The importance of migration-related beliefs of preschool teachers for the quality of educational practice

Migrationsbezogene Überzeugungen von frühpädagogischen Fachkräften werden insbesondere in kulturell diversen Kindertageseinrichtungen eine handlungsleitende Bedeutung zugesprochen, obwohl es für diese Annahme kaum empirische Belege gibt. Die vorliegende Studie setzt hier an und untersucht, ob die migrationsbezogenen Überzeugungen von N = 206 frühpädagogischen Fachkräften im Zusammenhang mit der in ihren N = 107 Kindertageseinrichtungen beobachteten sprachspezifischen Prozess- und Strukturqualität stehen. Als migrationsbezogene Überzeugungsfacetten wurden die multikulturellen und assmiliativen Überzeugungen berücksichtigt, die anhand von Selbsteinschätzungen erfragt wurden. Die sprachspezifische Prozess- und Strukturqualität wurde mithilfe verschiedener Subskalen der Skala zum Sustained Shared Thinking und zum emotionalen Wohlbefinden (SSTEW), der Kindergarten-Skala-Erweiterung (KES-E) sowie einer selbst entwickelten Skala „Sprach- und kultursensible Raumgestaltung“ (SKR) in Beobachtungen eingeschätzt. Die multikulturellen und assimilativen Überzeugungen der frühpädagogischen Fachkräfte gingen neben ausgewählten Struktur- und Fachkraftmerkmalen getrennt in Strukturgleichungsmodelle ein. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die multikulturellen Überzeugungen der frühpädagogischen Fachkräfte signifikant positiv mit der Subskala „Sprache“ der KES‑E und der Skala „Sprach- und kultursensible Raumgestaltung“ zusammenhingen. Die assimilativen Überzeugungen waren hingegen mit keiner der drei sprachspezifischen Qualitätsmaße assoziiert.Especially in culturally diverse preschools, migration-related beliefs of preschool teachers are assigned a major importance for pedagogical practice, although so far there has been hardly any research on this relation. The present study explored whether the migration-related beliefs of 206 preschool teachers are related to the language-related process and structural quality observed in their 107 preschools. As facets of migration-related belief, the multicultural and assimilative beliefs based on self-assessments were taken into account. The language-related process and structural quality was rated on the basis of the subscale “Supporting and extending language and communication” of the Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being Scale (SSTEW), the subscale “Literacy” of the Early Childhood Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) as well as the scale “Language and Cultural Sensitive Room Formation” (SKR). The multicultural and assimilative beliefs of the preschool teachers were included separately alongside selected structural and teacher characteristics in structural equation models. The results showed that the multicultural beliefs of the preschool teachers were significantly positively related to the subscale “Literacy” of the ECERS‑R and the scale “Language and Cultural Sensitive Room Formation”. In contrast, the assimilative beliefs were not associated with any of the three language-related quality measures

Home and preschool learning environments and their relations to the development of early numeracy skills

This study examined the influence of the quality of home and preschool learning environments on the development of early numeracy skills in Germany, drawing on a sample of 532 children in 97 preschools. Latent growth curve models were used to investigate early numeracy skills and their development from the first (average age: 3 years) to the third year (average age: 5 years) of preschool. Several child and family background factors (e.g., gender, maternal education, socioeconomic status), measures of the home learning environment (e.g., literacy- and numeracy-related activities), and measures of preschool structural and process quality (e.g., ECERS-E, ECERS-R) were tested as predictors of numeracy skills and their development. The analyses identified child and family background factors that predicted numeracy skills in the first year of preschool and their development over the three points of measurement — particularly gender, parental native language status (German/other), socioeconomic status, and mother’s educational level. The quality of the home learning environment was strongly associated with numeracy skills in the first year of preschool, and this advantage was maintained at later ages. In contrast, the process quality of the preschool was not related to numeracy skills at the first measurement, but was significantly related to development over the period observed. The results underline the differential impact of the two learning environments on the development of numeracy skills. Interaction effects are explored and discussed

Die Entwicklung der Lesekompetenz von der frühen Kindheit bis zum Jugendalter. Empirische Befunde aus den Bamberger BiKS-Längsschnittstudien

