13 research outputs found
Impact of neoliberal-inspired policies on educators' professional identity in five countries
No full textEarly childhood educators’ understandings of quality in five countries: similarities and differences to policy
Get PDFEarly childhood educators work in a highly regulated environment in many countries and are constantly asked to produce and improve quality. Our international study of Australian, Canadian, Danish, Georgian and Italian educators’ work examined their notions of quality and how this was impacted by government policies and documents such as frameworks, standards and curricula. Quantitative data were analysed using cross-tabulation and descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that some educators’ notions of quality aligned with their governments’ ideas, but many revealed nuanced concepts. Educators expressed frustration at these differences and the perceived limitations and impact of the imposed policies and documents. Many educators identified how these differences were experienced in the workplace and impacted their teaching, relationships and children’s learning. This study will interest policymakers, educators, and teacher educators
Contextualised, Not Neoliberalised, Approaches to Families in Five Countries: Quality and Practice
Get PDFPartnerships with parents in early childhood education and care services are a hallmark of quality education. Educators in Western countries work within a highly regulated environment, where government documents, such as frameworks, standards, and curricula, direct most of their work, time, and energy. Despite this, data from our mixed methods online survey from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Georgia, and Italy revealed a strong resistance to the homogeneity these documents prescribe. For the quantitative data, we used cross-tabulation and descriptive statistics. For the qualitative data, we used deductive thematic analysis using a parent–educator partnership framework. Educators described parents in their service as partners in their child's education. This included efforts to share information, consult, negotiate, and build partnerships; problem solve; and monitor, report and manage the partnership. The educators talked about the uniqueness of their approaches to parents and families within their contextualised services. They then revealed how these unique features impacted their notions of quality and practice in these services. This will be of interest to policymakers, educators, and teacher educators
Pædagogmedhjælpere i daginstitutioner: – hvad siger skandinavisk forskning?
Get PDFDenne forskningsoversigt undersøger, hvad vi fra skandinavisk forskning ved om pædagogmedhjælpere, der arbejder med 0-6-årige på daginstitutionsområdet. Emnet er højaktuelt, fordi pædagogmedhjælpere udgør ca. 50 % af det pædagogiske personale i en række europæiske lande. Manglen på uddannet personale er massiv og vil formentlig blive forværret (se bl.a. EVA 2020a). Forskningsoversigten er baseret på i alt 26 studier. Der blev søgt efter litteratur i forskningsdatabaserne Nordic Base of Early Childhood Education and Care (NB-ECEC) og Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) i perioden fra d. 23.2.2023 til d. 6.3.2023. Gennemgangen af litteraturen viser, at der overordnet er fire emner, der går igen: pædagogmedhjælpernes 1) baggrund, 2) kompetenceudvikling, 3) arbejdsopgaver og roller og 4) trivsel. Nærværende forskningsoversigt fokuserer på de tre førstnævnte emner.AbstractDaycare assistants in daycare centers – what do we know from Scandinavian research?This literature review examines what we know from Scandinavian research about teacher assistants working in preschools with 0-6-year-old children. This is particularly relevant as educational assistants comprise approximately 50 % of the teaching staff in several European countries. This shortage of trained educators is significant and likely to worsen (EVA 2020a). The overview is based on 26 studies from the Nordic Base of Early Childhood Education and Care (NB-ECEC) and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) with searches conducted from 23.2.2023 to 6.3.2023. The literature review reveals four recurring topics: the teacher assistants’ 1) background; 2) competency development; 3) tasks and roles and 4) well-being. The present literature review focuses on the first three topics
Lærernes kognition og praksis vedr. differentiering i tyskundervisningen i det danske gymnasium
