International review of ECE Leadership Research – Finland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Africa and the United States under Review

Fonsén, Elina; Varpanen, Jan; Strehmel, Petra; Masayo, Kawakita; Inoue, Chika; Marchant, Shaireen; Modise, Matshediso; Szécsi, Tünde; Halpern, Clarisse

doi:10.2307/j.ctvmd84fc.21

Cited by 7 publications

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“…The Tools approach is supported by a theory of change hypothesizing that enhancing children's executive function and selfregulation skills will subsequently benefit children's academic knowledge. This theory is supported by correlation research indicating significant associations between the development of executive function and self-regulation skills and academic skills (e.g., Fuhs et al, 2014;McClelland et al, 2007;Schmitt et al, 2017;Welsh et al, 2010). Without clear experimental evidence to support a causal relation, however, this theory of change remains insufficiently tested (e.g., Bailey et al, 2018;Jacob & Parkinson, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These dualities frequently conflict with each other and push ECEC policies in different directions over time. For example, New Zealand, Sweden, and Finland recently moved toward including more overt educational goals in their early childhood frameworks (Alcock & Haggerty, 2013;Cochran, 2011;Fonsén et al, 2019). In Canada, however, ECEC policies have moved in the opposite direction (Brodin & Renblad, 2014).…”

Section: Early Childhood Education: the United States In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These latter skills enable children to focus on and benefit from the educational material and learning opportunities provided in school settings (Blair & Razza, 2007). Longitudinal studies demonstrated that these self-regulation skills have an independent relation with long-term academic success, separate from early academic skills (e.g., Duncan et al, 2007;Fuhs et al, 2014;Moffitt et al, 2011;Schmitt et al, 2017;Spivak & Farran, 2016).…”

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current educational research suggests that self-regulation and executive function skills are critically correlated with the development of early academic skills (e.g., Bull et al, 2011;Fuhs et al, 2014;Welsh et al, 2010) as well as other positive life outcomes (e.g., Caspi et al, 1998;Kern & Friedman, 2009;Moffitt et al, 2011). Thus, promoting these skills is identified as a potentially fruitful target for intervention for children who are at-risk for academic failure (Ursache et al, 2012).…”

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, promoting these skills is identified as a potentially fruitful target for intervention for children who are at-risk for academic failure (Ursache et al, 2012). Emerging research suggests that not only are executive function skills at school-entry important for the development of academic skills, but growth in executive function skills may be associated with growth in academic skills (e.g., Fuhs et al, 2014;McClelland et al, 2007;Schmitt et al, 2017;Welsh et al, 2010). The issue discussed next is whether those skills are susceptible to intervention.…”

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Prekindergarten Curricula: Tools of the Mind as a Case Study

Nesbitt

Farran

2021

Monographs Society Res Child

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Research demonstrates that children's participation in quality early childhood care and education often has immediate positive effects on their social‐emotional, self‐regulation, and achievement outcomes. Most of the research on the impacts of early child care and education has focused narrowly on the United States, but advocacy for economic and social investment in early childhood care and education to support future children's growth and well‐being now exists on an international scale. The longer‐term outcomes from prekindergarten programs have not been as strong. To improve children's long‐term outcomes, one suggested strategy is an intentional, scripted curriculum. Our goal in this monograph is to provide a fully integrated and comprehensive account of a large‐scale, longitudinal, field‐based randomized control trial of the Tools of the Mind (Internal consistency of the Tools) prekindergarten curriculum that occurred in the United States. Our intent is twofold. First, we examine the impact of the Tools curriculum itself, addressing both the potential impacts of the curriculum to improve prekindergarten quality and children's academic, executive function, self‐regulation, and social outcomes. Second, we consider the broader question of whether the use of intentional, scripted curricula during early education can, more generally, enhance both short‐ and long‐term outcomes in children. Developed from a Vygotskian framework, Tools focuses on equipping children with cognitive tools for learning that they can then apply to the task of acquiring and sustaining academic knowledge as well as behavioral competencies. Thus, Tools is an integrated, comprehensive curriculum, not a supplementary one. The Tools approach follows from a socio‐cultural perspective on child development that emphasizes children's acquisition of skills and cultural tools in collaboration with knowledgeable others. The methodology of the 4‐year longitudinal cluster randomized control trial is described in detail. We provide comprehensive information about recruitment, randomization of treatment condition, child assessment instrumentation and procedures, as well as observational assessments, including fidelity of implementation and teacher and child classroom behaviors. We provide results comparing 32 classrooms assigned to the Tools condition and 28 assigned to the business‐as‐usual control condition for children's academic, executive function, self‐regulation, and social gains from prekindergarten to the end of first grade. Developers of the curriculum specifically expected to see benefits on these measures. There were no positive effects for Tools on any of the outcomes. The lack of expected curriculum effects required careful consideration and raised more general questions about how curriculum experiences manifest themselves in assessed skills. As a first step to understanding the findings, we focused on teachers who were implementing Tools and examined the degree to which the curriculum was delivered as intended and the relations betw...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Childhood Education: the United States In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Childhood Curricula In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Prekindergarten Curricula: Tools of the Mind as a Case Study

