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Research on ratios, group size and staff qualifications and training in early years and childcare settings : part A, review of international research on the relationship between ratios, staff qualifications and training, group size and the quality of provision in early years and childcare settings : part B, adult:child ratios for early years settings in the private/independent sector : a report of empirical research

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  • UCL Institute of Education
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... Die internationale Datenlage ist auch deshalb als sehr gut zu bewerten, weil systematische Reviews (u.a. Falenchuk et al., 2017;Eurofund, 2015;Munton et al., 2002;Slot, 2018), Sekundärdatenanalysen (Slot et al., 2015) und Meta-Analysen (Early et al., 2007;Egert, 2015;Fukking & Lont, 2007) vorgenommen wurden, die die Ergebnisse verfügbarer Studien integrierend betrachten und zu übergeordneten Schätzern für die Größe und Stabilität von Effekten gelangen. ...
... In Gruppen mit Kindern im Kindergartenalter gingen in verschiedenen Studien Relationen von schlechter als 1:9 bis 1:7 mit einer dramatisch absinkenden pädagogischen Prozess-bzw. Interaktionsqualität (Howes et al., 1992;Munton et al., 2002) und negativ verändertem Spielverhalten der Kinder einher (Russell, 1990) 14 . ...
... Für den Einfluss der Gruppengröße auf die pädagogische Prozessqualität liegen gemischte Befunde vor (zusammenfassend Munton et al., 2002;Vermeer et al., 2016). Jedoch konnten in einigen, meist älteren Studien Zusammenhänge identifi ziert werden. ...
Book
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Das vorliegende Gutachten von Prof. Dr. Susanne Viernickel und Victoria Jankowicz soll in dieser Diskussion über Qualität und Qualitätsentwicklung von Kindertageseinrichtungen mit wissenschaftlichen Empfehlungen unterstützen und anregen, weiter zu denken. Herausgearbeitet wird, welche Wirkungszusammenhänge zwischen den einzelnen Qualitätsdimensionen bestehen. Hierfür wurde erstmals für das Gutachten das struktural-prozessuale Qualitätsmodell um den Aspekt der "salutogenetischen Qualität erweitert." Außerdem wird aufgezeigt, welche ganz praktischen Stellschrauben es für uns als bildungspolitische Akteur*innen überhaupt gibt. Deutlich wird weiterhin, wo Nachholbedarfe bestehen und wo es noch mehr Informationen braucht.
... There is strong evidence to suggest that better-educated staff are more likely to provide high-quality pedagogy and stimulating learning environments, which, in turn, foster children's development leading to better outcomes (Munton et al, 2002). However, the impact that the continuing professional development of staff has on the children in their care is less well understood. ...
... Evidence from literature studies conducted prior to this review suggested that staff wages are an important factor in the quality of provision (Huntsman, 2008). Although findings are not totally consistent, it is also suggested that lowering child-adult ratios and reducing group size have a small but significant impact on the quality of interactions between staff and children (Munton et al, 2002;Huntsman, 2008) which in turn influence children's developmental outcomes (Love et al, 2003). ...
... Whilst reviews have been conducted on research on the quality of ECEC and its relationship to child outcomes (Mitchell et al, 2008;Vandell and Wolfe, 2000), few have focused specifically on the impact of continuing professional development and staff working conditions (Huntsman, 2008;Munton et al 2002;Zaslow et al, 2010); fewer still have been systematic (Fukkink and Lont, 2007;Camilli et al, 2010). ...
Research
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This report reviews research evidence from all 28 EU Member States to identify how the training and development of ECEC workers can be tailored to improve the quality of the services available for children below primary-school age in EU Member States. Among other findings, it concludes that interventions in professional development that are integrated into existing practice – with a focus on reflection – can result in more effective practice and curricula.
... A report by Early Childhood Australia (2009) states that qualified staff lift the quality of early education, inter alia, by the interactions and partnerships with parents. Other research literature shows that qualified teachers are associated with improved quality learning environments and positive outcomes for children (see, for example, Munton et al., 2002;Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, 2010). The United States National Institute for Child Health and Development (NICHD) (2003) longitudinal study found that all the elements of quality early education were associated with centres where staff held early childhood teacher qualifications. ...
... The ECEC "Workforce" qualifications, skills, competences and working conditions have to allow them to successfully deal with a multilingual environment. Furthermore, research evidence is consistent with the view that the staff: child ratio can have a significant impact on the quality of care that children receive (Munton, T., Mooney, A., Moss, P., Petrie, P., Clark, A., Woolner, J., et al., 2002). In this regard, research findings indicate that higher staff ratios (more staff per group of children) are more likely to facilitate positive and responsive interactions among adult and children -both on an individual and a group basis. ...
