the meaning of Christian families' childrearing experiences within the social and cultural contexts of China. It explores the educational philosophy of Chinese Christian families and examines how it influenced their childrearing activities through the detailed descriptions of Chinese Christian mothers' childrearing experiences. Christian fathers are more involved in education than non-Christian. The parents act with the dual cultural orientation of "Sincization" and "Christianization"

Local Culture and Early Parenting in China : A Case Study on Chinese Christian Mothers’ Childrearing Experiences

2nd edition. Originally published in 2015With the increase of Chinese Christians born in the “post-70s” and “post-80s” generations, the issue of early childhood education in Christian families deserves attention from an academic standpoint in these days. This study aims to interpret the meaning of Christian families’ childrearing experiences within the social and cultural contexts of China. It explores the educational philosophy of Chinese Christian families and examines how it influenced their childrearing activities through the detailed descriptions of Chinese Christian mothers’ childrearing experiences. Christian fathers are more involved in education than non-Christian. The parents act with the dual cultural orientation of “Sincization” and “Christianization”

Black Teachers’ Collective Wisdom as Social Justice Pedagogy: A Black Feminist Narrative Analysis

In this age, 21st century, where social issues surrounding race and gender are impassioned and escalating, black feminists and Black Feminist Theory are leading the charge in bringing salience through activism and engagement. Doing post structural qualitative research aims to dismantle a myth of scientific knowledge that emphasizes triangulation and transferability of research with the use of multiple representations of experience. This research investigates critical issues in qualitative research, specifically the ontological challenge that researchers commonly encountered in depicting experience and social reality. The turn to experience and lived stories has expanded the modes of qualitative research by hearing marginalized voices, and thus increasing cultural awareness. It articulates understandings and assumptions of post-structuralism and explores how it empowers black female preschool teachers without voice and produces different knowledge than that undertaken by positivist approaches. Using a position within the early childhood education realm, Black female early childhood educators possess a platform to bring consciousness of their misplaced and/or ignored presence within the field. The tenets of Black Feminist Thought as a philosophical and ideological framework brings visibility to Black female early childhood educators and marshals their voice from the sidelines of social justice issues to the forefront. Furthermore, the concept of intersectionality conveys how oppressions, such as race and gender or sexuality and nation, work together in producing injustice. This research using narrative inquiry examines the efforts of valuing Black women in early childhood education as collective wisdom, essentially Black female early childhood educators’ collective. The narrative inquiry releases notions of subjectivity, agency, and the constructive nature of discourse. As poststructuralist inquiries Black Feminist Thought and narrative inquiry both converge to gain some understanding of ways we have come to perceive and accept knowledge; to question the legitimacy of these understandings of knowledge; and brings previously marginalized discourse to the forefront. Black Feminist Thought as a poststructuralist inquiry opens up the possibility of change by bringing an ontological dimension to understanding how Black female teachers identify race, which then shapes what they think and do in the classroom

An Examination of Preschool Teachers’ Beliefs about Early Literacy within the Context of a Transdisciplinary Neuroeducation Learning Framework: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study

Teacher beliefs have been shown to be an influential factor in student outcomes in all areas of learning. In light of the persistent achievement gap between White students and students of color, it seems important to study and understand the role of teacher beliefs in public education. This exploratory case study contributes to a deeper understanding of how preschool teachers’ beliefs about early literacy are expressed or may evolve within a context of implementing the Neuro-semantic Language Learning Theory, a learning framework integrating neuroscience, Western cognitive psychology, and language acquisition into educational applications. The study design included a sample of three preschool educators and multiple data collection events using a robust variety of elicitation methods, including concept map construction, video-stimulated recall, and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed following Saldaña’s first, second, and third cycle coding methods and employed both deductive and inductive approaches. Findings included broader definitions of early literacy by study participants than are noted in the literature and the belief that meaningful learning requires context within social interactions in addition to skill-based interventions. The most significant finding highlighted the complex and contextualized nature of teacher beliefs, which may be changed through the insertion of cognitive disequilibrium supported by a complex and contextualized system of theoretical translation, professional learning opportunities, ongoing coaching, and believable vicarious experiences. Specific recommendations for professional learning experiences and future research are offered

