Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Early childhood education – Australia – Administration'

The incorporation of pre-primary centres into Western Australian government primary schools has shifted the responsibility for administrative, managerial and educational leadership from the kindergarten director to the primary school principal. Several pre-primary teachers and specialists in Early Childhood Education have expressed concern that principals lack theoretical and practical background in early childhood, have not been provided with professional development assistance, are providing inadequate educational leadership to pre-primary teachers, and yet a responsible for appraisal of pre-primary teachers. Similar concerns have been expressed in the United States, and resulted in the swing towards early academics and acknowledgment of the significant differences between early childhood education and primary education. However, no study of these leadership issues has so far been conducted in Western Australia.

Early childhood education has long been regarded as having the lowest status in the education system. Recent government reforms in Australia based on financial rather than education concerns means early childhood education will continue to face declines in status, conditions and appropriate resources, unless educators exercise leadership skills in advocating for appropriate programs and curriculum for young children. A new model of Early Childhood Teacher Leadership was created to measure leadership skills, including leadership in advocating for young children, and tested in Phase One of the study. The model involved General Leadership (Classroom Leadership, Self-directed Leadership, Program Leadership and School Leadership), Communication (from me to principal/parents /teachers and from principal /parents /teachers to me), and Influences (my influence on the school, my influence on the principal). In Phase Two of the study, twenty early childhood teachers were interviewed for approximately one hour in regard to how they conceptualised their leadership roles, what factors enhanced or constrained their leadership, and what strategies they used to communicate their philosophy and pedagogy. Phase One involved collecting data from 270 Early Childhood Teachers in Western Australia at government schools, using self-reports on ideal and real aspects of leadership obtained through a questionnaire. A Rasch measurement model computer program was used to create an interval level Scale of Early Childhood Teacher Leadership from the original 142 items (71 real and 71 ideal). The final interval-level scale consisted of 92 items (38 real and 54 ideal) that had a reasonable fit to the model, where the thresholds were ordered and the proportion of observed variance considered true was 94 percent. The Rasch analysis supported the structure of the leadership model and indicated some improvements could be made. Written responses to open-ended questions at the end of the questionnaire provided insights into how the teachers conceptualised their leadership roles. These insights provided the framework for the formulation of the face-to-face follow-up, interviews that comprised Phase Two of the study. The findings indicate that, as expected, teachers found it easier to hold higher ideal self-views for most aspects of leadership than to hold high real self-views. Teachers recognised the importance of leadership skills but experienced difficulty in enacting them. The Early Childhood Teachers reported various factors that helped or hindered them in fulfilling their leadership roles. The four global factors that could either help or hinder Early Childhood Teachers were 1) intrapersonal and interpersonal skills; 2) professional confidence; 3) others' understanding of and respect for early childhood education; and 4) time. The Early Childhood Teachers suggested strategies that could help them develop stronger leadership skills. The four main strategies suggested by the teachers were 1) professional development addressing leadership and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills training; 2) inclusion of leadership skills training at pre-service levels of teacher education; 3) opportunities to collaborate with othe1 staff; and 4) public promotion of early childhood education. The findings have implications for Early Childhood Teachers, administrators, teacher educators and for future research.

Relying upon many years of experience as an early childhood educator and consultant, and utilizing examples of programs and forms during the past thirteen years while serving as the Director of Peace Lutheran Preschool/Kindergarten in Owensboro, Kentucky, and as a regional/national early childhood consultant. The author has proposed a manuscript whose purpose is to assist early childhood professionals in the development and implementation of quality, needs-appropriate preschool programs. The eleven chapters are divided into seven areas of concern: program survey, development, purpose, regulation requirements, administration, financing, enrollment, curriculum and day-care. (Within each area are varied appropriate methods of implementation relating to specific outcomes of each desired program.) Curriculum is discussed with emphasis given to programs which are both age and developmentally appropriate for the early childhood area. Day-care materials are discussed in detail in the final chapter, although there are references throughout the manuscript that help explain overlaps in the two types of programs. Since the entire manuscript is based on experiences of the author and was developed from working programs, materials are of a research basis, but they have also been used and tested. Therefore it will be useful to professionals in their existing or planned programs. The author hopes the experiences within this manuscript prove invaluable to the novice in developing and implementing quality early childhood programs. This manuscript’s purpose is to assist those who dedicate their lives to meeting these needs of the young by providing a working guide for early childhood program development.

This study addresses the potential of preschool educational television programs to contribute to the literacy development of young children. Unlike the vast majority of television-related research undertaken in the United States, this examination is not limited to nationally-produced programming, but looks to other English-speaking countries for an international perspective on the problems and possibilities of literacy series developed for young children. Ten preschool educational television programs from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States are examined via a videotape content analysis to determine the literacy potential of these program "texts." The literacy potential of children's broadcast texts has been determined within a broad framework of holistic language and learning theories developed by such researchers as Cambourne, Dewey, Eisner, Goodman, Harste, Holdaway, Rosenblatt, Smith, Vygotsky, and others. By composing a narrative of each sample episode; analyzing each program's use of visual, formic, and linguistic codes; constructing an argument for the applicability of holistic theories to television texts; and ultimately examining each sample episode through a holistic lens, a view of literacy-directed programming as it presently exists in four English-speaking countries is developed. The findings suggest that holistic learning principles applied to television texts hold great potential in providing valuable literacy-focused television events to children. Elements in the sample programs such as thematic integrity, explorations of ideas and concepts through sign systems, emphasis on child participation, language and ethnic diversity, regular inclusion of print on the screen from a variety of quality children's literature, and frequent inclusion of literacy events with children and adults demonstrated holistic principles in the sample episodes and contributed to the literacy potential of preschool programming. Characteristics of the episodes such as randomness, isolation of language subsystems from language wholes, failure to present literacy demonstrations, and exclusion of children from the visual text suggested ineffective television texts from which children had little opportunity to construct meaning. Concluding remarks explore the development of a prototypical holistic television program for preschoolers and suggest the benefits of such broadcast programs for children, their parents, media researchers/producers, and educators.

Trends to integrate students with disabilities into general education schools, rely on early childhood teachers utilising their knowledge and skills to provide successful induction into the education system, and fully including students with disabilities in the teaching program. This study describes early childhood teachers' knowledge of children with disabilities, and the teaching of these children, through teachers recounting their sources of knowledge and experiences in teaching children with disabilities. This study was conducted in the northern metropolitan teaching districts of Perth, Western Australia. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, 22 early childhood teachers completed a survey involving open-ended questions, followed by 5 teachers participating in taped in-depth interviews, disclosing their thoughts and lived experiences of teaching children with disabilities in general education settings. Data were analysed to identify shared teacher knowledge significant to the effective teaching and inclusion of children with disabilities. Findings indicated that early childhood teachers' knowledge of children with disabilities developed through the experience of teaching a child with disabilities and was relative to the particular children they had taught. Interview participants indicated that caring dispositions and knowledge of the individual, not the disability, was essential knowledge for teaching a child with disabilities. Being proactive and seeking support, as well as planning ahead, organizing time, adapting the learning environment and modifying existing teaching practices and expectations were considered to be critical elements of teaching a child with disabilities. Early childhood teachers also found that teaching a child with disabilities was a shared experience, where they were required to collaborate with various agencies and parents to ensure successful inclusion took place. The process of inclusion caused early childhood teachers to question their self-efficacy and the adequacy of their practical teaching knowledge. As one interview participant stated, "it's all a huge learning curve."

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of participation in the district's early childhood program on later academic achievement as measured by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics and reading assessments in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The studied district opened a centralized early childhood school in 2009 and implemented the Texas Pre-K Guidelines. The STAAR test results were available for five cohorts of students who attended the early childhood school and took the STAAR mathematics and reading assessments in the years 2014-2018. A quasi-experimental design was used to analyze differences in STAAR mathematics and reading scores for students who attended the district's early childhood program and students who did not attend. A two-way factorial ANOVA was used to examine the effect on test scores of attending the district's early childhood school and other demographic categories, Latinx, African American, socio-economic status, and English language learners (ELL). The results show that attending the early childhood program did not have a statistically significant effect for Latinx or African American students. However, the mean mathematics scores for economically-disadvantaged students who attended the early childhood program were higher than their peers who did not attend. ELL students who attended the program also had higher mathematics scores but the differences were usually not statistically significant. The same impact on economically-disadvantaged students and ELLs was not found on reading tests.