No full textHeterogeniteten i gymnasieskolen har pga. samfundsudviklingen og det dermed følgende øgede optag af elever været stigende i en årrække, hvilket har medført et behov for (undervisnings)differentiering. I dette studie blev problemstillingen undersøgt fra et specifikt fremmedsprogligt perspektiv med udgangspunkt i følgende forskningsspørgsmål:1) Hvilke differentieringsrelaterede aktiviteter kan observeres i undervisningen i tysk fortsættersprog B i 1.g.?2) Hvilken indstilling til og viden om (undervisnings)differentiering har lærerne?3) Er der en sammenhæng mellem de observerede differentieringsmønstre og lærernes indstilling og viden?Formålet med studiet var at finde ud af, hvad lærerne gør og tænker for med udgangspunkt heri samt i teori om differentiering og fremmedsprogstilegnelse at udarbejde nogle anbefalinger specifikt til differentiering i fremmedsprogsundervisningen. Desuden kan studiet udsige noget om tidens tendens. Heterogenitetsproblematikkens omfang er som allerede nævnt relativ ny i gymnasieskolen, hvorfor der ikke har været tradition for at skulle arbejde med denne type didaktiske redskaber. Fra officiel side har første indskydelse – i overensstemmelse med dansk tradition – været at løse problemet vha. undervisningsdifferentiering. Spørgsmålet er, om lærerne i gymnasieskolen er enige, eller om de ville foretrække elevdifferentiering. Et tredje formål med studiet var, at undersøge, hvorvidt der er overensstemmelse mellem: 1) praksis og de officielle krav, der stilles til differentiering i tyskundervisningen i gymnasiet; 2) praksis og kognition.For at besvare ovenstående forskningsspørgsmål blev der udarbejdet et casestudie bestående af syv lærere, som blev interviewet, og hvis undervisning blev observeret i en periode på tre uger hver. Disse data blev kodet i NVivo. Derudover blev der lavet en indholdsanalyse af de relevante styrerdokumenter.Undersøgelsen viser, at lærerne differentierer ifm. feedback på elevernes afleveringer, de varierer og udfører selvdifferentiering gennem åbne opgaver, valgmuligheder og småjusteringer på elevernes opfordring. Denne differentiering tager udgangspunkt i metode, interesser, emotioner og niveau. Niveaudifferentieringen er oftest relateret til grammatisk korrekthed eller i form af omfangsdifferentiering. Ud over de ovenfor beskrevne eksempler blev der blot observeret traditionel lærerstyreret differentiering hos én lærer. Lærerne har generelt en relativ bred opfattelse af differentiering, om end traditionel lærerstyreret niveaudifferentiering er mest fremtrædende i deres bevidsthed om differentiering. Dette er i modstrid med, at de ikke i så høj grad udfører denne form for differentiering. En kendsgerning, som lærerne er bevidste om, og som de begrunder med den store arbejdsbyrde, der er forbundet hermed. Dertil kommer, at størstedelen af lærerne pointerer, at de prioriterer andre didaktiske tiltag såsom autenticitet højere
Intercultural competence in Danish as a second language for adult migrants: A teacher perspective
Get PDFAlthough studies on intercultural competence (IC) and teacher beliefs are relatively common, no research has yet focused on teachers of Danish as a second language for adult migrants. More broadly, second language teaching in migration contexts, especially for languages other than English, remains significantly underexplored (Ushioda 2017). The primary research questions guiding this study are: 1) How do teachers conceptualize IC? 2) How do they value IC? 3) How do they describe their IC practice? and 4) How does the way that teachers conceptualize and value IC relate to their classroom practices? Findings suggest that while teachers have a relatively broad understanding and recognize the value of IC, they face significant challenges implementing their theoretical knowledge about IC. Notably, there is a weak alignment between teachers’ stated beliefs and their observed classroom practices. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of second-language teaching in migration contexts beyond English-language instruction.Although studies on intercultural competence (IC) and teacher beliefs are relatively common, no research has yet focused on teachers of Danish as a second language for adult migrants. More broadly, second language teaching in migration contexts, especially for languages other than English, remains significantly underexplored (Ushioda 2017). The primary research questions guiding this study are: 1) How do teachers conceptualize IC? 2) How do they value IC? 3) How do they describe their IC practice? and 4) How does the way that teachers conceptualize and value IC relate to their classroom practices? Findings suggest that while teachers have a relatively broad understanding and recognize the value of IC, they face significant challenges implementing their theoretical knowledge about IC. Notably, there is a weak alignment between teachers’ stated beliefs and their observed classroom practices. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of second-language teaching in migration contexts beyond English-language instruction
