ABSTRACT

This doctoral research addressed the dearth of research focussed on childminding in Ireland, despite its significant role in national childcare provision. One overarching aim was to explore childminders’ pedagogy. The research was conducted within the theoretical framework of Ecocultural Theory (ECT) against the backdrop of Irish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policy on the eve of mandatory regulation of childminding. A mixed method approach was adopted, using the Ecocultural Family Interview for Childminders (EFICh) , including participants’ photographs, a case study survey, researcher field notes and holistic ratings. (Tonyan, Holli A. 2017. “Opportunities to Practice What Is Locally Valued: An Ecocultural Perspective on Quality in Family Child Care.” Early Education and Development 28: 727–744. doi:10.1080/10409289.2017.1303304). The research documents a previously unidentified cultural model of pedagogy among childminders, Real Life Learning, in which the primary goal is to explore learning opportunities presented by real life experiences as they arise. The childminder prioritises flexible, child-led, relationship-driven nurture and learning emerging from everyday experiences in enriched home and outdoor environments as well as within the local community. To engage Irish childminders into the future sustainably, any proposed system of regulation and supports should be aligned with this Real Life Learning model.

摘要

这项博士研究解决了爱尔兰育儿研究的缺乏，尽管它在国家儿童保育方面发挥了重要作用。一个总体目标是探索保育员的教学法。该研究是在生态文化理论（ECT）的理论框架内进行的，背景是爱尔兰儿童早期教育和保育（ECEC）政策在强制性监管育儿前夕。采用了一种混合方法，使用儿童保育者生态文化家庭访谈 (EFICh)，包括参与者的照片、案例研究调查、研究人员现场笔记和整体评级。（Tonyan, Holli A. 2017。“实践当地价值的机会：家庭儿童保育质量的生态文化视角。”早期教育与发展28：727–744。doi:10.1080/10409289.2017.1303304)。该研究记录了一种以前未知的育儿文化模式，即“真实生活学习”，其主要目标是探索真实生活经历带来的学习机会。保育员优先考虑从丰富的家庭和户外环境以及当地社区中的日常经验中产生的灵活的、儿童主导的、关系驱动的培养和学习。为了让爱尔兰儿童保姆可持续地融入未来，任何拟议的监管和支持系统都应与这种现实生活学习模式保持一致。