A cross-cultural study of parents' perceptions of early childhood programs

Carlson, Helen L.; Stenmalm, Lena

doi:10.1016/0885-2006(89)90006-9

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Like previous studies undertaken in wider contexts (e.g. Carlson & Stenmalm-Sjöblom, 1989;Dunn & Dasananda, 1995;Evans & Fuller, 1998;Foot et al, 2000;Laloumi-Vidali, 1998;Noble, 2007;Ojala, 2000;Pence & Goelman, 1987;Rodd & Milikan,1994;Seng, 1994;Tobin et al, 1989;Wise, 2002) this study identified variation in the ways parents consider an early childhood program.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…Understandings and expectations of early childhood programs may be influenced by cultural background. Studies undertaken by Carlson and Stenmalm-Sjöblom (1989) Dunn and Dasananda (1995) Seng (1994) Tobin, Wu and Davidson (1989) (US/Japan/China) and Wise (2002) (Vietnamese/Somali/Anglo-Australian parents in Australia) have suggested culturally determined variation in parents' views of early childhood programs. Emergent in such studies is an ongoing discussion regarding whether an early start to formal academic learning should be given priority in early childhood settings.…”

Section: Parents' Views Of Early Childhood Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Preparatory Year in a Queensland Non-Government School

O'Gorman

2008

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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THIS PAPER REPORTS THE findings of a research project investigating parents' conceptions of an early childhood program in Queensland. During 2007, early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Queensland underwent significant reform associated with the introduction of a full-time Preparatory Year program in all schools throughout the state. The research used a phenomenographic approach to examine the varying ways a group of 26 parents viewed such a program. This study revealed that parents viewed the Preparatory Year in relation to their own needs, their children's needs, and to how the program prepared children for success in school and beyond. Five ways of understanding the Preparatory Year emerged, linked to and differentiated from each other by two central themes. The results imply that continued consultation with parents will be required as the Preparatory Year is introduced throughout Queensland, and that further investigation of parents' views in wider contexts would be beneficial during this time of transition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Parents' Views Of Early Childhood Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Preparatory Year in a Queensland Non-Government School

O'Gorman

2008

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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“…Previous studies of parents show that when selecting early childhood experiences for their children, parents value confining activities and compliance with adult expectations, while they define play as for fun or amusement (Carlson & Stenmalm-Sjoblom, 1989; Rothlein & Brett, 1987). This is compared to teachers who also value play for cognitive and social development (Rothlein & Brett, 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Activities: Exploring Outdoor Play

Jayasuriya

Williams

Edwards

et al. 2016

Early Education and Development

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Research Findings Outdoor play is important for children’s health and development, yet many preschool-aged children in childcare settings do not receive the recommended 60 minutes/day of outdoor play. Childcare providers have previously described parent-related barriers to increasing outdoor playtime, including parents not providing appropriate clothing for their children and parents’ preference for academics over active play. This study explored parent perceptions and knowledge of outdoor playtime in childcare environments. On average, parents reported wanting their child to spend significantly more time playing outside during a full day of childcare than the recommended minimum. However, over one-half of parents reported that they did not know how much time their child actually spent playing outside and 43% reported that they did not know their childcare center’s outdoor play policies. Practice or Policy Childcare providers may over-perceive parent-related barriers to outdoor play. Parents generally support outdoor play for their preschooler during center-based childcare but are not well informed about outdoor playtime and policies. Encouraging communication between parents and early childhood educators about these topics could lead to more universal support and strategies for promoting outdoor and active play opportunities for children which are important for their health and development.

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“…Research in this area (Carlson and Stenmalm-Sjoblom, 1989;Farquhar, 1993;Ledesma, Fitzgerald and McGreal, 1980;Podmore and Craig, 1991;Westaway and Wheeler, 1993) suggests that many parents are aware of and concerned with important dimensions of quality in child care. They see the meeting of their child's emotional, social and physical needs as being important, and are aware of appropriate activities and materials which can meet these needs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Do parents choose and value quality child care in New Zealand?

Barraclough

Smith

1996

International Journal of Early Years Education

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The mechanism of parent choice is sometimes viewed as a way of improving the quality of child care centres. This study looks at whether parent choice is constrained by family variables such as socio-economic status, education and family income and to what extent parents do select quality. The sample for the present study included 100 child care centres catering for under two year old children from around New Zealand. The quality of each centre was assessed using two measures, a checklist (the Abbott-Shim Assessment Profile) and an interval observational procedure focusing on child-staff interactions (the Howes/Melhuish Observational Schedule). Two under two year-olds from each centre were observed for 100 minutes and their parents filled in a questionnaire about their satisfaction with the child care centre. The study showed modest correlations (-.18 to .27) between socio-economic status, education and family income and the Abbott-Shim Assessment Profile but none with observations of child/staff interactions. Eighty-six per cent of parents in the study said that this centre was their first choice and ratings of quality were highly positive. Yet for most measures there were zero correlations between research-based measures of quality and parent satisfaction. Qualitative data showed that there was some overlap between the criteria which parents mentioned as the 'best' or 'worst' things and criteria incorporated into research methods. Parents, however, were concerned about cost, location and convenience which were not part of the research measures. Comments on centres which were of high quality and low quality made by parents and early childhood trained researchers were compared.Parents were much more positive and uncritical in their comments than researchers. It was concluded that many parents make passive choices of centres rather than actively choosing between alternatives and that many do not have knowledge © Trentham Books 1996 5 Downloaded by [New York University] at 21:53 18 February 2015 SHANEE J. BARRACLOUGH AND ANNE B. SMITH or awareness of specific aspects of quality to look for. It was concluded that parent choice is not currently a viable means of controlling quality and that policy makers need to look to other mechanisms. Résumé Le mécanisme du choix des parents est quelquefois considéré comme un moyen d 'améliorer la qualité des centres d'accueil pour les enfants d'âge préscolaire. Cette étude s'attache a determiner si le choix des parents se trouve conditionné par des variables familiales telles que la catégorie socio-professionnelle, l'éducation et les revenus du menage et à évaluer la mesure dans laquelle les parents considèrent que la qualité du centre est un critère de sélection. Cette étude a été conduite sur la base d'un échantillon de 100 établissements répartis sur le territoire neo-zelandais et accueillant des enfants ages de moins de deux ans. La qualite de chaque etablissement a été établie sur la base de deux critères: une liste de controle (Abbott-Shim Assessmnent Profde-Profil d'appréci...

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A cross-cultural study of parents' perceptions of early childhood programs

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

The Preparatory Year in a Queensland Non-Government School

The Preparatory Year in a Queensland Non-Government School

Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Activities: Exploring Outdoor Play

Do parents choose and value quality child care in New Zealand?

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