Compares ethical dilemmas of 119 Australian preschool and child care professionals to those of a similar American sample. Findings indicate that American and Australian early childhood professionals share similar concerns, particularly in the area of staff-parent relationships. Adoption of a code of ethics was perceived as helpful for dealing with…

Reports on a survey of early childhood staff of 85 child care centers and 85 kindergartens in Australia regarding professional ethics. Discusses survey results in relation to Katz's work on ethics and teachers' developmental stages. Compares results with data from an earlier study of American educators (Feeney and Sysko, 1986). (NH)

This study sought to determine Australian attitudes toward men working in the early childhood profession. Subjects were 100 first-year and 100 third-year female early childhood undergraduates and 22 practicing early childhood teachers and caregivers. Survey respondents were asked to describe how three imaginary early childhood teachers named Mary,…

Explains changes that have taken place in early childhood education in Victoria, Australia, over last decade. Points the way to changes that could occur as a result of continued appreciation of social, political, and economic changes. Discusses measures that early childhood workers can take to ensure that children are allowed to experience…

This study examined the needs of beginning early childhood teachers in their first year of work in primary schools, kindergartens, or child care centers in Australia. The study surveyed teachers in 1988, 1989, and 1990; this paper discusses the results from the 1990 survey. Subjects were 31 teachers who responded to a questionnaire that concerned…

This paper elaborates on a series of quotations to illustrate major influences in children's language development. The first quotation, from Lilian G. Katz (1988), suggests that what children like is not necessarily developmentally appropriate for them. This idea can be applied to the development of language competence. In the second quotation,…

This Australian study examined the attitudes of preservice early childhood teachers toward their male colleagues working in child care centers or preschool kindergartens. The study also investigated differences in perspectives between new students and graduating students, and whether students enrolled in child care courses held views different…

A study of graduates of the de Lissa Institute of Early Childhood Studies and the School of Early Childhood Studies (SECS) at the University of Melbourne in Australia identified changes in the professional attitudes of teachers during their first year of teaching. Early childhood teachers working in junior primary schools, preschool kindergartens,…