Head Start Sınıflarında Erken Okuma-Yazma Müfredatını Geliştirmeye Yönelik Bir Çalışma

Early childhood education studies draw attention to the importance of the early childhood years for future learning and development, and in particular, literacy development. Thus, early childhood programs, including Head Start, must be prepared and able to support children in their early language and literacy development by creating appropriate experiences and environments. In this study, the early literacy beliefs and practices of four Head Start teachers were examined using qualitative (interviews, early literacy quilt, and documents) method. The data supported a conclusion that a university-school partnership can impact literacy practices. Teachers who were provided with this teacher improvement program and ongoing support changed their practices from the beginning to the end of the study period. Particularly, the teachers seemed to improve their efforts to meet the early literacy needs of children which were the targeted goal of the study. Also, unlike most previous intervention studies, which resulted in change to a specific domain or created an impact on a limited behavior, the current improvement effort created more broad-based change. It impacted teachers’ beliefs about early literacy, how they arranged their classroom environments, as well their notions of the value of a research partnership with the university. Ensuring the high qualifications of teaching staff requires that early childhood programs, including Head Start, devote funding to ongoing professional development. Through such programs teachers can develop their knowledge and competence in supporting all children’s early literacy and language development.Erken çocukluk çalışmaları, erken yaşların gelecekteki gelişim ve öğrenme özellikle de erken okuma-yazma için önemine dikkat çekmektedir. Bu yüzden, okul öncesi eğitim programları Head Start dahil olmak üzere çocukların erken dil ve okuma-yazma gelişimlerini uygun ortamlar ve yaşantılar oluşturarak desteklemelidirler. Bu çalışmada, nitel yöntem kullanılarak dört Head Start program öğretmeninin erken okuma-yazmaya dair inanışları ve uygulamaları incelenmiştir. Veriler üniversite-okul işbirliğinin erken okuma-yazma uygulamalarını etkileyebileceği sonucunu desteklemiştir. Devamlı destek verilen ve geliştirme programı uygulanan öğretmenler, çalışmanın başından sonuna uygulamalarını değiştirmişlerdir. Özellikle, öğretmenler çalışmanın da temel amacı olan çocukların erken okuma-yazma ihtiyaçlarını karşılamaya yönelik çabalarını geliştirmişlerdir. Ayrıca, önceden yapılmış ve belirli bir alanda değişiklikle sonuçlanmış veya sınırlı bir davranış üzerinde etki yaratan birçok müdahale çalışmasının aksine, bu çalışma daha geniş çaplı bir değişim yaratmıştır. Çalışma, öğretmenlerin erken okuma-yazma hakkındaki inanışlarını, sınıf ortamlarını nasıl düzenlediklerini ve bir üniversite ile araştırma ortağı olmanın değeriyle ilgili görüşlerini değiştirmiştir. Eğitim personelinin yüksek kalitede olmasını sağlamak Head Start da dahil olmak üzere erken çocukluk eğitimi programlarının sürekli bir hizmetiçi eğitim için yeterli fonu ayırmalarını gerektirmektedir. Bu tür eğitim programları aracılığıyla öğretmenler çocukların erken okuma-yazma ve dil gelişimini destekleyecek bilgi ve yeterliliği geliştirebilirler

Teaching Trauma-Affected Students: A Qualitative Investigation of Teacher Perceptions

Trauma-affected children in early grades provide unique challenges for classroom teachers. To better understand these challenges, this study examined the experiences of 12 PreK to first-grade Northwest Georgia educators as they support trauma-affected students. Data collection came from semi-structured interviews, memoing, and member checking. Reasons for supporting trauma-affected students discussed in this study include aggressive behaviors in the classroom setting, volatility of home culture, social-emotional needs, and the impact of Covid-19 quarantines. Challenges facing teachers included a lack of knowledge about child trauma, the lack of training on working with trauma-affected students in teacher preparation programs, and the need for practical interventions to engage these students. These findings indicate the need for training in trauma at the district and collegiate levels, along with peer mentorship and collaboration among current teachers