{"title":"Whose Job Is It? Parents’ Perspectives on Volunteering to Help in New Zealand Kindergartens","authors":"Qilong Zhang, Louise J. Keown, S. Farruggia","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.51","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.51","url":null,"abstract":"Volunteering to help is a traditional type of parental involvement in early childhood education. There\u0000have been concerns over the justification of teachers’ practice of leaving their work with parents,\u0000particularly for routine tasks such as washing and cleaning, however, little research has been conducted\u0000to scrutinize the practice and examine parents’ experiences with volunteering to help. Based on a sample\u0000of 25 parents from New Zealand public kindergartens, this study investigates parents ‘experiences with\u0000three types of volunteering to help at the kindergarten. Analysis of the semi-structured interview data has\u0000revealed enhancers (e.g., benefits for the child, justification of fundraising) and impediments (e.g.,\u0000limited time, school commitment) to parent volunteering to help as well as the tensions in practice(e.g.,\u0000relying on core parents, limited resource). The findings support the legitimacy of routine tasks and\u0000fundraising and highlight the importance of parent volunteering to help.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"18 1","pages":"51-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90007314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Participatory Research for Early Childhood Advocacy:Reflections on Methodology","authors":"L. Ang","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.1","url":null,"abstract":"This paper discusses the methodological implications of using participatory research in the advocacy for\u0000better care and education services for children and families. The discussion uses the example of a\u0000national study undertaken in Singapore to show how participatory research used in collaboration with\u0000participants and commissioning body as key stakeholders can help to galvanise transformative change at\u0000the level of policy and provision. It explores the development of a participatory approach in framing a\u0000research agenda and the role of participant stakeholders in informing policy. The paper discusses the\u0000complex relationships that occur between the researcher, commissioners, and participants during the\u0000research process, and the potential strengths and challenges in using a participatory methodology in\u0000engendering a social agenda for advocacy and policy change. Drawing on international literature, this\u0000paper discusses the findings of the study, ethical considerations, and paradoxes that often relate to\u0000advocacy and participatory research.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"164 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86258389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Issues and Tasks for Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce in Korea","authors":"Seenyoung Park, Eunhye Park","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.23","url":null,"abstract":"This research overviewed the present situation of Korean early childhood education and care workforce's\u0000certification, education and training, and working conditions, according to the elements to assure the\u0000quality of teachers. Results show that structure and condition of the initial teacher training system,\u0000certificating system, professionalism development system and working environment and treatment of\u0000kindergarten teachers were slightly better than child care center teachers', and private kindergarten\u0000teachers' were better than the public teachers'. The hidden issues behind it such as marginalization,\u0000traditional child caring discourse and underestimating of caring were pointed out, which must be\u0000considered in addition to the elements related to teachers' quality that appear on the surface, when the\u0000integration plan of kindergarten and day care center is discussed.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"1 1","pages":"23-50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91116583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Young Children’s Racial-Cultural Identity Negotiation and Development:A Phenomenological Case Study","authors":"Heejeong Han","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.97","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.2.97","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports on a phenomenological case study following one Korean-American child’s \u0000negotiation and development of racial-cultural identity in the United States during the first three years of \u0000school. This study aimed to closely explore, understand, and explain the critical incidents experienced by \u0000a Korean-American child to recognize and negotiate her racial-cultural identity, and the strategies she \u0000used to navigate through the school culture. As a result, four themes were identified with the following \u0000metaphors: (a) Just give me a sandwich – Avoiding attention; (b) I must have been a slave – Trying to fit \u0000in; (c) It is my cultural water – Speaking up; and (d) I can be both – Reconstructing flexible identities. \u0000This study offers a glimpse into a complex nature of a Korean-American child’s racial-cultural identity \u0000negotiation and development in the United States calling for an expanded discourse around the issue, and \u0000sheds a light on what roles teachers and parents can play to collaboratively address and scaffold the \u0000experiences.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"10 1","pages":"97-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84211840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Thanasetkorn, Vasunun Chumchua, Jutamard Suttho, Nuanchan Chutabhakdikul
{"title":"The preliminary research study on the impact of the 101S: A guide to positive discipline parent training on parenting practices and preschooler’s executive function","authors":"P. Thanasetkorn, Vasunun Chumchua, Jutamard Suttho, Nuanchan Chutabhakdikul","doi":"10.17206/apjrece.2014.9.1.65","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/apjrece.2014.9.1.65","url":null,"abstract":"The aims of the study were to investigate the impact of The 101s parent training program: the nationally honored program in the US for promoting a child’s brain and social-emotional development with positive discipline, on Thai parenting skills and preschoolers’ executive function (EF) skills. The sample was 27 parents and their 3-5-year-old preschoolers in the intervention group in which the parents received the 101s training program and 27 parents and their 3-5-year-old preschoolers in the control group in which the parents received no training. A series of MANCOVA was performed to compare the significant differences in mean scores on parenting practices and EF skills between the sample in the intervention and control groups. A bivariate correlation was also utilized to evaluate the significant correlations between the parenting practices and preschoolers’ EF skills. The findings showed the significantly positive impact of the 101s parent training program on the parenting practices and preschoolers’ EF skills. The implication, limitations, and suggestions are discussed.