Conference Paper
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Access to education and improving the quality in Early Childhood Education and Care is a fundamental right of children and an important political priority of the European Union and the OECD in recent decades. Furthermore, the debate on equality of educational opportunities remains relevant in a socio-economic context of cultural pluralism and in times of limited financial resources. Attendance in preschool education strengthens the identity of children in a multicultural environment. Survey data suggest that investments in small population groups are proving more effective for children, families and societies. Widening access to preschool education can improve overall performance and reduce socio-economic disparities between students, when the extension of accessibility does not put the quality of benefits (OECD, 2011) at risk. This paper examines the policies in the ECEC institutions on a European and a national level. The analysis is based on written documentation and practices. Studies and resolutions of the Commission on this issue are taken into consideration, and preschool education policies are analyzed on a national level. Our working hypothesis is the extent to which the recent institutional modifications for Early Childhood Education and Care in Greece are related to the context of quality that has been identified by the European Commission. The findings reveal differences between the European Quality Framework and national policies (mainly with respect to accessibility and funding) and underline the current challenges for improving the ECEC services on a national level.
... The ECEC "Workforce" qualifications, skills, competences and working conditions have to allow them to successfully deal with a multilingual environment. Furthermore, research evidence is consistent with the view that the staff: child ratio can have a significant impact on the quality of care that children receive (Munton, T., Mooney, A., Moss, P., Petrie, P., Clark, A., Woolner, J., et al., 2002). In this regard, research findings indicate that higher staff ratios (more staff per group of children) are more likely to facilitate positive and responsive interactions among adult and children -both on an individual and a group basis. ...
Chapter
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Access to education and improving the quality in Early Childhood Education and Care is a fundamental right of children and an important political priority of the European Union and the OECD in recent decades. Furthermore, the debate on equality of educational opportunities remains relevant in a socio-economic context of cultural pluralism and in times of limited financial resources. Attendance in preschool education strengthens the identity of children in a multicultural environment. Survey data suggest that investments in small population groups are proving more effective for children, families and societies. Widening access to preschool education can improve overall performance and reduce socio-economic disparities between students, when the extension of accessibility does not put the quality of benefits (OECD, 2011) at risk. This paper examines the policies in the ECEC institutions on a European and a national level. The analysis is based on written documentation and practices. Studies and resolutions of the Commission on this issue are taken into consideration, and preschool education policies are analyzed on a national level. Our working hypothesis is the extent to which the recent institutional modifications for Early Childhood Education and Care in Greece are related to the context of quality that has been identified by the European Commission. The findings reveal differences between the European Quality Framework and national policies (mainly with respect to accessibility and funding) and underline the current challenges for improving the ECEC services on a national level.
... De especial preocupación resulta el coeficiente técnico establecido por el RO para Primer y Segundo Nivel de Transición, donde es posible conformar grupos de hasta 45 niños por aula, sin obligación de contar con una técnico que asista a la educadora de párvulos (Ley de Subvenciones, 1998). Así, la regulación del coeficiente técnico en la educación parvularia chilena dista largamente de las recomendaciones internacionales (Barnett, Schulman y Shore, 2004;Munton et al., 2002) y posiciona a Chile como el país con el mayor coeficiente técnico (peor) de los países de la OECD (OECD, 2017). En resumen, la fragmentación institucional de la provisión de la educación parvularia en Chile se ha expresado en una heterogénea regulación de las instituciones proveedoras, derivando en discrepancias regulatorias y dispares condiciones institucionales para ofrecer una atención educativa de calidad. ...
Chapter
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En este capítulo realizamos un análisis crítico de la fragmentada institucionalidad de la educación parvularia históricamente existente en Chile, mostrando las limitaciones que ella ha implicado respecto de la calidad de la atención educativa. Mediante la adopción de una perspectiva sistémica, planteamos que el establecimiento de la reciente institucionalidad establecida para este nivel educacional constituye un avance sustancial en favor de la calidad, al sentar las bases para conformar, por primera vez en sus más de cien años, un sistema de educación parvularia en el país.
Chapter
García and Flores state that new pedagogies must respond to the complex bilingualism of students and to the heterogeneous classes of the 21st century. The main goal of this chapter is to describe the theoretical foundations of a new approach to bilingualism and interculturality in Early Childhood Education (ECE) called “the PETaL approach”, whose acronym stands for “Play, Education, Toys, and Languages”. PETaL is an approach and not a methodology in that it is a flexible model of bilingual implementation that adapts its key methodological principles to the particular context in which it is developed. Moreover, it is an approach that entails intercultural education as a constitutive axis of accommodation and plasticity, which are sine qua non conditions of it. The PETaL approach is framed in the European space, which offers a suitable international and socio-educational context where it has begun to be experimented and which has already attached itself to incipient research.
Chapter
García and Flores state that new pedagogies must respond to the complex bilingualism of students and to the heterogeneous classes of the 21st century. The main goal of this chapter is to describe the theoretical foundations of a new approach to bilingualism and interculturality in Early Childhood Education (ECE) called “the PETaL approach”, whose acronym stands for “Play, Education, Toys, and Languages”. PETaL is an approach and not a methodology in that it is a flexible model of bilingual implementation that adapts its key methodological principles to the particular context in which it is developed. Moreover, it is an approach that entails intercultural education as a constitutive axis of accommodation and plasticity, which are sine qua non conditions of it. The PETaL approach is framed in the European space, which offers a suitable international and socio-educational context where it has begun to be experimented and which has already attached itself to incipient research.
