ERIC Number: ED634493
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Apr-15
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
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Available Date: N/A
"Not Even Ready to Sit at a Desk." Head Start Professionals Report Their School Readiness Perceptions and Related Practices: Degree of Alignment with Developmental Approaches
Chen, Qinghua
AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, Apr 13-16, 2023 and Virtual, May 4-5, 2023)
Grounded in Developmental Systems Theory, especially Ecological Systems Theory, and through the strength-based and whole child lenses, this study examines 15 interviews with Head Start professionals and explores alignment degree of their school readiness perception and practices. Adopting dual mapping, theme screening and in vivo coding, the research presents both consistency and heterogeneity with the literature, including 1) one difference: child-focused and learning-based versus family-based and context-driven views; 2) one contradiction: children's SEL-based readiness needs versus Head Start's cognition-based support; 3) one contrast: scarce mentions of children's strength versus overwhelming deficit language usage; 4) one shift: from an "already attained" finishing line to a "going to obtain" starting line. Such conceptualization complexity also informs the equity debate on school readiness.
Descriptors: Federal Programs, Low Income Students, Social Services, School Readiness, Preschool Education, Principals, Preschool Teachers, Child Development, Educational Practices, Alignment (Education)
AERA Online Paper Repository. Available from: American Educational Research Association. 1430 K Street NW Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-238-3200; Fax: 202-238-3250; e-mail: subscriptions@aera.net; Web site: http://www.aera.net
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Head Start
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Author Affiliations: N/A