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"16 1","pages":"65-89"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87524501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Effects of Joint Reference and Mutual Exclusivity on the Application of Whole-Object Assumption in 3-Year Olds Filipino-English Bilingual Preschool Students","authors":"Edna S. Miraflores, Rochelle Irene G. Lucas","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.91","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.91","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the word learning constraints 3-year old pre-school students resort to in learning a new word or label. The study tested three possible constraints specifically, the Whole Object Assumption to determine if it plays a primary role in the learning of a new word/label in young children, the Mutual Exclusivity Principle and the Joint Reference Principle to determine if these override the Whole Object Assumption in word learning. Each constraint was tested through audio-visual PowerPoint slides and these were the sources of the data for this study. Through these tests, the study found that the 3-year old respondents assign a new word/label to the whole object and not to any of its parts. A new word/label, however, is assigned to a part of the object if the object is already familiar to the respondents. They also do not apparently rely on social cues like looking or gazing in their learning of a new word/label.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"24 1","pages":"91-109"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81575321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting Young Children's Language Learning through Teachers' Use of Evidence-Based Instructional Strategies","authors":"Carol Vukelich","doi":"10.17206/apjrece.2015.9.1.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/apjrece.2015.9.1.1","url":null,"abstract":"Much is known about the skills that young children need to be successful readers. The literature identifies two kinds of skills that are key to young children’s language and literacy development: meaning-related skills and code-related skills. This article focuses on one of these key skills: meaning-related skills. It provides an overview of what is known about the importance of young children’s language development to children’s success as readers and describes several evidence-based instructional strategies (strategies that researchers have shown to have a positive impact on children’s language learning) that early childhood teachers should use to support children’s language development. By using the described strategies, early childhood educators can ensure that their teaching is in harmony with current research findings and that they are providing their young learners with the very best meaning-related skill instruction known today.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"30 1","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89427556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Cultural-Historical View of Child Development: Key Concepts for Going Beyond a Universal View of the Child","authors":"M. Fleer","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.19","url":null,"abstract":"A developmental view of child development with its biological imperatives has been extensively critiqued over the years and found to be wanting from a range of cultural (Rogoff, 2003; Howes, 2010), social (Qvortrup, Corsaro & Honig, 2009) and even health (Bendelow, 2009; Rogoff, 2011) reasons. But what has been missing from these debates has been a theoretically robust presentation of another way of conceptualizing children’s development (Hedegaard & Fleer, 2013). In drawing upon cultural-historical theory, this paper argues for a more localised and nuanced conception of human development. Through analyzing how society creates the conditions for children’s development (Hedegaard, 2012), this paper presents a view of development that captures both a traditional (historical lived in the present moment) and contemporary (new cultural technologies) view of children’s lived experiences.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"29 1","pages":"19-37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88519990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Study on Young Children's Perceptions and Experiences of Happiness","authors":"Yonghee Hong, Younge Ra, Hyun-jin Jang","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.39","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2015.9.1.39","url":null,"abstract":"The purposes of this study were to analyze individual interviews about how young children perceived the meanings of happiness and when they felt happy, to understand the characteristics of their thoughts and experiences of happiness, and to make plans to promote their happiness. The subjects included 274 young children aged 3-5 at two kindergartens and one daycare center in Seoul. The findings were as follows: first, young children explained the meanings of happiness with positive emotional states such as feeling good, loving, feeling glad, liking, having fun, and excited. A considerable number, however answered that they didn’t know. Secondly, young children felt happy when engaging in their favorite play, being together with their favorite person, having emotional supports, receiving presents, going to some special place, having their favorite food, their body and mind felt comfortable, and achieving what they wanted through efforts. Happiness is an essential factor for good and full life. It is necessary to provide young children with happy experiences so that they can maintain a happy life. There is a need for education to help them realize that true happiness comes from taking an interest in and making a contribution to the happiness of others beyond the pursuit of personal happiness and to increase their power of execution.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"17 1","pages":"39-64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90175191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"BETTER THAN Bubble WRAP: Do We “Over Regulate and Over Protect” Children at the Expense of Them Learning How to “Take Risks”?","authors":"Susie O'Neill, M. Fleer","doi":"10.17206/APJRECE.2014.9.1.111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17206/APJRECE.2014.9.1.111","url":null,"abstract":"Throughout the World more children die and are disabled from injury than illness and disease, despite the fact that we are living in a society that is perceived to be safer than it has ever been. Environment and product modification means we have safer cars, homes, workplaces and play areas. Legislation and policy approaches have been introduced to regulate and enforce safe practices. However, in some cases this has brought about an over regulated and over protective societal change. Experiences and tasks once enjoyed by children are now often regarded as dangerous and irresponsible. The freedom of children to experience life in a way that allows them to develop competencies they need to become competent risk managers can be been hampered by over regulation of governing bodies and over protective practices of parents and caregivers, creating a bubble-wrapped generation in some communities. This paper captures an approach where child safety is reconceptualised by introducing a cultural-historical informed safety risk assessment model pushing against the current trend towards bubble-wrapped solutions to childhood injury prevention.","PeriodicalId":37367,"journal":{"name":"Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education","volume":"35 1","pages":"111-127"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86466975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}