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Young learners: mapping the beliefs and practices of preschool teachers in relation to early literacy development

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Abstract

This paper introduces the Young Learners’ Project, which is a large scale longitudinal study that aims to identify a number of factors associated with positive outcomes in literacy in the first year of school: the role of the preschool teacher, home life and child characteristics. In particular, it presents the design of one sub-study within the larger project that is focusing on the beliefs, theoretical constructs and literacy practices of 25 preschool teachers. The paper deliberates the methodological choices of a group of researchers who set out to represent in diverse ways, and for diverse purposes, the layered meanings inherent in preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to early literacy development. In particular, through reference to illustrative extracts of a single case analysis, the paper explores the possibilities and complexities of adopting mixed methods and in doing so, responds to a call for researchers to make explicit the purposes and challenges of case study methodologies.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council (Project No: LP0883437) in conjunction with its partner organisation, the Australian Scholarships Group. The authors wish to acknowledge the parents, children and teachers who participated in this research and the members of the Young Learners’ Project. Further details of the study and its researchers can be found at http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/younglearners.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, 100 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia

    Robert Brown, Janet Scull & Jan Deans

  2. School of Education, Victoria University, St Albans Campus, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC, 8001, Australia

    Andrea Nolan

  3. The University of Melbourne, 100 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia

    Bridie Raban

  4. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Camberwell, VIC, Australia

    Bridie Raban

Authors
  1. Robert Brown
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  2. Janet Scull
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  3. Andrea Nolan
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  4. Bridie Raban
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  5. Jan Deans
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Nolan.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Teacher survey

Young Learners’ Project

Thank you for taking time to complete this questionnaire. In Part A, we require you to complete some background information. Part B asks for short answers to 11 questions that focus on teaching and learning practices.

Part A: Teacher background

  1. 1.

    Name:

  2. 2.

    Sex: Male/Female

  3. 3.

    How many years have you worked in the early childhood field in total?

  4. 4.

    What types of early childhood and other educational services have you worked in?

    Setting

    Years

    Kindergarten

    		 

    Childcare

    		 

    Family day care

    		 

    Outside school hours care

    		 

    Nanny

    		 

    Primary school

    		 

    Other—please specify

    		 
  5. 5.

    Please list all your professional qualifications.

  6. 6.

    What specific studies (if any) have you undertaken in relation to early childhood language and literacy?

  7. 7.

    What professional development activities (e.g. in-service) have you participated in during the past 2 years?

  8. 8.

    What professional journals (if any) inform your practice?

  9. 9.

    What other resources (if any) inform your understanding of language and literacy development in early childhood?

  10. 10.

    Do you speak any languages other than English? YES/NO (please circle). If yes, what other languages do you speak?

Part B: Teacher knowledge and practices

  1. 1.

    How do you believe young children learn?

  2. 2.

    What is your role in young children’s learning?

  3. 3.

    What do you understand by the term ‘literacy’?

  4. 4.

    What factors impact on children’s literacy development?

  5. 5.

    What role (if any) do you consider you play in fostering children’s literacy development?

  6. 6.

    What curriculum experiences (if any) do you currently offer to foster children’s language development?

  7. 7.

    What curriculum experiences (if any) do you currently offer to foster children’s reading and writing development?

  8. 8.

    What resources (if any) are currently available for children in your group(s) to experiment with (a) language (b) reading and (c) writing?

  9. 9.

    What role (if any) do you consider parents play in helping children learn to read and write?

  10. 10.

    How do you evaluate children’s literacy development?

  11. 11.

    What ways (if any) is information shared between you and parents about children’s enjoyment and skills in reading and writing?

Appendix 2: SAM theoretical perspectives table

Theoretical paradigms

Maturational

Biological models of development

Behaviourism

Social learning theories

Psycho-dynamic

Psycho-analytic Theories

Developmental

Developmental psychology theories

Socio-constructivist

Socio-cultural theories

Ecological systems

Bio-ecological model

Major theorists

Gesell 1925

Skinner 1957

Bandura 1986

Erikson 1963

Fischer and Bidell 1998

Piaget 1950 and 1952

Vygotsky 1978

Rogoff 2003

Bronfenbrenner 1979

Bronfenbrenner and Morris 1998

The role of the professional

Manage:

Monitor and intervene only where necessary for safety

Direct:

Assess and provide what is necessary in response to children’s behaviour

Discuss:

Acknowledge and draw on children’s feelings and thoughts

Guide:

Observe, assess and support children’s development with reference to developmental milestones

Engage:

Scaffold and transform learning in response to children’s prior understandings

Frame:

Monitor, review, evaluate and determine actions and future progress of children, in partnership with others

Outcomes for children

Maturation:

Grow and develop in their own time

Acquisition:

Gain attitudes, skills and knowledge with practice

Personal Growth:

Achieve autonomy through a growing sense of self

Developmental Appropriateness:

Build knowledge independently in line with age and stage of development

Co-construction:

Create their worlds through interactions with more knowledgeable others

Cultural Embeddedness:

Experience knowledge being shaped in the context of cultural expectations and societal roles

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Brown, R., Scull, J., Nolan, A. et al. Young learners: mapping the beliefs and practices of preschool teachers in relation to early literacy development. Aust. Educ. Res. 39, 313–331 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-012-0061-0

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