The BiKS research group (“Educational processes, competence development, and selection decisions in preschool- and school age”) founded in 2005 and financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG), was established by a consortium of researchers combining expertise from the disciplines of psychology, education, and sociology. Two longitudinal studies were being conducted by the BiKS research group and followed until 2012. In the first study, a cohort of preschool children was traced until grade 4 in primary school. The second study comprises a cohort of primary school children who were followed until their 9th grade in secondary school. Besides the multidisciplinary perspective, the studies can be well characterized by their broad use of different methods, such as test data, interviews, questionnaires, and live observations of behaviour as well as a consideration of different agents, i.e. students, parents, and teachers. The book focuses on empirical research findings concerning the development of reading literacy from a longitudinal perspective and the chapters cover findings from both longitudinal studies of the BiKS research group. As authors from different academic disciplines have contributed, this volume covers a range of psychological, educational as well as sociological perspectives on causes and effects of stability and interindividual differences in the development of reading literacy.Die DFG-finanzierte Bamberger Forschergruppe BiKS („Bildungsprozesse, Kompetenzentwicklung und Selektionsentscheidungen im Vorschul- und Schulalter“) wurde im Jahr 2005 gegründet und setzt sich aus einer Gruppe von Wissenschaftlern aus der Psychologie, der Erziehungswissenschaft und der Soziologie zusammen. Die Forschergruppe hat zwei Längsschnitte etabliert. Die Startstichprobe des ersten Längsschnittes umfasst Kinder, die zu Beginn der Studie den Kindergarten besuchten und überwiegend im Schuljahr 2008/2009 eingeschult wurden. Die zweite Längsschnittkohorte von Schülerinnen und Schülern besuchte zu Beginn der Studie die dritte Klasse der Grundschule und wechselte im Regelfall zum Schuljahr 2007/2008 in die Sekundarstufe. Ein charakteristisches Merkmal der Studien ist, neben ihrer interdisziplinären Ausrichtung, ein breites Spektrum an Erhebungsinstrumenten - unter anderem Verhaltensbeobachtungen, Leistungstests und Fragebögen - und Perspektiven. Das vorliegende Buch fasst empirische Ergebnisse zum Erwerb schriftsprachlicher Kompetenzen aus beiden Längsschnitten zusammen. Die Analysen umfassen Befunde zur Rolle der Vorschule und Schule für die Entwicklung der Lesekompetenz ebenso wie Auswertungen zu den Einflüssen der Eltern und der familiären Lernumwelten sowie der individuellen Interessen der Schülerinnen und Schüler

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives About the Engagement of Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Parents in Their Children’s Early Education

The present study explores the perceptions of teachers about the engagement of immigrant and non-immigrant parents in preschool. Data were drawn from a larger evaluation study of a government initiative for preschools in Germany, which was designed to foster inclusive pedagogy and parent cooperation. In these analyses, teachers’ perceptions of the engagement of immigrant parents and non-immigrant parents were rated for each parent group, on a 10-item measure, to identify how teacher ratings varied for the different parent groups. Data from 1397 preschool teachers, employed across 203 preschools, were analyzed using multilevel modeling. This statistical approach takes account of the clustered nature of the data. Teacher ratings of engagement for immigrant and non-immigrant parent groups differed between preschools. Most variability in the ratings could be ascribed to preschool characteristics. In preschools, in which staff held a shared understanding of dealing with cultural diversity and in which the director of the preschool had a multicultural mindset, teachers perceived engagement of parents more positively, especially for immigrant parents. Overall, the findings identified the importance of self-efficacy for inclusion and more positive beliefs about multiculturalism among preschool teachers. Such qualities are important for working with all parents. However, unfavorable social structures, such as those found in disadvantaged areas, may present major challenges for parent cooperation and engagement

Soziale Disparitäten beim Zugang zu Kindergartenqualität und differenzielle Konsequenzen für die vorschulische mathematische Entwicklung

Obwohl die meisten Kinder in Deutschland zumindest ein Jahr vor der Einschulung einen Kindergarten besuchen, ist bislang unklar, ob für alle Kinder die gleiche Chance auf einen Kindergarten mit hoher Qualität besteht. Der Beitrag geht daher der Frage nach, ob der Zugang zu einem Kindergarten höherer Qualität nach sozialer Herkunft selektiv ist. Zusätzlich wird untersucht, ob sich die Kindergartenqualität je nach sozialer Herkunft als differentiell bedeutsam für die Entwicklung mathematischer Kompetenzen erweist. Dazu wurden Daten der BiKS-Studie verwendet, welche 547 Kinder in 97 Kindergärten umfassen,. Im Rahmen logistischer Regressionsanalysen konnte gezeigt werden, dass Kinder mit Migrationshintergrund eine geringere Wahrscheinlichkeit aufweisen, einen Kindergarten höherer Qualität zu besuchen; der sozioökonomischen Status (SES) der Familie sowie der mütterliche Bildungshintergrund haben hingegen keine signifikanten Effekte. Darüber hinaus wurden latente Wachstumskurvenmodelle spezifiziert, die die mathematische Entwicklung im Alter zwischen drei und fünf Jahren in einem Multigruppendesign je nach sozialer Herkunft untersuchen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen positiven Effekt der Kindergartenqualität auf den Zuwachs der mathematischen Kompetenzen für Kinder ohne Migrationshintergrund, mit Eltern mit höherem Bildungsabschluss und mit Eltern eines höheren sozioökonomischen Status. Der Beitrag unterstreicht die Bedeutsamkeit qualitativ hochwertiger Kindergartenbetreuung und diskutiert dies insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund des selektiven Zugangs zu hoher Kindergartenqualität von Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund.Although most children in Germany attend an early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting for at least one year, it remains uncertain whether all children have equal opportunity to attend a setting that provides high quality education and care. The paper therefore researches social disparities in the chance to attend a setting providing better classroom quality and possible differential effects of quality education and care for children\u27s mathematical development. For this purpose, the study analyses data of 547 children in 97 ECEC settings that were included in the BiKS longitudinal sample. Results of logistic regression analyses display that children with migration background bear a lower chance to attend high quality settings; comparable effects cannot be found for children in families with lower educational or less advantaged economic backgrounds. Furthermore, multi-group latent growth curve models can proof developmental advantages in mathematics achievement for children without a migration background and children in advantaged families with a better educational or more favorable economic background. The paper once more underlines the importance of high quality early childhood education and care. The discussion emphasizes this effect taking into account the result of social disparities in attending such settings for children with a migration background

