ERIC Number: EJ1219394
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Pathways to Quality: From Internal Program Supports to Early Educators' Practice
Connors, Maia C.
Early Education and Development, v30 n5 p569-589 2019
Research Findings: Early care and education (ECE) quality is critical for children's learning, and ECE programs' support of teachers' learning may be important for ensuring high-quality classrooms. Yet little is known about how such supports operate outside of resource-intensive research studies and interventions. This study explores pathways through which "naturally occurring" professional development supports are related to improved classroom quality. Structural equation modeling results reveal indirect associations of support for mentoring with gains in structural and interactional aspects of classroom quality the following year via teachers' participation in mentoring. Improvements in classroom quality were not similarly associated with support for degree attainment, nor were they related to teachers' participation in a degree program, beliefs about teaching and learning, or job satisfaction. Practice or Policy: These findings help to expand our understanding of the complex relations among characteristics of ECE programs, individual teachers, and classroom quality. Specifically, mentoring may be an accessible and effective choice for improving classroom quality and thus may serve as a desirable target for policy aimed at improving ECE quality at scale.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Teachers, Educational Practices, Teacher Education Programs, Classroom Environment, Mentors, Faculty Development, Beliefs, Job Satisfaction, Educational Attainment, Academic Degrees, Learning Processes, Teacher Participation, Federal Programs, Young Children, Low Income Students, Administrator Attitudes, Rating Scales, Educational Quality
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: Department of Education (ED); US Department of Health and Human Services
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B080019; 90YR0049/02