ABSTRACT

The present study seeks to address the dearth of research focussed on childminding (family day care or family childcare) in Ireland, despite its significant role in national childcare provision. One overarching aim was to explore childminders’ cultural models of praxis and pedagogy in the Irish context. This research was conducted within the theoretical framework of Ecocultural Theory (ECT) (Weisner, 2002. “Ecocultural Understanding of Children’s Developmental Pathways.” Human Development 1759: 275–281), referencing concepts in Attachment Theory, in the context of historical and current policy in Ireland, Europe and the US over the last 30 years. A mixed method approach was adopted using the Ecocultural Family Interview for Childminders (EFICh) protocol, which included holistic ratings, field notes, photographs taken by participants, and a case study survey. This article describes one cultural model identified among childminders in this study, a Close Relationship Model of praxis in a home-from-home environment, prioritising love and fun in mixed age childcare, developing enduring relationships in an extended childminding family. To effectively engage professional childminders in Ireland, any proposed system of regulation, support, and education should be aligned with this cultural model to maximise the benefits of childminding for children’s outcomes in the twenty-first century.

摘要

尽管爱尔兰在提供全国性儿童保育方面发挥着重要作用，但本研究力图解决爱尔兰针对儿童保育（家庭日托或家庭儿童保育）的研究不足。总体目标之一是在爱尔兰语境中探索照顾孩子的实践和教学法的文化模式。这项研究是在生态文化理论（ECT）的理论框架内进行的（Weisner，2002年。“对儿童发展途径的生态文化理解”。人类发展1759：275–281），在过去30年中，在爱尔兰，欧洲和美国历史和当前政策的背景下，引用了依恋理论中的概念。采用了混合方法方法，使用了针对照顾者的生态文化家庭面试（EFICh）协议，其中包括整体评分，实地记录，参与者拍摄的照片和案例研究调查。本文介绍了在这项研究中确定的照顾孩子的一种文化模型，一种在家中环境中实践的紧密关系模型，在混合年龄的托儿服务中优先考虑爱和乐趣，在一个扩大照顾孩子的家庭中建立了持久的关系。为了有效地吸引专业保姆在爱尔兰，建议的任何法规，支持，