The Home Learning Environment in the Digital Age—Associations Between Self-Reported “Analog” and “Digital” Home Learning Environment and Children’s Socio-Emotional and Academic Outcomes

We analyzed the association between the analog and the digital home learning environment (HLE) in toddlers’ and preschoolers’ homes, and whether both aspects are associated with children’s social and academic competencies. Here, we used data of the national representative sample of Growing up in Germany II, which includes 4,914 children aged 0–5 years. The HLE was assessed via parental survey that included items on the analog HLE (e.g., playing word games, reading, and counting) and items on the digital HLE (e.g., using apps or playing with apps). Children’s socio-emotional, practical life skills, and academic competencies were assessed via standardized parental ratings. Our results indicate that there are two dimensions of the HLE, an analog and a digital, that are slightly positively associated, especially in the toddler age group. For toddlers, only analog HLE activities were associated with better socio-emotional outcomes and practical life skills. However, interaction effects indicate that toddlers with less frequent analog HLE activities showed better socio-emotional skills in households with more frequent digital activities. For preschoolers, digital HLE activities were associated with weaker socio-emotional skills but higher academic skills, although the analog HLE shows higher effect sizes for the academic outcomes. Our study points out that analog and digital HLE activities seem to be partly associated, but not interchangeable. Further, they seem to be important variables that can explain individual differences in young children’s socio-emotional, practical life, and academic competencies. However, digital media usage at home may also have negative effects on children’s social–emotional competencies. This association needs to be investigated further

Die Bedeutung frühkindlicher häuslicher und institutioneller Lernumwelten für frühe mathematische Kompetenzen

Mathematical competencies are a core prerequisite for educational success. In the present study, we therefore examine the relevance of the early years home and institutional learning environment at the age of two years on mathematical competencies at the age of four, while controlling for the later years home learning environment using the data of the starting cohort one of the NEPS study (N = 1170). Results show positive effects of global processual aspects of the home learning environment, conceptualized as the frequency of joint activities at home and domain-specific aspects, which are mathematical and language stimulation in parent-child interactions. The effects of parent-child interactions in the early years remains when control variables and joint activities at later ages are added. Processual aspects of institutional child care were analyzed on a subsample (N = 230) and showed only small associations with later mathematical competencies. (DIPF/Orig.)Mathematische Kompetenzen sind eine Grundvoraussetzung für den Bildungserfolg. In der vorliegenden Studie untersuchen wir daher die Relevanz der häuslichen und institutionellen Lernumgebung von Kindern im Alter von zwei Jahren für mathematische Kompetenzen im Alter von vier Jahren anhand Daten der Startkohorte 1 des NEPS (N = 1170 Kinder) und kontrollieren die häusliche Lernumgebung zu späteren Zeitpunkten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen positive Effekte globaler prozessualer Merkmale der häuslichen Lernumgebung, wie der Häufigkeit gemeinsamer Aktivitäten zu Hause, sowie domänenspezifische Effekte der mathematischen und sprachlichen Anregung in Eltern-Kind-Interaktionen. Die Auswirkungen der frühen Eltern-Kind-Interaktion bleiben bestehen, wenn Kontrollvariablen und gemeinsame Aktivitäten aus späteren Wellen ergänzt werden. In einer Teilstichprobe (N = 230) wurden Aspekte der institutionellen Betreuung analysiert, hier zeigen sich nur geringe Zusammenhänge bezogen auf die späteren mathematischen Kompetenzen. (DIPF/Orig.