Many factors influence the changing nature of education: family structures, cultural diversity, rapid technological change, social conditions. In response to these changes the Curriculum Framework for Western Australian schools has been developed to establish the learning outcomes expected of all students from K-12. Students in isolated and distance education settings are supplied curriculum materials designed to meet their diverse educational needs. This study presents one snapshot of an ongoing research project in which new language and literacy curriculum materials for early childhood distance education learners were developed, trialled and further developed. Some factors that appear to be important in the development of early childhood distance education curriculum materials for language and literacy in Western Australia were identified through the use of grounded theory and explored through the development of draft and final curriculum materials for K-3 students in distance education. These factors include; state government mandated Curricufrm1 Framework and Outcomes and Standards Framework, federal government initiatives, the impact of information and communication technologies, the needs of home tutors, the diversity of students enrolled in distance education and factors related to early childhood language an literacy needs identified through the literature review. The implications highlight the need to continue to seek feedback from all stakeholders, especially home tutors and the need for frequent reviews and rewriting of curriculum materials, taking into account current literature, technologies and pedagogical change.

Changes to education policies and the creation of new curricula in Western Australia (WA), such as the new WA Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Curriculum in 2017, may place external pressure on teachers as they transition from existing to new curricula. The aim of this interpretivist study was to investigate the transition to the new WA HASS Curriculum in 2017. The experiences and perspectives of the school leaders and teachers in Pre-primary, Year One and Year Two (PP to Y2) in two Perth metropolitan independent schools was explored. The preparation undertaken by the early childhood teachers and leaders, and the opportunities and challenges faced by the participants that facilitated or inhibited the transition to the new HASS Curriculum in 2017 was also studied. Three key themes that emerged from the results includes the need for; supportive and effective leadership, appropriate professional learning, time to understand the new content and to source suitable resources for teaching and assessing the new WA HASS Curriculum effectively.

The Impact of Prolonged Participation in a Pro-Social Cognitive Behavioral Skills Program on Elementary Age Students, with Behavior Related Disorders, Behavior Accelerative, Behavior Reductive, and Return to Regular Classroom Outcomes

In 2014, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his commitment to provide free public pre-kindergarten (pre-K) to all of New York City’s four-year-olds. With “Pre-K for All,” New York City has undertaken the most ambitious pre-K expansion in the country. The Division of Early Childhood (DECE) in the New York City Department of Education is responsible for implementing Pre-K for All. Now in its second year of expansion, the DECE has shifted its focus from infrastructure development to quality improvement and sustainability. In my Residency, I worked to develop a quality improvement mechanism called the “Foundational Support Visit” (FSV), a new process for diagnosing need across every Pre-K for All program. The DECE used findings from the FSV to inform the allocation of coaching supports to all pre-K programs. As part of the FSV initiative, I worked closely with the Division’s 125 Early Childhood Social Workers, the DECE’s largest team of school-based support staff and one of two teams responsible for conducting Foundational Support Visits at Pre-K for All programs. In my Capstone, I describe the evolution of the Foundational Support Visit, from design to implementation, and analyze how the process impacted Social Workers’ perception of their evolving role during Pre-K for All’s expansion. I explore the question of how a growing organization can support people on the ground to adapt to be effective during a period of rapid change and argue that the FSV process generated important losses for the DECE’s Social Workers. I describe my efforts, as a developing leader, to restore Social Workers’ confidence in their value through the creation of a feedback mechanism and a monthly working group meeting. In my analysis of my own leadership, I consider my initial struggle to diagnose the losses at stake for the DECE’s Social Workers, and I explore how leaders can approach organizational change in a way that acknowledges loss and helps people adapt to new environments. I conclude with a series of implications for my own leadership, for the DECE, and finally, for the education sector.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of participation in the district's early childhood program on later academic achievement as measured by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics and reading assessments in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The studied district opened a centralized early childhood school in 2009 and implemented the Texas Pre-K Guidelines. The STAAR test results were available for five cohorts of students who attended the early childhood school and took the STAAR mathematics and reading assessments in the years 2014-2018. A quasi-experimental design was used to analyze differences in STAAR mathematics and reading scores for students who attended the district's early childhood program and students who did not attend. A two-way factorial ANOVA was used to examine the effect on test scores of attending the district's early childhood school and other demographic categories, Latinx, African American, socio-economic status, and English language learners (ELL). The results show that attending the early childhood program did not have a statistically significant effect for Latinx or African American students. However, the mean mathematics scores for economically-disadvantaged students who attended the early childhood program were higher than their peers who did not attend. ELL students who attended the program also had higher mathematics scores but the differences were usually not statistically significant. The same impact on economically-disadvantaged students and ELLs was not found on reading tests.

This thesis is about a comparative study of early childhood education (ECE) curriculum documents focused on education for sustainability (EfS) in South Korea and Australia. It examined how the national ECE curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts align with contemporary concepts of sustainability and activist early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) principles. Drawing on systems theory, Korean and Australian ECE curriculum documents were used as the primary sources for this study within the framework of critical document analysis (CDA). This study offers a step forward in developing culturally inclusive/holistic understandings of sustainability and more contextualised/localised approaches to ECEfS.

The problem that precipitated this study was the marked differences among early childhood education leaders in the quality of leadership for private early childhood entities as indicated by a voluntary quality rating improvement system in a Midwestern state. The scholarly literature lacks studies on characteristics of high-€quality leadership in early childhood education. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore characteristics of quality early childhood leadership based on examination of successful early childhood programs using leadership trait theory as a conceptual framework. Research questions were designed to examine characteristics of successful early childhood leaders based on the components of trait theory as reported by leaders themselves and as perceived by teachers working with them and parents whose children attend their programs. Data were collected from interviews and questionnaires. The sample included 12 high-€quality leaders who participated in the state quality rating system and had at least 5 years of leadership experience. From each school represented by the leaders, 5 teachers with 2 years of teaching experience and 3 parents with a child enrolled in the early childhood program for a minimum of 6 months participated in the study. Data were thematically coded, looking for themes, differences, and similarities. Common traits across all groups and data collection method were trustworthiness, self-€confidence, and dependability. Positive social change could come about through the encouragement of early childhood leaders who may be confident in awareness of the needs of children and families and dependable and trustworthy in providing an early learning program that may positively develop the emotional, physical, social, and academic needs of children.

There is little evidence in the literature that early childhood (EC) teachers are using developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in implementing computer applications in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to identify EC teachers' perspectives about the use of developmentally appropriate computer applications and to identify their perspectives on strategies for implementing change toward greater use of developmentally appropriate computer applications. The study was based upon Joseph and Reigeluth's conceptual framework of systemic change processes, which provides educators with the foundation to achieve sustainable changes. The research questions that guided this qualitative case study were designed to obtain teachers' perspectives about the use of DAP while embedding technology into EC classrooms and strategies that might be used in encouraging use of DAP computer applications. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 10 EC teachers in one school and reviews of relevant documents. Data from interviews and document reviews indicated a perceived need for more integration of developmentally appropriate computer technology in the classroom and for increasing teachers' knowledge of DAP through training and staff development. Recommendations for schools included finding more and varied technology funding sources, placing greater school emphasis on the importance of a learning organization, and increasing stakeholder involvement. For teachers, recommendations were to develop additional instructional strategies for embedding DAP technology into the classroom. This study has the potential to help stakeholders and EC teachers enhance the fidelity of instruction and students' learning in the classroom.

The purpose of this case study was to explore the successes and challenges faced by a private, faith-based preschool in Los Angeles County in providing quality care and education to homeless children and their families. The study included interviews with parents, teachers, and administrator/staff to gather their perspectives as well as examined program structure through field observations and analysis of relevant documents. The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s quality standards were used to examine the quality of the program. Findings showed that the relationships among all stakeholders involved in the preschool program were crucial to the success of this preschool. The study’s findings highlighted some challenges in the following areas: support for teachers, sustained teacher training and development, strong administrative program structure, and funding. The findings bear important implications, both at the program and policy-level, for early childhood education programs serving children in exceptional circumstances, and specifically homeless children and their families.

