ERIC Number: EJ1293630
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1476-718X
EISSN: N/A
Are Early Childhood Educators in Southern Ontario Being Sufficiently Prepared for Teaching Indigenous Students?
Journal of Early Childhood Research, v19 n1 p55-69 Mar 2021
Research highlights the importance of inclusive and culturally responsive teaching. This study sought to understand to what extent Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) in Southern Ontario, upon graduation from their pre-service programmes, feel they are prepared for teaching Indigenous students and supporting Indigenous families in an inclusive, culturally relevant environment. The study took a pragmatist, two-phase approach which consisted of a document review of Ontario Early Childhood Education college programmes, followed by an online survey in which recently graduated Early Childhood Educators were asked about their college experiences regarding education in Indigenous Studies. Of the 23 examined colleges, only 1, or 4.34 per cent, offered a mandatory course in Indigenous Studies, and of the 34 surveyed Early Childhood Educators, only 8.82 per cent indicated they felt that their pre-service training sufficiently prepared them for teaching Indigenous students. Consequently, there appears to be a gap in Early Childhood Education pre-service training regarding Indigenous awareness and education. This study recommends that more research be conducted in this specific area, as the sample size for both phases of this study was small, and the apparent correlation does not equal causation; nevertheless, the resulting data from this study are alarming and provide an impetus for further research.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Culturally Relevant Education, Indigenous Populations, Minority Group Students, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Competencies, Program Effectiveness, Student Diversity, Inclusion
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A