Nesbitt

Farran

2021

Monographs Society Res Child

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„Mitarbeiter zu bewegen, gehört zu meinem täglichen Brot“

Wieland

2021

Frühe Bildung

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Zusammenfassung. Veränderung ist zu einem Kernelement der Arbeit in Kindertageseinrichtungen geworden. Der stattfindende Umbauprozess von einer Betreuungs- zu einer Bildungseinrichtung sowie der quantitative Ausbau der Kindertagesbetreuung geben dabei den Rahmen der Veränderung vor; in der Folge wandeln sich beispielsweise Aufgabenprofile, Organisationsstrukturen und Tagesabläufe. In diesem Veränderungsprozess haben Leitungen eine Schlüsselrolle inne. Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht deshalb der Frage nach, welche Veränderungen Leitungskräfte erleben und wie sie mit diesen umgehen. Die Analyse von 16 qualitativen Interviews mit Leitungskräften von Kindertageseinrichtungen zeigt, wie komplex die Herausforderungen sind, denen diese heute begegnen. Die Fähigkeit, Veränderungsprozesse zu gestalten, zu begleiten und umzusetzen, wird von den Befragten als zentrale Anforderung an ihre Leitungsrolle wahrgenommen. Zentral ist dabei die Aufgabe, Vorgaben von außen in das Kita-Team einzubringen und diese bei der Entwicklung eines praktischen Umgangs mit den Vorgaben zu begleiten. Dabei werden Kita-Leitungen zu Change Agents, die für die Umsetzung der Veränderung verantwortlich sind.

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Teachers’ pedagogical leadership in early childhood education

Fonsén

Szécsi

Kupila

et al. 2022

Educational Research

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Background: Although the contexts, structures and administrations of early childhood education (ECE) may differ internationally, effective pedagogical leadership remains an essential component in supporting young children's development and learning. This paper reports on a comparative study which considered ECE in two different settings, Finland and Florida, providing insight into teachers' perspectives on the characteristics of pedagogical leadership.Purpose: This study sought to investigate and compare the perspectives of ECE teachers and directors in Finland and Florida via their discourses about teachers' pedagogical leadership. The goal was to provide an overview of the ECE teachers' and directors' discourses in each location, in order to allow comparison and a better understanding of the influence of aspects including locational contexts, curricular guidelines and teacher preparation on the ECE teachers' and directors' perspectives. Method: A comparative case study design was used. The data consisted of semi-structured focus group interviews and individual interviews with ECE teachers and centre directors in Finland and in Florida. Data from the two locations were first analysed separately to identify the main discourses; secondly, discourses were compared collectively to reveal major themes. Findings: The analysis indicated a similar conceptualisation of distributed pedagogical leadership. However, differences were identified in teachers' expectations of independence in instructional decisions, and the extension of pedagogical leadership practices within and beyond the ECE centres. The analysis of discourses led to the identification of three major themes, which generated implications for teacher preparation, curriculum development and implementation, and ECE programme directions. Conclusion:The study enables a more comprehensible conceptualisation of teachers' pedagogical leadership as it emerged from teachers' and directors' discourses across two locations. Pedagogical leadership is recognised as an indicator of highquality pedagogy in early childhood education and the findings highlight the need to continuously support and strengthen teachers' pedagogical leadership.

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International review of ECE Leadership Research – Finland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Africa and the United States under Review

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Effects of Prekindergarten Curricula: Tools of the Mind as a Case Study

Effects of Prekindergarten Curricula: Tools of the Mind as a Case Study

„Mitarbeiter zu bewegen, gehört zu meinem täglichen Brot“

Teachers’ pedagogical leadership in early childhood education

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