The early childhood administrator is tasked with overseeing all operations within the early childhood program. Operational functions include functions traditionally associated with education including the design and implementation of curriculum, creating and maintaining the learning environment, and ensuring the health and safety of children enrolled in the program. The administrator of the early childhood program is also tasked with other functions including human resource functions, budgeting, as well as income and cost management. Additionally, the administrator should be an advocate within public policy concerning early childhood education. Research has acknowledged the functions associated with the early childhood administrator role. In 1992, Paula Jorde-Bloom named the early childhood administrator as the “Gatekeeper of Quality”. Since then, research has supported that establishing and maintaining quality is yet another responsibility of the early childhood administrator. The current study examined the role of the administrator, particularly the preparation that the administrator receives, in an effort to determine the impact that the administrator has on the quality of the program. A sample (n = 224) was pulled from early childhood administrators in Mississippi. The preparation received by these administrators, including formal education and additional training, was measured and regression analysis with Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R) scores measuring quality of the early childhood program regressed with an aggregated early childhood administration preparation variable to determine if administration preparation could predict overall quality within the early childhood program. As the literature indicated that fiscal management practices also fall under the scope of responsibilities of the administrator, fiscal management preparation was isolated and regression analysis with ECERS-R scores was conducted to determine if fiscal management preparation could predict overall quality within the early childhood program as well. The study found that administration preparation was a significant predictor of quality. However, preparation specific to fiscal management knowledge was not found to be a predictor of overall quality. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are addressed.

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of Illinois Parents as Teachers (PAT) program leaders managing a multigenerational workforce. Supervisors state that leading a multigenerational staff possesses challenges that affect overall productivity (Bell, 2008). PAT stakeholders including leaders, facilitators, parents, and children risk failing to provide or receive optimal services because of weak supervisory practices. Obtaining the perceptions and lived experiences, as narrated by PAT leaders about the work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership styles of employees from various generations will add insight to this plight. The study involved 10 Illinois Parents as Teachers program leaders purposely selected based on the number of employees and generational cohorts represented in the program. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured, open ended interview format; data was collected and analyzed. Five themes were extracted from the data using manual analysis and NVivo 9.0© to aid in the coding process. The themes were important to understanding the participant’s perceptions of managing a multigenerational staff. This study provided insight into how PAT leaders view employees from various generations in terms of work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership. The narratives provided rich accounts of leader’s experiences, which in turn will be a helpful professional development and technical assistance tool in training leaders to use the most effective techniques with a multigenerational staff. Suggestions for educational practice and further research are included in the recommendations.

The purpose of this multiple case study is to document how directors at private preschools have already, or are preparing for, leadership transitions. The study documents two private preschools; one preschool recently completed a leadership transition and the other is preparing for a transition that is scheduled to take place in the next five years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with directors, teachers, and families in both centers and analysis of archival records. Data were analyzed deductively drawing on key concepts from literature discussing leadership styles, factors impacting leadership transitions in organizations, and Heifetz's theory of adaptive leadership. Findings suggest that private preschools benefit from long-term succession planning for future leadership transitions, that includes staff participation and parent feedback. This study documents examples of intentionally planned transparent and collaborative administrative and leadership change in early childhood environments.

The purpose of this study was to examine the manner that directors and teachers define ideal leadership practices of Head Start programs. Specifically, this study focused on understanding leadership practices through the lens of transformational leadership. This study was guided by the following three research questions: (a) What are the perceptions of Head Start directors on ideal practices of leadership (b) What are the perceptions of Head Start teachers on ideal practices of leadership and (c) How do the perceptions of directors compare and contrast to the perceptions of teachers.

The research methodology was a qualitative approach to understanding the perceptions of the participants through their experiences and perspectives of working in the Head Start setting. Data were collected by means of interviews and completion of a demographic questionnaire and an adapted version of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). The use of interviews allowed participants to reflect on their experiences and share their perspectives regarding what they consider ideal leadership practices in Head Start. Data were collected from 15 participants who currently work in various Head Start programs throughout Southern California.

The findings revealed ideal leadership practices in alignment with the practices of transformational leadership. Directors described ideal leadership practices to include a clear vision, collaboration, Head Start-specific knowledge, and staff motivation. Teachers described ideal leadership practices to include visibility ofthe director at the classroom level, leading by example, encouragement, transparency, and professional development opportunities. The results of this study are critically important with the shifts in policy to increase quality of and expand access to early childhood education programs for all children. The shift in policy has resulted in greater accountability being placed on Head Start programs to deliver quality services in order to avoid losing funding. Ideal leadership practices are vital to meeting the needs of the changing expectations of Head Start programs.

Background: This thesis investigates how policy-driven approaches to change in early childhood education in Australia are impacting on the field, and its dominant discourses, and on how professionals interpret the process of change. The thesis contributes to the investigation of the impacts of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) since its introduction in 2009. This is an important issue for early childhood education because understanding the ways in which educators see their role in the workplace has the potential to deepen our understanding of what it means to work in the early childhood field right now, as well as what it will mean for future practitioners entering the field. Aim: The research question asked: How do Victorian early childhood degree-trained educators perceive the term ‘educator’, as used in Australian policy documents? The thesis identified a gap in the literature in relation to the naming of early childhood practitioners’ roles. Although there is a growing body of literature around the use of the EYLF in relation to how it applies to children and families, there is limited research regarding what practitioners think of the changes the EYLF has made, and what these changes mean for them. Method: The thesis takes a poststructuralist perspective on the role of language and uses a sub-category of discourse analysis, Membership Category Analysis (MCA), to analyse the data. Six degree-qualified early childhood professionals were interviewed. Three were based in sessional kindergartens and three in a long day care setting. The interviews were conducted over 45 minutes, primarily over phone or webcam. Results: The thesis demonstrates that the meaning of the term ‘educator’, to those experiencing it, is constantly changing and developing, so it is difficult to come to a clear, defined, single ‘truth’ of what it means to be an ‘educator’. Using MCA, the thesis argues firstly that there are two categories within the data: discursive resisters category (teacher) and discursive adapters category (educator). The two categories indicate that the field may well still be finding its way into what it means to be an ‘educator’. Secondly, this thesis argues that these categories do not exist in isolation. There are a range of issues outside of these categories that impact on the way practitioners understand their role in the field. The implications for policy development and future research include the need for greater understanding of how policy documents are embodied within the field. Further research could also be expanded into diploma- and Certificate III-qualified practitioners to provide greater topic saturation.

Reading is one of the primary goals of the early elementary grades. When students start to struggle with this complex skill, educators and parents search for solutions to rectify quickly mounting gaps before a child falls too far behind. In the State of Oklahoma, lawmakers have passed a law requiring mandatory 3rd grade retention for students who do not pass the state reading test. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of stakeholders who had experienced implementation of mandated student retention in early childhood. The study is informed by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory of social distinctions, Bloom's taxonomy theory, and Festinger's social comparison theory. Seventeen participants, including 2 parents, 8 teachers, and 7 administrators, took part in face-to-face interviews and focus groups to provide data on 3rd graders in 4 schools in an Oklahoma district. Responses from interviews and focus groups were audiorecorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. Nine themes emerged from data analysis. These themes reflected participants' concern for the potential damage to students' self-esteem, an increase in dropout rates, and that the 3rd grade is too late for retention. On the positive side, participants indicated mandatory retention permitted retention that had been previously refused, and provides time for maturity, as well as the opportunity for success for struggling students. However, study participants also opined that mandatory retention created new challenges for students, teachers, and schools. Findings guided the development of a policy recommendation to create social change within the participating district, empowering educators to help parents better understand this law and prepare their children for the 3rd grade assessment by outlining a plan for early identification and creating programs for struggling students.

