ABSTRACT

Shown to be the single most influential factor in children’s early learning and development experiences, quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) teaching has attracted increasing interest in research and policy globally. Yet almost all definitions of quality ECEC teaching to date reflect only adults’ notions of the features that should define a good early-years professional. The present study captures children’s (four-to-six-year-olds’) voices on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they believe a high-quality ECEC teacher should have. Two major categories emerge from the children’s drawings and narratives, which illustrate children’s perspectives on the quality of their teachers’ role: (1) a teacher who adapts to the culture of childhood, and (2) a teacher who attends to individual diversity. Findings provide alternative measures of quality ECEC teaching grounded in children’s thoughtful ideas about the ways they believe their teachers can have a positive impact on their school lives.

摘要

被证明是影响儿童早期学习和发展经验的唯一最重要因素，幼儿教育和护理（ECEC）教学的质量已引起全球对研究和政策日益增长的兴趣。但是，迄今为止，几乎所有关于ECEC优质教学的定义都只反映了成年人对应该定义好的早期专业人员的功能的观念。本研究记录了儿童（四至六岁的孩子）关于他们认为高素质的ECEC教师应具备的知识，技能和态度的声音。儿童绘画和叙事中出现了两个主要类别，它们说明了儿童对教师角色质量的看法：（1）适应童年文化的教师，和（2）照顾个体差异的教师。