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Lisa Tregenza Master of Education (MMRE). My day job……. What inspires me. Why am I doing this? My first taste of research - my involvement in an action research project facilitated by Alma Fleet and Pam Winter. What did we find?.
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Why am I doing this?My first taste of research - my involvement in an action research project facilitated by Alma Fleet and Pam Winter.
What did we find? • Children’s involvement in an experience was longer if an educator was involved. • Most educator’s were involved in routine experiences. • We needed to capitalize on every opportunity that encouraged educator and child interactions. • Reflecting, building theories, re-planning and implementing • We needed to provide more choices and more time for educators to engage • A very big change to our centre culture
My Title/Focus - Teaching behaviours in three selected long day care centres; an analysis of educators interactions with children.
Research Questions - • How do educators spend their day in a long day care setting? • What are the types of interactions which occur? Educators to educators, educators to children and children to educators. • What is the quality of those interactions? • What is the relationship between quality and engagement? • In what ways does an educators’ qualifications and experience impact on the quality and frequency of interactions? • What interactions lead to children being engaged?
What the research says - Pam Winter (2003) • Positive interactions between educators and children can lead to a greater sense of well-being and involvement for children & is critical to their learning and development. • Her study found that educators rarely found time to have sustained time with children. • Educators spent much of their day completing routine tasks and cleaning, and therefore, children were left to play with toys that are placed out by the educators. • Many educators said they valued responsive, reciprocal, meaningful relationships with children, however the research recorded a high number of detached interactions or limited ‘real’ conversations with children. • By forming close and positive relationships, children develop a sense of trust and confidence in themselves and the environment.
Pascal and Bertram (1997) • They suggest that children learn when they are effectively supported by the adults that interact with them. • Children need the support of an educator or a peer so they can move to the next developmental stage, and move to a place they have never visited before. • An effective educator needs to strive to give children opportunities within the curriculum to challenge and extend themselves in a positive way. Sims, Guilfoyle & Parry (2005) • Children who attend satisfactory centres have raised cortisol levels (cortisol is the stress hormone) - concern for children’s long term outcomes. • Children who have formed secure attachments to caregivers have shown to have reduced cortisol levels. • Relationships are critical to children’s long term development.
I want to examine the ‘dynamic’ aspects of quality and explore the interactions and children. • There has been research conducted on the ‘structural’ aspects of quality. • They include - group size, staff/child ratios, caregiver training, equipment and space. • Structural aspects can be static and can be measured against standard indicators. • I want to see educators in their natural setting, for a whole day and see every aspect of their day and hear their voices. • With an estimated 14,000 children attending long day in South Australia and spending up to 50 hours a week in care, it’s critical that they receive quality care.
Proposed methodology/plan of action - • Before- and -after model. • Three long day care centres in metropolitan Adelaide. • Data to be collected from the ‘Toddler Room’ (children aged from 2 to 3 years of age) • Tracking two educators. One qualified, one unqualified for their whole shift (8.5 hours). • A total of eight days will be spent at each centre. • Four days before (two days per educator) and four days after the Intervention. • First collection of data = November 2006 • Second collection of data = April 2007
Research Tools • National Childcare Accreditation Council • Validation Report and Quality Practices Guide • Operational definitions • Data collection tools • Semi-structured Interviews • Field notes
Intervention • Professional Development • 2 x 2 hour sessions • Session 1. The whole staffing team - session facilitated by myself. • Session 2. Dr Pam Winter? Wellbeing and Involvement.
The next step - April 2007 • Repeat the data collection • Analyse the findings • Start writing and writing…...