Over past decades, the face of Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC)has changed substantially. It has been shaped by two dominant policy discourses: the discourse of market theory, and, more recently, the discourse of parent and community participation. The intertwining of these two seemingly opposing discourses has led to the positioning of parents both as consumers of ECEC and as participants in ECEC. Each of these perspectives promotes a particular way of fulfilling the role of parent in ECEC. Reflecting general marketing principles, the primary role of parent as consumer is seen as selecting the right service for their child and family. In contrast, while arguably more ambiguous in meaning, the role of parent as participant promotes a partnership approach, and, increasingly, parental involvement in decision making at both service and public policy levels. Each of these roles has been constructed for parents by governments and policymakers, with little reference to the views and experiences of parents using ECEC. Seeking to address this gap in the ECEC knowledge base, the present study investigated the qualitatively different ways in which parents constitute their role in Australian ECEC. The study focused on two related aspects of the role of parents: (1) the role of parents in using ECEC services; and (2) the role of parents in shaping ECEC public policy. To describe these roles, as viewed and experienced by parents, and to reveal possible variation therein, the study engaged a phenomenographic research approach (Bowden & Walsh, 2000; Marton & Booth, 1997). Twenty-six parents participated in the study. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews with individual parents and subjected to a rigorous process of phenomenographic analysis. The study results are presented in two parts. With respect to the role of parents using ECEC, the study led to the construction of five categories of description, denoting five distinctly different ways of seeing and experiencing this role. The role of parents was seen as: (1) selecting and using the best service for their child (the service user conception); (2) knowing what's happening for their child in the service (the informed user conception); (3) paying for a service, and, thereby, enacting certain consumer rights (the consumer conception); (4) supporting their selected service and having some say in what happens for their child at the service (the partnership conception); and (5) working as a member of the service community for the benefit of all concerned, which includes participating in decision making (the member of a service community conception). Taking a broader perspective, the study again revealed variation in how parents constituted their role in shaping ECEC policy, leading to the construction of four categories of description. The role of parents was seen as: (1) no role in shaping ECEC public policy (the no role conception); (2) being informed about policy that affects their child and family, raising any concerns and/or seeking a change to current or proposed policy (the raising concerns conception); (3) having some say in policy matters that affect their child and family (the having some say conception); and (4) participating in policy decision making, particularly where this is likely to affect their child and family (the participating in policy decision making conception). The study highlights variation in how these roles are constituted by parents, inclusive of the basic concepts of parent as consumer and parent as participant. In addition, the study offers an insider perspective on these two "dominant common-sense understandings" (Vincent & Martin, 2000, p. 2) of the role of parents, prompting questions about their future in ECEC policy. As an example of "developmental phenomenography" (Bowden, 2000b, p. 3), the study also identifies factors perceived by parents as influencing their participation at various levels, and discusses implications for both policy and practice. Finally, the study extends the general phenomenographic area of interest, from education to public policy research. Within this area, phenomenography is seen to offer a useful and pragmatic research tool, facilitating the identification and consideration of different constituent views and experiences, and, thereby, signifying more possible options for action.

Over past decades, the face of Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC)has changed substantially. It has been shaped by two dominant policy discourses: the discourse of market theory, and, more recently, the discourse of parent and community participation. The intertwining of these two seemingly opposing discourses has led to the positioning of parents both as consumers of ECEC and as participants in ECEC. Each of these perspectives promotes a particular way of fulfilling the role of parent in ECEC. Reflecting general marketing principles, the primary role of parent as consumer is seen as selecting the right service for their child and family. In contrast, while arguably more ambiguous in meaning, the role of parent as participant promotes a partnership approach, and, increasingly, parental involvement in decision making at both service and public policy levels. Each of these roles has been constructed for parents by governments and policymakers, with little reference to the views and experiences of parents using ECEC. Seeking to address this gap in the ECEC knowledge base, the present study investigated the qualitatively different ways in which parents constitute their role in Australian ECEC. The study focused on two related aspects of the role of parents: (1) the role of parents in using ECEC services; and (2) the role of parents in shaping ECEC public policy. To describe these roles, as viewed and experienced by parents, and to reveal possible variation therein, the study engaged a phenomenographic research approach (Bowden & Walsh, 2000; Marton & Booth, 1997). Twenty-six parents participated in the study. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews with individual parents and subjected to a rigorous process of phenomenographic analysis. The study results are presented in two parts. With respect to the role of parents using ECEC, the study led to the construction of five categories of description, denoting five distinctly different ways of seeing and experiencing this role. The role of parents was seen as: (1) selecting and using the best service for their child (the service user conception); (2) knowing what's happening for their child in the service (the informed user conception); (3) paying for a service, and, thereby, enacting certain consumer rights (the consumer conception); (4) supporting their selected service and having some say in what happens for their child at the service (the partnership conception); and (5) working as a member of the service community for the benefit of all concerned, which includes participating in decision making (the member of a service community conception). Taking a broader perspective, the study again revealed variation in how parents constituted their role in shaping ECEC policy, leading to the construction of four categories of description. The role of parents was seen as: (1) no role in shaping ECEC public policy (the no role conception); (2) being informed about policy that affects their child and family, raising any concerns and/or seeking a change to current or proposed policy (the raising concerns conception); (3) having some say in policy matters that affect their child and family (the having some say conception); and (4) participating in policy decision making, particularly where this is likely to affect their child and family (the participating in policy decision making conception). The study highlights variation in how these roles are constituted by parents, inclusive of the basic concepts of parent as consumer and parent as participant. In addition, the study offers an insider perspective on these two "dominant common-sense understandings" (Vincent & Martin, 2000, p. 2) of the role of parents, prompting questions about their future in ECEC policy. As an example of "developmental phenomenography" (Bowden, 2000b, p. 3), the study also identifies factors perceived by parents as influencing their participation at various levels, and discusses implications for both policy and practice. Finally, the study extends the general phenomenographic area of interest, from education to public policy research. Within this area, phenomenography is seen to offer a useful and pragmatic research tool, facilitating the identification and consideration of different constituent views and experiences, and, thereby, signifying more possible options for action.

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the competencies that early care and education systems leaders should possess as perceived by a panel of early childhood systems leadership experts. This study also identified which leadership competencies experts perceive will have the most impact on transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods Delphi approach consisting of three electronic surveys to identify competencies needed by early care and education systems leaders as perceived by a panel of national experts. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions. Round 2 asked the panelists to rate each competency’s importance using a 6-point Likert scale. In Round 3 panelists were requested to choose which competencies were most important for systems leaders to impact the transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Major Findings: A quantitative analysis of Round 2 found that the expert panelists agreed on 65 competencies as important or very important for systems leaders to acquire. Some of the most highly rated competencies identified were developing relationships and partnerships, valuing diversity, collaborative leadership skills, and commitment to equity. In Round 3, 14 competencies were selected as necessary for systems leaders to impact transformation of the field, including systems thinking, big picture perspective, commitment to equity, and knowledge of policy and legislation. Through a qualitative literature analysis, the themes systems thinking, and collaborative and inclusive leadership were found to be most aligned with the research literature. A surprising finding was that the expert panelists did not rate knowledge of child development as important for systems leaders, which contrasted with the research literature.

Recommendations for Future Research: Include (a) replication of this study with representation from additional systems leaders throughout the country; (b) perceptions of stakeholders throughout the ECE workforce regarding leadership competencies, including diverse and marginalized populations and those in a variety of leadership roles; (c) tasks and objectives of systems leaders and a clear definition of their roles; and (d) impact of the absence or presence of knowledge of child development on the decisions of ECE systems leaders.

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers often lack the experience and skills to provide children with supports necessary to foster academic and social skill development. Professional development can improve ECE teachers’ skills, but ECE trainers often lack understanding of adult learning principles, known as andragogy. Knowles’ conceptual framework of andragogy was used to explore the knowledge and use of andragogical principles of 8 ECE trainers selected via criterion-based purposive sampling. The research questions focused on ECE trainers’ knowledge and use of andragogical principles. Three cases, each consisting of 2 or 3 live professional development trainings for early childhood educators, were used in this study. Data sources included (a) observations of ECE trainings, (b) semi-structured interviews with ECE trainers, and (c) content analysis of ECE training materials. Thematic analysis revealed that although participants were not formally trained in andragogy and were unfamiliar with the associated verbiage, most had a strong grasp of andragogy and used andragogical principles to drive the development and presentation of their training materials. The 3 main themes that emerged were (a) lack of training/background in andragogy, (b) training strategies employed, and (c) training design. Findings from this study provide an original contribution to the limited existing research on the professional development of early childhood educators and expand the existing body of research on andragogy. This study contributes to social change by revealing that trainers may benefit from formal andragogical training, which may then improve the education provided by ECE teachers to young children.