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Los avances en la investigación en psicología y neurociencias han demostrado que los primeros dos años de vida son un periodo crítico para el desarrollo del cerebro, y la carencia de experiencias estimulantes provoca déficits en la salud física, cognitiva y sobre todo emocional de los bebés. Por esta razón, resulta indispensable generar instancias pedagógicas intencionadas que atiendan a niños y niñas de 0 a 2 años, a través de una educación parvularia de calidad. Ésta, sin embargo, requiere de profesionales y paraprofesionales (asistentes o técnicos) competentes y bien formados, cuya preparación y oportunidades de aprendizaje estén alineadas con los roles y responsabilidades que deben cumplir en su desempeño profesional. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar, a través de entrevistas con sus protagonistas y revisiones bibliográficas, los roles y responsabilidades que cumplen y deben cumplir los técnicos que se desempeñan en el nivel de sala cuna en Chile, y contrastar estos resultados con un análisis de los planes de estudio y bases curriculares para la formación técnica en educación parvularia. Se encontraron tanto convergencias como discrepancias entre las responsabilidades declaradas y los documentos analizados, que permitieron generar algunas recomendaciones para su formación inicial y políticas en el nivel.
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Pupils’ transition from primary to secondary school has been debated for several decades and has been identified as a crucial time in pupils’ lives. Evaluation of transition concluded that on average, 40% of pupils find this move problematic, which results in a hiatus in their progress both academically and socially. Studies on transition to secondary school have notably focussed on the process and procedures, and data derived from the stakeholders were devoid of the voices of pupils and teachers who were active participants in the process of transition. This thesis reports on the lived experiences of the participants and the pupils’ and teaching staff’s perceptions before and after engaging with ‘Year 7 Project’ intervention. The project is based in a secondary school, Erin Sinclair Secondary School (pseudonym), located in an urban area of South East England, the aim of which was to ease the transition to secondary school of at-risk pupils by providing additional support during the transition process. In order to understand the transition process, the study investigated the change in perceptions during the transition year through the experiences of pupils and teaching staff as they move into, move through and move out of the transition process. Drawing on phenomenography, 50 participants were interviewed, comprising of sixteen teaching staff, the head teacher, the deputy head teacher, and thirty-two pupils. Half of the teaching staff were class teachers who were divided into a project group and a comparison group while the others supported pupils who were unable to access the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum (mostly in the project group of classes). The findings indicated that the ‘Year 7 Project’ intervention had a positive impact on pupils in the project group; they experienced fewer anxieties and settled more quickly into secondary school. Data analysis revealed preparation and support as fundamental to ensuring transition success as outlined by Nancy Schlossberg’s, transition theory.
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Because of severe economic cuts in the child care budget in Sweden from 1990 to 1993, a sharp increase in the number of children in child care classes has been observed (Lidholt & Norrman, 1994). Average class sizes have risen throughout the country, although there are great differences between, and even within, communities. In the early 1980s, it was rare to have more than 15 children in a class. In 1993, one third of classes had at least 18 children. Simultaneously with the increase in classes, the number of employees in child care centers decreased. During the 1980s, there were, on average, four children per full-time employee. In 1993, the number of children per full-time employee had increased to as much as six (Lidholt & Norrman, 1994). New laws have also had a significant impact on the Swedish child care system. Until 1991, profit-run child care centers could not, based on Swedish law, receive public funding. The average annual cost for one child in public agencies was about $10,000 US in 1993. The federal govern- ment and funding from local authorities subsidized approximately 90% of the cost, with parental fees financing the remaining 10%. This made it impractical to run private child care without public funding. However, after 1991, the local This study investigated the effects of program auspice (nonprofit vs. profit child care), adult-to-child ratios (1:4.6 -1:8.7), and age span of the child care class on teaching and children's social and cognitive achievement. The sample included 394 3- to 5-year-old children from 32 child care centers. Results show that the profit child care centers had larger child groups than nonprofit child care centers, a lower adult:child ratio, and a positive staff attitude toward teaching goals. Age, gender, social background, and age span of the child care class were significant predictors of children's social and cognitive achievements. Adult-to-child ratio and teaching style did not prove to be good predictors of children's social or cognitive achievements.
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This paper argues that there is no meaningful distinction between care and education for young children so that the early childhood field should be renamed early childhood educare. The predominant theoretical framework for early childhood philosophy and curriculum has been Piaget's theory. Piaget's theory describes development as determining current cognitive competence and influencing what children are capable of learning. Children are seen as natural scientists who investigate the world and thereby broaden their understanding. Teachers are expected to stand back and provide resources for children's autonomous learning but not to interfere with it. The paper argues that Vygotsky's theory as applied to the responsive social contexts provided in early childhood educare should be given more consideration because it gives more attention to the importance of the social and cultural context on children's thinking than Piaget. Vygotsky saw learning as driving development and the development of thinking as a shared process rather than an individual one. Children are capable of far more competent performance when they have assistance from adults in their zone of proximal development so adults take a reactive and participatory role. The paper discusses the role of language, the internalisation of interpersonal processes, the importance of intersubjectivity, the need for scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, and the role of both adult and peer tutors according to the author's interpretation of Vygotsky's theory.
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