Childhood Education Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Developing Children’s Learning Experiences Through Computerized Instructional Games

<p>Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are a new phenomenon in early childhood education (ECE) and there is minimal existing research available on their use and effectiveness as a learning and communication tool in ECE. This thesis presents an exploratory case study of an ECE centre, positioned within a constructive-interpretivist paradigm, which investigated communication between teachers and families via ePortfolios. Data used in the study were drawn from online surveys, document analysis of ePortfolios, individual interviews, and focus group interviews with parents and teachers. Thematic analysis identified three main themes; the benefits and drawbacks of communicating via the ePortfolio, the online tools that supported or constrained communication, and the types of communication that were evident. Several implications for teachers’ practice arise from this study. First, the ePortfolio enabled communication to easily flow between settings, and provided another avenue for teachers and parents to communicate. Second, the different levels of communication parents and teachers engaged in via the ePortfolio had potential to influence their on-going communication, relationships, and children’s learning. To extend on-going learning and positive learning outcomes for children, online communication could be scaffolded so that a focus on relationships moves toward to a greater focus on children’s learning. Finally, levels of trust between teachers and parents were apparent, though more complex elements of trust such as competence and openness were less evident. Teachers could consider ways to develop these with parents to further enhance trust and communication.</p>

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Parents’ perspective on a children’s learning

Journal of Childhood, Education & Society ◽

10.37291/2717638x.20212266 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 117-125

Author(s):

Adrijana Višnjić-Jevtić

Keyword(s):

Family Environment ◽

Preschool Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

Parental Experience ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Academic Knowledge ◽

Children’S Learning ◽

Children's Learning

Contemporary curricula of early childhood education were founded on perspective of playing learning child. Although that approach leads to children’s well-being, research by Yahya (2006) has shown that parents do not want their children to learn through play, rather to focus on early and preschool education and teaching academic skills. If parents expect professionals to deliver the knowledge necessary for the development of academic skills to their children, research has been conducted on parental experience of a child’s learning. The aim of the research was to find out how parents understand their children's learning and approach to the contemporary concepts of child learning as well as children’s competence. The research was conducted in the period from November 2017 to May 2019. Parents involved in the study, documented how their children learn in a family environment, assessing their children’s competencies. Results show that parents see learning through everyday situations whereas learning was related to the academic mode (direct teaching of letters), has only appeared in one example. At the end of the research, parents participated in a group interview, discussing their expectations of the institution towards educating children. The results showed that parents expect the institution to encourage the development of a child's social knowledge and skills, while academic knowledge and skills are ranked lower.

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Using ePortfolios in early childhood education: Recalling, reconnecting, restarting and learning

Journal of Early Childhood Research ◽

10.1177/1476718x19875778 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 376-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tracey Hooker

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Formative Assessment ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Doctoral Study ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Children’S Learning ◽

The Impact ◽

Children's Learning

Portfolios are widely used in New Zealand for documenting children’s learning; there is now an increasing move to online ePortfolios. This article presents findings from a doctoral study which investigated the impact of the introduction of ePortfolios in an early childhood education setting where traditional paper-based portfolios were previously used as the formative assessment tool for children’s learning. The findings demonstrate that a significant benefit of the ePortfolio system used in this study was the ways in which they could support children to revisit their learning and become involved in their own formative assessment. This is described as recalling, reconnecting and restarting. Through participating in these processes, children become active contributors to their own learning journeys which is a significant factor of formative assessment.

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