This study explores teacher's knowledge and practice of empowering young children as learners. Empowerment is a complex and multifaceted construct, and a recurring theme in early childhood literature. This study took place in four early childhood settings in Australia and the United Kingdom. The research was conducted using qualitative methodology, primarily with the use of video-taped observations and stimulated-recall teacher interviews. Findings indicate that the teachers enacted their knowledge and practice of empowerment. However, empowerment was interpreted differently by each teacher. The current study found links existed between teachers' knowledge and practice and their pedogogic orientation.

In recent years several policy changes have occurred in Western Australia regarding the provision of pre-compulsory education, particularly for children turning five. These changes have led to education of such children centred largely in full-time, on-site classes rather than in sessional, independent community centres, resulting in pre-primary education becoming mainstream school business. As such it is incorporated in the administrative, managerial and educational policies of the school including school development planning. The school development plan (SDP), a major tool of accountability within the school, provides a planning framework in selected priority areas in which methods of assessment and evaluation of children's progress are an important tool in demonstrating that accountability. There is a concern among some pre-primary teachers and Early Childhood Education specialists that these changes may lead to a trend towards practices more indicative of upper primary school levels, known as a 'push down' effect, on pre-primary classes. There is also a concern that an emphasis on assessment and evaluation for accountability purposes may lead to a decline in the use of assessment data in classroom planning. This qualitative study examined how and why teachers in selected Perth metropolitan pre-primary classes gathered and recorded information on children's progress, and how these choices related to the teacher's responsibility as articulated in the school development plan. The study also identified how that information was used both at class and school levels.

This study addresses the issue of identification of gifted ethnic minority children within the context of an Australian preschool. Case study method is used to describe the characteristics of three children, their parents, teachers and the pre-school environment. The children, from India, Iran and Vietnam, had all arrived in Australia within the last twelve months. Use of existing checklists, participant observation in the home and pre-school setting, unstructured interviews with parents and teachers, and collection of children's work were the main methods of data collection. Through the analytic process culture-specific behaviours have been identified. These descriptions have been used to develop a behavioral characteristics checklist which can be used by teachers as a framework during identification of gifted ethnic minority children. This forms part of a portfolio of assessment compiled using the study findings. Teacher awareness of giftedness, educational responses, theories and definitions of intelligence were also addressed through a workshop conducted as part of the study. The study reports on the effect of culture on manifestation of gifted behaviour, motivation, socioeconomic issues, teacher attitude and parent-teacher co-operation in the gifted ethnic minority child's learning outcomes. Suggestions for furtherresearch are also included.

The White-Black achievement gap still persists, leaving Black children far behind their White peers. Research shows that children who struggle during their early childhood years are more likely to be at risk for academic failure in their elementary and high school years. Educators and social scientists continue to grapple with creating schools that improve Black educational achievement.

This study is grounded in the premise that racial perception is intrinsically linked to school success. Racial preferences are explored through participant selection in the forced choice questionnaire. Racial perceptions are examined in this study by how children take in racial stimuli and their reactions in response to these stimuli.

Two themes emerged from the participant responses: physical attributes (or visual cues) and behavioral attributes. Generally, participants perceived the physical traits of the Black doll positively. In the past, the studies of racial perception indicated that Black children were rejecting the visual images (dolls, pictures, etc.) that indicated internalization of negative physical (visual) perceptions of Black images. Unlike these former studies, the participants in this study show positive perceptions of physical characteristics of Black images. The participants ascribed negative behavioral characteristics to the Black doll, especially those related to school. The fact that Black children are ascribing negative behavioral traits to the doll they most identify with should not be overlooked. The consistent assignment of negative behaviors to the Black doll by Black children is problematic because the children identify with the group which they believes regularly behaves undesirably. This presents a conflict in how Black children are developing their racial perceptions and the perceptions of school success that may incorporate into their developing racial identity structures.

This study has raised several issues for further research and also suggests a need for intervention during the early childhood years. The disconnect between the students identifying positively with physical characteristics of Blacks but assigning negative behavioral traits to Blacks is too great to ignore. Given that racial perceptions are tied to school success, interventions that develop positive racial identity outcomes are necessary in schools.

The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 required teacher assistants (TAs) to obtain their child development associate (CDA) credential by September of 2015. TAs who had not obtained their CDA within the required timeframe were either demoted or terminated from their positions. However, with the increase of working parents, the need for quality early childhood education has risen. In this project study, the barriers TAs confront in regards to their decision to continue their schooling to obtain a CDA credential were examined, as were the factors that deterred or prevented them from enrolling in or completing a higher education program. The purpose of the study was to inform the development of a plan outlining how childcare administration can mentor and encourage TAs in the completion of their CDA program. Knowles's theory of adult learning and Kolb's experiential learning theory provided the theoretical basis and framework for this qualitative case study. Cluster random selection was used to identify 9 participants who were interviewed using a semistructured process. Interview responses were recorded, transcribed, and broken down into 6 themes. Findings showed that 7 out of 9 participants experienced barriers to continuing their education, and 8 of the 9 partipants expressed a desire to participate in a mentoring program. Raising the educational requirements and completion rate of TAs positively affects social change through increased quality of instruction, improved teaching strategies, and enhanced and developmentally appropriate support provided to young children.

Infants and toddlers are the fastest-growing group of children enrolled in early childhood education around the world. This thesis describes the work of infant and toddler specialist teacher educators in university-based early childhood teacher education in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. This thesis explores issues related to status, professionalisation, and the education of teachers, who work with infants and toddlers, and reflects the growing awareness of the importance of infant and toddler curriculum in teacher education programs. Conceptually the study is positioned within Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Findings showed that the participants in the study were involved in a series of enduring contradictions that continually frustrated the expansion of their object of activity as a collective subject, and in turn, their outcome in their activity system. Their object of activity in this activity system was to increase prominence, credibility, and acknowledgment of the needs of infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood teacher education, the aim being to gain their outcome, of high-quality care for infants and toddlers in extra-familial care and education in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Long-standing sociohistorical contradictions in the early childhood field impacted on their work. It argues these teacher educators engage in multiple forms of advocacy, in an effort to increase the recognition of the needs of infants and toddlers and to lift the status of educators who work with them. It contributes new knowledge about our understanding of the work of teacher education, and its own issues of status and de-professionalisation.

Early childhood (EC) administrators could be the most important contributors to quality experiences in EC settings; they are also responsible for the caliber of experiences for children and staff. A quality EC program is licensed and accredited with administrators who have professional preparation and work experience and can lead and manage EC programs. There are the few direct educational paths to become an EC administrator. This lack of standardization influences the quality of leadership and organizational climate in EC settings. The purpose of this qualitative study as reflected in the research questions was to explore the experiences of EC administrators regarding their educational paths, their views of themselves as transformational leaders, and the influence of their leadership on their organizational climate. Prior research on the subject of leadership practices in EC suggests that Burns' transformational leadership is most beneficial, but this leadership style has not been explored in detail in EC settings. This phenomenological study included interviews of six EC administrators about their educational paths, their views as transformational leaders, and how their leadership influenced the organizational climate in their setting. Data were analyzed for themes that emerged. Findings suggested the need for streamlined undergraduate and graduate coursework. Implications for positive social change are the potential for improved quality of programs and for the support needed for early childhood leadership.

The study produces a genealogy of ‘the child’ as the shifting subject constituted by the confluence of discourses that are utilized by, and surround, Western Australian precompulsory education. The analysis is approached as a genealogy of governmentality building on the work of Foucault and Rose, which enables the consideration of the research question that guides this study: How has ‘the child’ come to be constituted as a subject of regimes of practices of pre-compulsory education in Western Australia? This study does not explore how the historical discourses changed in relation to ‘the child’ as a universal subject of early education, but it examines the multiple ways ‘the child’ was constituted by these discourses as the subject at which government is to be aimed, and whose characteristics government must harness and instrumentalize. Besides addressing the research question, the study also develops a set of intertwining arguments. In these the author contends that ‘the child’ is invented through historically contingent ideas about the individual and that the way in which ‘the child’ is constituted in pre-compulsory education shifts in concert with the changing problematizations about the government of the population and individuals. Further, the study demonstrates the necessity to understand the provision of pre-compulsory education as a political practice. Looking at pre-compulsory education as a political practice de-stabilizes the takenfor-granted constitutions of ‘the child’ embedded in present theories, practices and research with children in the field of early childhood education. It also enables the de- and reconstruction of the notions of children’s ‘participation’, ‘empowerment’ and ‘citizenship’. The continuous de- and reconstruction of these notions and the destabilization of the constitutions of ‘the child’ creates a framework in which improvement is possible, rather than “a utopian, wholesale and, thus revolutionary, transformation” in early education (Branson & Miller, 1991, p. 187). This study also contributes to the critiques of classroom discipline approaches by reconceptualizing them as technologies of government in order to reveal the power relations they silently wield.

