Zoekresultaten

Effects of early childhood education training and video interaction guidance on teachers’ interactive skills

Research has demonstrated that teachers working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are proficient in offering emotional support to young children, but markedly weaker when it comes to instructional support. We conducted a controlled experimental study in the Netherlands, to investigate the effects of targeted in-service training on improving teachers’ instructional support. Teachers (N = 72) were randomly assigned to four conditions: an intensive early childhood education (ECE) training (N = 17), video interaction guidance (VIG) (N = 16), a combination of both training programs (N = 18), or a control condition with no training (N = 21). Teachers’ interactive skills were measured pre- and postintervention, according the scales of the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP). The ECE training improved the proficiency of teachers’ verbal communication and offering developmental stimulation. VIG proved to be effective in teachers’ fostering positive peer interactions between children. Intensive and targeted training can successfully improve the quality of teachers’ instructional support in ECEC settings, although more research on effective elements of professional development of ECEC teachers is needed.

Learning experiences from ECEC professionals during an international field visit

International field visits aim to provide transformative learning experiences that stimulate the professional development of staff, but outcomes may vary among programs. In this mixed-methods study, we investigated the transformative learning experiences of Dutch and German professionals (n = 28) from early childhood education and care (ECEC) who participated in a blended intensive exchange program with mutual field visits. Our findings indicate a transformative learning process in which the participants developed an awareness of cultural differences, moved to understanding these differences and, occasionally, to adaptation of new professional beliefs related to the interaction with young children. However, it proved difficult to implement new practices in the own centers after the program. We discuss how international exchange programs may foster transformative learning and the professional development of ECEC staff.

The impact of in-service professional development on the quality of teacher-child interactions in early education and care

High-quality interactions between young children and teachers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are the cornerstone of educational quality. International findings suggest that the quality of interactions that support emotions and classroom organization is at a medium to high level, but the quality of instructional support is at a lower level. Within the “Teaching Through Interactions” framework developed by Hamre and colleagues (2013), several efforts were made to evaluate and improve key teacher-child interactions through in-service training. Our review includes experimental studies that evaluate professional development using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System measures. The systematic literature search and coding of studies was carried out by two independent reviewers. Our review includes 15 recent studies with 18 treatments. The meta-analysis (random effect model) showed an overall statistically significant professional development effect of g = 0.39 (SE = .08), i.e. close to a medium-size effect. In addition, effect sizes were almost equal for interactions related to emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support (g= 0.35, 0.30, and 0.43, respectively). The quality of experimental studies and professional development was at a high level (e.g., individual component, feedback, or modeling) and experimental findings were generally positive. Our meta-analysis indicates that high-quality in-service programs have the strength to improve teacher-child interactions and pedagogical quality across all three domains.

Effect and process evaluation of a preschool-based intervention to promote an early childhood education and care teacher-parent partnership about healthy behaviours in children: Study protocol for the cluster randomised controlled trial CO-HEALTHY

BackgroundEarly Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) teachers at urban preschools are potential key figures to promote healthy behaviours in disadvantaged young children and to engage parents in lifestyle-related topics. An ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding healthy behaviours may support parents and stimulate their children’s development. However, it is not an easy task to establish such a collaboration and ECEC teachers need tools to communicate with parents about lifestyle-related topics. This paper describes the study protocol of a preschool-based intervention (CO-HEALTHY) to promote an ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding healthy eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours in young children.MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial will be performed at preschools in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Preschools will be randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The intervention consists of a toolkit with 10 parent-child activities and associated training for ECEC teachers. The activities were composed using the Intervention Mapping protocol. At intervention preschools, ECEC teachers will carry out the activities during standard contact moments. Parents will receive associated intervention materials and will be encouraged to perform similar parent-child activities at home. At control preschools, the toolkit and training will not be implemented. The primary outcome will be the teacher- and parent-reported partnership regarding healthy eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours in young children. The perceived partnership will be assessed by a questionnaire at baseline and at 6 months. In addition, short interviews with ECEC teachers will be held. Secondary outcomes include the knowledge, attitude, food- and activity-related practices of ECEC teachers and parents. Furthermore, children’s eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours, and weight development will be assessed. A process evaluation of the intervention will be made.DiscussionThe intervention aims to provide a practical tool for ECEC teachers at urban preschools to promote an ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding a healthy lifestyle in young children.Trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register (NTR): NL8883. Date registered: September 8, 2020.

Interprofessional collaborative practices for children with speech, language and communication needs in early childhood education and care: comparing Dutch and Norwegian perspectives

Interprofessional collaboration and practice (IPCP) is considered the cornerstone for effective service delivery for children with speech language and communication needs (SLCN). Following Stutsky and Spence Laschinger’s framework, we investigated IPCP-related differences between Dutch and Norwegian professionals in a cross-national comparative survey study. The personal relational skills of communication, trust and situational factor support structures were related to interprofessional collaboration in both countries. Trust was a stronger predictor for the Dutch sample than the Norwegian sample. A moderated moderation analysis revealed that the relationship between IPCP and perceived team effectiveness is moderated by trust for the Dutch professionals but not for their Norwegian colleagues. Trust may play a vital role for interprofessional teams in the Dutch context because service delivery is mainly characterised by the pull-out intervention of specialised professionals. In the integrated early intervention context of Norway, emphasis on professional communication skills seems a fruitful strategy to enhance the effectiveness of teams. Early intervention service delivery may be strengthened by structural facilitation and building networks to develop trust across professionals and organisations, which supports the development of professional competence relevant to IPCP in early intervention service delivery.

PreSchool@HealthyWeight: A preschool-based intervention for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) teachers in promoting healthy eating and physical activity in toddlers