ERIC Number: EJ1289103
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Early Childhood Education, Language of Instruction, and Child Development in Myanmar: Comparisons among Ethnolinguistic Groups
Richards, Ben; Umayahara, Mami; Maw, Naing; Rao, Nirmala
Early Education and Development, v32 n3 p421-442 2021
Research Findings: This study examined the relation between early childhood education (ECE) participation and early child development in Myanmar. It considered whether this relation varied by ethnic group, language(s) spoken at home, and language(s) of ECE instruction. Participants were 1,494 children (759 girls) from Myanmar, aged between 36 and 71 months. Children were directly assessed using the East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales. ECE participation was associated with higher composite developmental scores and higher scores across 7 domains, and ethnic group did not moderate ECE-development associations. ECE dosage of between 12 and 18 months was associated with the highest developmental scores. For ethnic minority children, minority-language ECE instruction was associated with higher developmental scores regardless of language(s) spoken at home, but Myanmar-language ECE instruction was associated with higher developmental scores only for children also exposed to Myanmar at home. Practice or Policy: Findings highlight the benefits of ECE participation for the holistic development of both ethnic majority and minority children. The policy of ECE programme expansion in Myanmar may be delivering benefits to children's development, but further efforts may be needed to deliver language support for ethnic minority children not exposed to Myanmar language at home.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Program Effectiveness, Language of Instruction, Language Minorities, Language Usage, Ethnicity, Minority Group Students, Racial Differences, Family Environment
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Burma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A