Teacher training institutions in Jamaica have been introducing, developing, and revamping undergraduate degree programs. There is, however, little evaluation of these efforts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine The Mico University College's early childhood education undergraduate degree program by exploring the lived experiences of its graduates. The research questions elicited from the participants their views about how changes were being implemented in the program, and how they impacted the institution's development and improvement, how major policy shifts related to changes in national educational policies, and how together these shifts may impact future processes at The Mico and at similar institutions in Jamaica. The study used theoretical frameworks of organization development and performance improvement. In-depth semi-structured interviews were the main source of data collection and were supported by thick description, memoing, reflexive journaling, and document review. Data analysis methods consisted of coding interview transcripts and identifying common themes. The results of the study indicated that the participants commended many of the program's underlying policies and operational practices, but they identified some challenges and areas of weakness. This study may be used as a backdrop to program development and policy initiation at The Mico and at other institutions in Jamaica and the Caribbean as it encapsulates a wide breadth of the lived experiences of the participants and examines key components such as curricula, pedagogy, and assessment. By strengthening their program offerings, The Mico and other teacher training institutions have the potential to improve performance and to contribute to sustainable national development.

The importance of school readiness and social-emotional development for children who live in poverty is well established. Head Start programs have championed the development of the whole child across all learning domains. The implementation of the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) focuses instructional skills on reading language arts, and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore Head Start teachers' perceptions and experiences of the CCSS implementation. The study was guided by the constructivist learning framework of Piaget and Dewey. Research questions explored the understanding and effects of the K-12 CCSS implementation from a group of 10 Head Start teachers in high poverty schools in a large urban district in Washington State. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and shared documents. Open coding was employed to look for common topics for thematic analysis. Emergent themes were related to goal setting for students, teacher training, and student development. Key findings showed early childhood teachers have 3 different sets of standards, and teachers in Head Start could not access others besides their own. Findings resulted in a document for early childhood teachers combining the CCSS; Washington State early learning standards; and goals used by Head Start teachers, in literacy, math, and social-emotional skills for children ages 4 to 6. With access to all early childhood goals, teachers can set goals for their students that precede or exceed the guidelines used at their own grade level. Implications for social change are the opportunity for teachers to meet the needs of their students, no matter their skill level, and allow students to excel beyond their classroom setting, toward greater educational opportunities.

The need for strong school principals is great as more and more U.S. schools struggle to meet the requirements of federal regulations and as districts search for school leaders who can effect systemic and sustainable organizational change. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012) predicts that the U.S. will need an additional 10%, or 23,100 more principals between 2010 and 2020 at a time when the number of available principals is shrinking. In addition to needing more principals, U.S. schools also need more principals who are highly effective. Unfortunately, the turnover rate for principals is drastically high, close to 50% (ERS, 1998) in all schools, and higher still in high-poverty schools (Branch, Hanushek, & Rivkin, 2008; Gates, Ringel, Santibanez, Guarino, Ghosh-Dastidar, & Brown, 2006). High turnover rates, coupled with a diminishing pool of principals, an increasing need for more principals, and the now popular trend of using temporary or turnaround principals, illustrate the school leadership crisis that is enveloping our educational system (Norton, 2002). An open question in the field is how and whether effective school leaders can be purposefully cultivated. Drawing on literatures in the fields of efficacy and school leadership, school leadership development, and optimism, this constructivist study applied qualitative research methods to explore how one novice school leader in an urban PK-5 elementary school learned to lead over an extended period of time, one-and-a-half years. The study investigated the contextual and mediating variables that influenced this novice principal’s choice-making in a watched school in need of improvement. Data collection consisted of regular interviews and observations. By capturing the voice and experience of one principal, this study contributes to the fields of efficacy in school leadership, optimism, and school leadership development a rich example of a principal learning to lead in practice (Darling-Hammond et al., 2007). The study also contributes a new construct, an initial articulation of “assumed possibility” as a theoretical stance. School leader’s enactment and execution of vision are still burgeoning fields of study and this study offers a glimpse into one leader’s attempt to transform his school.

As defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2012), social-emotional learning (SEL) involves the acquisition of skills necessary to: identify and manage one’s emotions, relate to and establish relationships with others, and make positive and healthy decisions. With only 40% of kindergarten students demonstrating the social-emotional skills needed to be both academically and socially successful upon school entrance (Yates et al., 2008), explicit instruction targeting SEL is needed. As this instruction requires systems-level implementation and decision-making practices, members of these decision-making bodies can include several different school personnel, who may have varying levels of familiarity and previous use of SEL programs. Because the school principal is responsible for overseeing the implementation of school-wide programs (NYS Education Department, 2014), obtaining information regarding their familiarity and use of SEL programs, as well as their decision-making practices is needed. Consequently, the present study examined the extent to which principals participate in SEL decision-making practices; the selection procedures and decision making methods they use to select SEL programs; and their levels of familiarity, past use, and current use of CASEL approved SEL programs. The relationship between principal demographic characteristics and familiarity and use of SEL programs was also evaluated using survey methods. Analysis of descriptive statistics, frequency data, and three multiple regression analyses indicated that most NYS elementary school principals participate in SEL program decision-making. Additionally, they use a variety of methods for learning about programs and deciding upon programs. Overall, however, NYS elementary school principals have little familiarity, past use, or current use with CASEL-approved programs, suggesting a need for increased dissemination and professional development regarding these programs and resources.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between teacher self-efficacy beliefs and teacher recommendations for student retention. An online survey served as the data source for this study. The survey link was emailed to 236 kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers in an urban Virginia school district. Teachers were asked to report the number of students recommended for retention over a two year period as well as information regarding the characteristics of the children actually retained (e.g., race, gender, SES status, etc.) over that same two year period. In addition to providing the information regarding student retention, teachers were asked to complete Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy's (2001) Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale.;The results from the study indicated that among teachers at non-Title I schools the higher the number of recommendations for student retention, the higher the Student Engagement Subscale mean. When examining the characteristics of retained students in grades K-2 at Bayside, as reported by the classroom teacher, many of this study's findings contradicted previously published research in regards to race, family socioeconomic status, school attendance, and parental involvement.

