ERIC Number: EJ1036105
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Head Start Classrooms and Children's School Readiness Benefit from Teachers' Qualifications and Ongoing Training
Son, Seung-Hee Claire; Kwon, Kyong-Ah; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; Hong, Soo-Young
Child & Youth Care Forum, v42 n6 p525-553 Dec 2013
Background: Teacher qualifications have been emphasized as a basis of professional development to improve classroom practices for at-risk children's school readiness. However, teacher qualifications have often not been compared to another form of professional development, in-service training. Objective: The current study attempts to investigate contributions of multiple types of professional development to school readiness skills of low-income preschoolers. Specifically, we examined the significance of teachers' education level, degree, teaching certificate, teaching experiences as well as specialized in-service training and coaching support as these teacher trainings are linked to preschoolers' school readiness through proximal classroom practices. Method: We used a multi-level path analysis to examine multiple pathways from teachers' professional development to classroom environments and school readiness with Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2003 (N = 2,159). Results: Teachers with an early childhood education major provided higher-quality provision for learning and social-emotional practices in the classroom; teachers who received coaching provided higher-quality social-emotional and parent involvement practices. Further, children in higher-quality social-emotional classrooms had better math skills, social skills and learning behaviors; children in the classrooms with higher-quality parent involvement practices had higher receptive vocabulary and parent-reported social skills and positive approaches to learning. Conclusions: Along with early childhood education degree, ongoing coaching support would work effectively, improving classroom environments and a broad array of school readiness skills of at-risk children.
Descriptors: Teacher Qualifications, Faculty Development, At Risk Students, School Readiness, Inservice Teacher Education, Low Income Groups, Preschool Children, Teacher Characteristics, Educational Attainment, Academic Degrees, Teacher Certification, Teaching Experience, Coaching (Performance), Classroom Techniques, Path Analysis, Classroom Environment, Early Intervention, Surveys, Social Development, Emotional Development, Teacher Competencies, Parent Participation, Mathematics Skills, Interpersonal Competence, Receptive Language, Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A