The dilemma of early childhood teachers required to carry out a curriculum implementation process: Case studies

The dilemma of early childhood teachers required to carry out a curriculum implementation process: Case studies

• Wong, Wai Yum School of Early Childhood Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education

Early Child Development and Care, 173(1), 43-53, 2003

Routledge

2003

• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MG Identities, Attitudes & Opinion of Educational Workers

Action Research Case Studies Early Childhood Education Foreign Countries Instructional Innovation Job Satisfaction Parent Teacher Cooperation Preschool Curriculum Preschool Teachers Program Implementation Teacher Administrator Relationship Teacher Attitudes Hong Kong

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

The present study adopted a qualitative approach through in-depth individual and focus group interviews to study the attitudes of the early childhood teachers in Hong Kong. The goal of the study is to reveal the lived experience of real people in real contexts. The first part of the study looks at how satisfaction/dissatisfaction of early childhood teachers was experienced by teachers and the principal, in the process of a top-down curriculum implementation at a local kindergarten in Hong Kong. Building on the findings of this case study, the need for pedagogical skill and knowledge to enhance the job satisfaction of early childhood teachers was addressed. By means of an action research, thirty student teachers at the In-serve Qualified Kindergarten Teacher Education Course were involved in learning ways of understanding and implementing an art project. The ability to help children learn was reported by the student-teachers as the main source of satisfaction when implementing a revitalized process for a more child-centred approach in art projects for children. However, the opinions towards the bottom-up scenario on innovative learning and teaching approach were diverse. The lack of positive supporting context at the organizational level was identified to be the main obstacle to teachers' improvement and satisfaction. Besides the professional/pedagogical development of the teachers, the attitude of the administrators/principals and parents were vital factors in promoting the satisfaction of early childhood teachers in Hong Kong.
[Copyright of Early Child Development and Care is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443022000022413]

• English

Journal Articles

• 03004430

• 10.1080/0300443022000022413

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/66eedb05

2010-09-27