This doctoral thesis is a qualitative case study of the work of six university-based infant and toddler teacher educators in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. Research literature is presented to locate the study within early childhood teacher education as a cultural phenomenon in its institutionalised form. This thesis explores issues related to status, professionalisation, and the education of teachers, who work with infants and toddlers, and reflects the growing awareness of the importance of infant and toddler curriculum in teacher education programs. Conceptually the study is positioned within Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). This conceptual framework was chosen in order to explore the motive object of activity of the collective subject of teacher educators within early childhood teacher education. It is also acknowledged, and addressed within the thesis, that issues that are specific to the early childhood field of status and professionalisation are situated within a broader context of how relations operate between workers and employers under capital. However, in this thesis, I have used CHAT primarily as an analytic device. Each of the six participants was interviewed individually; focus conversations were also held in the two countries. Extracts from individual interviews in the other country were used as provocations in each of the focus conversations. Qualitative data analysis followed a process of iterative analysis of codes and categories. Deductive coding using CHAT concepts followed inductive analysis of further categories. Through exploring the story of the work of infant and toddler teacher educators in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand it became apparent that this thesis is a continuing story of struggle, resistance and advocacy in their work (Rockel, 2013). Findings showed that the participants in the study were involved in a series of enduring contradictions that continually frustrated the expansion of their object of activity as a collective subject, and in turn, their outcome in their activity system. Their object of activity in this activity system was to increase prominence, credibility, and acknowledgment of the needs of infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood teacher education, the aim being to gain their outcome, of high-quality care for infants and toddlers in extra-familial care and education in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. The findings demonstrated that the long-standing sociohistorical contradictions that the participants experienced through the early childhood field impacted on their work. There are enduring and sedimented contradictions in the early childhood field related to an ambivalence of the presence of infants and toddlers in non-parental care and education. At the same time, as academics, they were also negotiating struggles against deprofessionalisation in teacher education. These issues eventuated post-merger of teacher education institutions from colleges of education into universities. Expectations for teacher educators changed; research outputs were required to increase without provision of any additional support. The findings established that the participants struggled to give greater prominence to infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood teacher education in their work in universities in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. This struggle took various forms and is evidenced by the continual silencing experienced by the participants when they engaged in advocating for greater credibility of infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood teacher education. A contribution of this thesis is that it clarifies the conditions of infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy content in early childhood teacher education in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. It argues that infant and toddler curriculum and pedagogy knowledge is crucial specialist knowledge essential to early childhood teacher education programs inclusive of children from birth to five years of age, offered in universities. A second contribution is the evidence presented to support the argument that advocacy is the way in which the participants in the study held their work together. Advocacy was a key concept within the nature of their work as infant and toddler specialists in early childhood teacher education. It is recognised that historically advocacy has been fundamental to the struggle of working against the ambivalence towards infants and toddlers in the early childhood field. Therefore, what this thesis identifies is that little has changed; advocacy continues to be the primary focus of the work of infant and toddler teacher educators as they resist the ongoing ambivalence towards infants and toddlers in the early childhood field.

Between 2000 and 2010, the Asian population within the U.S. increased more than four times faster than the total U.S. population. Accordingly, school-aged immigrant children from Asia constitute a sizeable portion of the U.S.’s student population. The percentage of students enrolled in elementary and secondary public schools who are Asian/Pacific Islander is projected to increase from 2.6 to 3.1 million between 2014 and 2025, and will account for 6 percent of total enrollment by 2025. Asian American youth have shown distinct characteristics among other racial minority groups in the U.S. Compared to their White and Black counterparts, Asian American students perform better in secondary education and have higher college admission test scores. In addition to educational success in secondary education, Asian Americans also tend to enroll in college at higher rates, and are more likely to attend highly selective four-year colleges compared to other racial minority groups. Although the research on Asian American students’ educational success in secondary education and transition to college is well-established, neither their experiences in the early stages of schooling or in higher education have been investigated in depth, which leads to a general misunderstanding of Asian American students and their educational outcomes. For the children of immigrant parents, early childhood is the most important period for adjustment, providing opportunities to prepare socially, psychologically, and intellectually for formal institutional settings. Despite this, researchers have paid relatively little attention to the educational experiences of young Asian American students and their families. Research on Asian American college students is equally important, with some social scientists reporting that the educational success of Asian Americans in secondary education is not necessarily maintained through higher education. Research on these two stages of education will help us better understand the educational attainment of Asian American students in terms of life course perspectives. In order to address the evident gaps in research, I have chosen to investigate the relationship between parents’ race/ethnicity and parental involvement in pre-secondary education, as well as the association between students’ race/ethnicity and educational experiences in post-secondary education, focusing primarily on Asian American students. In the first study, I examine how the race/ethnicity of parents with first grade children contributes to parental involvement within school and outside of school, after controlling for potential confounding factors at both the child and parent level. I further explore whether parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) influences the parental involvement of Asian parents. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) data, I employ ordinary least squared (OLS) regression to examine the extent to which parent’s race/ethnicity or SES (within-race/ethnicity analysis) predict parental involvement in their children’s educational activities, in school and outside of school. To adjust for weighting and design effects in the data set, I used the specific first grade weights designed for each teacher, parent, or school administrator response in 2010-2011 cohorts, respectively. I found that while Asian parents had significantly lower participation in school-based parental activities compared to White parents, such parents tended to participate more heavily in their children’s educational activities outside of school. Within-race/ethnicity analysis for Asian parents, I found an overall positive effect of SES on parental involvement both in school and outside of school. Interestingly, the determinants of parental involvement changed depending upon the types of parental involvement. In the second study, I analyze the 2016 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU), a multi-institutional data set, to examine the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes, as well as the extent to which students’ college experiences and perceptions mediate this relationship. I found that Asian American college students had a lower college GPA, as well as lower scores in self-assessment of gains in critical thinking and communication skills, compared to their White peers. Students’ academic engagement and perceptions of how well they belonged accounted for the largest share of the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes. I further explore how parental education, as a proxy of parents’ SES, influences the college outcomes of Asian American college students. I found that Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had higher GPAs than those Asian American students with parents who both earned four-year degrees. However, Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had lower scores in self-evaluation of gains in critical thinking and communication skills than those with parents who both earned four-year degrees. This dissertation contributes to the existing literature on Asian American studies and higher education by pushing the boundaries of sociological knowledge of the experiences of Asian American students in U.S. schools. Focusing on the influence of race/ethnicity and family background from the early years to the post-secondary level, this research provides a rich and far more comprehensive understanding of immigrant success than is currently available in the literature. Given the statistical evidence of higher educational attainment among Asian American students, many policy makers view Asian American students and their families as members of a model minority; researchers typically describe these individuals as successfully overcoming some racial minority status, and wrongly assume that they do not need to receive specific policy or program support. These perspectives imply that Asian American students are a homogeneous racial group. In response, my dissertation attempts to reveal the disadvantages of those Asian American parents who struggle to involve themselves in their children’s school-based activities, as well as how SES can impact parent involvement among these Asian parents. My dissertation also attempts to highlight the fact that success in secondary education for Asian Americans does not necessarily lead to successful college outcomes. These findings indicate that Asian American students and their families have been misunderstood and misrepresented, particularly with regard to the early stages of schooling, as well as higher education. My dissertation seeks to inform policy for those programs targeting disadvantaged racial minority students. Educational institutions, for instance, could design policy interventions for those racial minority parents with children in pre-secondary education wanting to involve themselves more heavily in their children’s school-based activities. Postsecondary educators might also be able to more effectively foster the academic success of their students (specifically Asian Americans) by increasing their awareness of their students’ particular immigrant and family backgrounds.

Advocacy and leadership style are essential concepts in education. This qualitative case study was undertaken to demonstrate how Robert K. Greenleaf’s servant-leadership framework could be a useful framework to adopt by educational leaders and child advocates. Servant-leadership identifies the needs of others as a primary goal of leadership. The study contributes to understanding the value of exemplary servant-leadership and advocacy in public education as demonstrated by David Lawrence Jr. The researcher addressed questions regarding how Lawrence embodies servant-leadership traits and explored how a servant-leader has been positively influencing early childhood public educational policy in Florida to benefit all children. There were 16 interviews conducted with individuals from four interest groups in Florida: business leaders, political leaders, local South Florida leaders and educational leaders. In addition, data were gathered by observing and interviewing Lawrence. His speeches and other archival documents were also analyzed. The findings illustrated the ten traits of the servant-leadership framework and identified five additional traits modeled by Lawrence that have contributed to his influence on public educational policy. A paradigm shift from authoritarian leadership to an authentic servant-leadership style that advocates for young children and promotes the importance of early childhood educational policy. The dichotomy examined throughout this research focused on servant-leadership and advocacy that is instrumental to make a difference in education as an educational leader navigates through political agendas. Lawrence leads a “Children’s Movement” in Florida that includes an ongoing bi-partisan individuals movement that has changed early childhood education in Florida. The findings of this investigation validate that servant-leadership framework could influence the transformation of public education.

Although public education in the United States has had remarkable growth and improvement since its beginning, significant inadequacies concerning racial equity continue to cast a shadow on the system. Despite desegregation efforts and specific attention to providing integrated school settings there has been little progress in establishing educational justice. The purpose of this case study was to uncover perceptions about racial inequity within Asheville City Schools as well as potential facilitators of equity. A qualitative case study using 10 guiding research questions was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of parents as well as educators at Asheville City Schools Preschool regarding racial inequities and potential facilitators of equity. Transcripts from a Racial Equity Photovoice Project were used to identify perceptions of the presence and the impact of racial inequity as well as assets of, barriers to, and potential facilitators of equity. Findings indicate parents and educators agree that barriers of racial equity include elements of negative societal influences, antiquated educational policies and procedures, inapt curricula and instruction, external systems that perpetuate biases, meager funding structures and poor home-school connections. Further, findings indicate parents and educators agree that diverse student bodies and faculties, culturally and social-emotionally relevant curricula and instruction, positive relationships between educators and children, and authentic 2-way communication are potential facilitators of racial equity. Overarching themes incorporate concerns related to resources, mandates, personal narratives, and relationships. This research adds to the literature related to racial equity and has implications for practice as well as future research.

There is a lack of understanding of how teachers in Early Care and Education (ECE) work to overcome occupational stress and burnout. Many investigators have documented the stress and burnout that often result in high levels of attrition in ECE teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree a teacher's protective factors help in mitigating the experiences of stress and burnout often associated with working as a teacher in the field of ECE. Guided by Werner's theory of resilience, which highlights the importance of protective factors as a means of overcoming risk factors, the research questions examined strategies that help promote resilience and mitigate stress and burnout among preschool teachers. The methodology was a qualitative, case study research design. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 ECE teachers and analyzed using thematic analysis, which identified 3 categories of protective factors: family supports, workplace supports, and positive individual characteristics. Additionally, the study revealed that teachers did utilize particular protective factor strategies to help mitigate risk, stress, and burnout, such as family and friends serving as a positive support system, faith, prayer, and belief in a higher being. A recommendation is that teachers participate in an eLearning course developed to introduce protective factors teachers can use to increase levels of resilience. Positive social change may result from this study because it advocates for the support, promotion, and attention to the mental health and well-being of teachers in ECE. This eLearning course will promote teacher well-being, which can have a direct positive impact on the care of young children and the effective facilitation of curriculum and instructions within school systems.

Across Australia each day early childhood teachers take responsibility for the quality of experiences of increasing numbers of young children enrolled at kindergartens, preschools, long day child care centres, and limited hours and occasional care centres. The qualifications held by early childhood teachers are an indication that they have the knowledge and skill that will enable them to work effectively with groups of young children, co-creating curriculum that is educational, enjoyable and relevant to each child. But many teachers now work in places where they are one segment of a large workforce, working alongside adults with other responsibilities. This thesis focuses attention on the knowledge needs of early childhood teachers working within the employment relations of contemporary child care centres. Although there is a substantial body of literature examining the adult work environment of child care little attention has been directed to understanding exactly how teachers interpret and act within this environment and how both professional and workplace responsibilities feature in their curriculum decisions. Indeed, attempts to do so are hampered by discipline boundaries that offer few conceptual tools necessary for examining how both professional and workplace responsibilities feature in teachers' curriculum decisions. This thesis focuses throughout on the question: How do teachers' experience connections between professional and workplace responsibilities? To address this question three sub-questions were posed: How do workplace relations enter into teachers' curriculum decisions? What strategies do teachers use to influence curriculum decisions? and, What do these strategies tell us about teachers' use of workplace resources? Concepts derived from industrial relations literature are used to bring a new lens to the study of teaching and advance our understanding of factors that early childhood teachers attend to when deciding curriculum. In particular, the concept of discretionary influence is used to highlight the impact of the social milieu of decision-making and illuminate the dynamic processes involved in reaching agreement about appropriate practice. The research built on insights gained by researchers studying teaching from teachers' perspectives (Clandinin & Connelly, 1992; Elbaz, 1983; Halliwell, 1995a; Johnstone, 1990; Lampert, 1985). This research tradition assumes that teachers can manage uncertainty and aims to capture and portray their complex, situated knowledge about what it means to teach. In keeping with this tradition this thesis focuses on how teachers deal with the teaching dilemmas arising at the intersection of professional and workplace demands. Long-term qualitative study with four teachers working in various position at two Queensland child care centres led to the construction of theory grounded in teacher perspectives on practicing in the workplace. On the basis of analysis of the ongoing dilemmas experienced by the collaborating teachers three issues were selected for in-depth study. These were professional concerns about curriculum coherence - encompassing notions such as consistency of approach, relevance and continuity of care - and workplace relations concerns regarding the temporal organisation of work and the extent of adult interaction. There are two core findings. The first is that workplace relations are enmeshed in teacher decisions not simply as constraints on practice, but also as resources that can be mobilised to teach effectively. Teachers draw on workplace resources to realign problematic elements of practice and achieve core purposes of early childhood education in different ways. The second finding is that discretionary influence over curriculum decisions is a key workplace resource. Deciding curriculum in child care inevitably involves teachers in intensive interaction with other adults. This includes people whose positions give them the power to make key decisions affecting curriculum philosophy and practice and those whose work in contact with children gives them influence over the realisation of centre philosophy. Teachers' ability to exercise discretionary influence over other adults is a function of the position they occupy in the centre hierarchy and is also intimately connected with their perceptions of themselves in relation to those with whom they work. Teachers find they need to be skilled negotiators to create and maintain the conditions necessary for education to take place.

This is a comparative study conducted in both China and Australia examining parental engagement in transition to school; investigating parents' perceptions and engagement, and influencing factors. A mixed methods approach was applied to collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data in Beijing, China and Queensland, Australia. The results show that Chinese and Australian parents engaged differently in transition practices. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory and PPCT model, was used to frame how Chinese and Australian parents' transition engagement is influenced by Person factors (children's characteristics, parents' role construction, self-efficacy, time and energy, and school and transition experiences), and Context factors (kindergarten, school, and teacher influence, social influence, policy influence, and societal and cultural influence). This study further contributes to the international education context by comparing parental engagement under globalization.

Western and Chinese literature have suggested that early childhood education (ECE) is a feminized profession and many men remain invisible and silent gendered subjects in this field and fail to understand or accept the gendered realties. Employing a combination of theory of gendered organizations and concepts of masculinities as the theoretical framework, this study draws on in-depth interviews with three male teachers in Shanghai public kindergarten for a greater understanding of their lived experiences in a feminized profession. Kindergarten websites also provide opportunities to identify the ways in which the male teachers are represented in the kindergarten setting. Data analysis suggests five main themes, including realistic entry into ECE, challenges, rewards, perception of male teachers' roles, as well as professional development. Through male teachers' stories readers gain a deep understanding of how they manage every weekday and how they make sense of their lived experiences in Shanghai public kindergarten. This study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and areas for further study.

The 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami suddenly took the homes, family members, friends, and familiar neighborhoods away from the children of Iwate. In the midst of this difficult situation, early childhood development (ECD) programs provided protective environments for the young children to access continuous care and development opportunities. This case study examines how these daycare centers in Iwate prepared for, responded to, and coped with the severe natural disaster, providing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial protections to these children.

The study re-affirmed that daycare centers in Iwate had integrated the national standards for disaster risk reduction (DRR). On the day of the disaster, personnel safely evacuated the children while practicing monthly drills. Despite the challenges, the daycare programs quickly re-established normalcy in children’s lives, ensuring continuous access to care. Not only did daycare personnel act in loco parentis for these children, but also re-installed daycare programs during the recovery.

The study revealed that local governments also faced serious challenges in their leadership and coordination roles. Their response capacities had been severely affected by the disaster. Governments’ appropriate and timely guidance was most beneficial for the daycare providers. Among other recommendations, I assert that in the future, local governments could take more active roles in coordinating the massive influx of humanitarian organizations.

This interpretivist research was based on my one-year fieldwork in Iwate immediately after the disaster, and employed a series of survey instruments (questionnaires and interviews). This case study contributes to the field of education and ECD in emergencies through the use of qualitative, ethnographic research. It also recognizes significant and complimentary contribution of qualitative inquiry methods, including on-site fieldwork, ethnographic analyses, and follow-up interviews, for better understanding of crisis situations.

While pre-school programs are not compulsory in Japan, the study calls attention to the valuable protection that they provide for both young children and their childhoods in emergencies. A recovery strategy that focuses on protective environments for children has great potential as a harmonizing approach, rather than as a parallel one, in the complex nature of humanitarian assistance.