Conference Agenda

1. Introduction.

Karlsudd (2021) introduces ‘inner inclusion capital’ as the factors related to the teacher’s

competency in inclusive education (IE), for example, knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy. Malaysian

Education Development Plan 2013-2025 for IE requires the involvement of both government preschool

teachers (GPT) and non-government preschool teachers (NGPT). A study by Amar Singh et al. (2018)

highlights that the parents of special educational needs (SEN) pupils get the lowest support and

assistance for full inclusion (FI) from government schools compared to non-government schools. This

study focuses on the ‘inner inclusion capital’ of GPT and NGPT towards teaching the preschoolers with

autism as these pupils are the most in FI at government preschools (MOE Special Education Data 2020).

2. Problem statement.

Findings of past studies show that GPT have low levels of ‘inner inclusion capital’ to teach

preschoolers with autism in IE (Mariani et al., 2017; Jongkulin et al., 2019; Al Jaffal M., 2022). The

conditions of the ‘inner inclusion capital’ of NGPT are not known to the researcher. There is a need to

determine the current levels of ‘inner inclusion capital’ of GPT and NGPT and whether there are

differences that affect FI in preschools.

3. Research objective.

The research objective is to determine the levels of ‘inner inclusion capital’ of GPT and NGPT

and to identify differences between them for FI in preschools.

4. Research questions.

i. What levels of knowledge about autism do GPT and NGPT possess?

ii. What are the levels of attitudes and self-efficacy do GPT and NGPT have towards FI in

preschools?

iii. Are there significant differences for the knowledge about autism, attitude, and self-efficacy of

GPT and NGPT towards FI in preschools?

5. Research method

This research was conducted as a questionnaire survey. With the help of two State Department

of Educations, the questionnaire was distributed to 150 teachers through a google. form during the

covid-19 school closures. From the demographic information obtained, the respondents consisted of 75

GPT from non-FI preschools and 75 NGPT from FI preschools. The data was analysed using descriptive

and inferential statistics.

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6. Research findings

GPT have low score levels for knowledge, moderate for both attitude and self-efficacy.

Meanwhile, the score levels for NGPT are moderate for knowledge, high for both attitude, and selfefficacy.

One-Way ANOVA analysis between the scores of GPT and NGPT showed significant

differences (p < 0.05) for the attitudes and self-efficacy, but insignificant for knowledge. Both GPT

and NGPT failed to score more than 50% correct answers to the knowledge of autism construct.

7. Educational importance

Results show that the attitudes and self-efficacy of NGPT with FI environment are higher than

the GPT in non-FI environment. It indicates that establishing more preschools with FI settings can

improve the ‘inner inclusion capital’ and the quality of preschool teachers’ professional education in

enhancing the effectiveness and improvement of IE in Malaysia.

This research project is situated within the context of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Ireland and seeks to understand the changes made to ECEC practice during Covid-19 restrictions. Given the relational nature of ECEC, Covid-19 restrictions impacted key aspects of ECEC, such as emergent curriculum and child-led practices, partnership with parents and wellbeing of both children and educators.

In particular, the research explored:

How did educators experience the closure and reopening of ECEC settings?

What changes were made to practice?

Did educators see an impact of such changes on children?

This paper focuses on findings that have significant implications for practice currently and into the future.

The chosen research design was a qualitative approach and set within an interpretative paradigm. This approach allowed for ECEC providers’ (i.e. owners, managers and educators) experiences, interpretations and shared meaning to be captured through semi-structured interviews, held at three points in the period March to December 2021 and analysed using inductive reasoning and thematic analysis.

Research suggests that COVID-19 has caused trauma, individual as well as collective (Sherwood et al., 2021), both in society at large and in ECEC environments. Traumatic experiences may leave a legacy which lasts for years, resulting in emotional distress, difficulty sleeping and behavioural challenges (Barnardos, 2018). Indeed, research exploring children’s response to crises indicates that the effects may even be experienced across their lifetime (Kar 2009; Le Brocque et al. 2017). This is particularly true for young children who may lack the cognitive and verbal capacity to process such monumental events (Durbin 2010). Yet, UNESCO (2020) frames the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to rethink such areas as curricula and learning. Inspired by a report from ERSI (Darmody, Smyth and Russell, 2020), examining the impact of Covid-19 closures on ECEC, and a study by ECI (2020), looking at the implications for children’s wellbeing, this research presentation directly explores the lessons learned from adapting ECEC practice during the Covid-19 pandemic and specifically draws out implications for future practice and further research.

Findings arising from the research include:

Educators’ well-being was significantly impacted by a multitude of factors relating to Covid-19. The pandemic exasperated feelings of burn-out and frustration in the ECEC sector, contributing to an existing staffing crisis, the impact of which is currently being felt.

Emergent curriculum and child-led practice were challenged, yet important learning regarding physical environments and play equipment also emerged, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the environment as a third teacher.

Educator wellbeing appeared to impact on educators’ perception of child wellbeing and educational provision, including educators’ ability to implement high quality practice and being attuned to children’s needs and wellbeing.

Relationships and partnerships with parents were impacted, including drop off/collection times, informal conversations with parents and inviting parents/family members into the setting. Many settings have since been reluctant to go back to an ‘open door’ policy regarding parents.

The research has informed an Erasmus funded project investigating sustainable, inclusive practices post-Covid, exploring lessons learned from the crisis response to Covid.

The purpose of this ongoing research is to study politics of belonging (Yuval-Davis, 2006; 2011) in the policy and practice of Swedish early childhood education and care (ECEC). Belonging has been described as “fundamental to any child’s well-being and happiness” (Woodhead & Brooker, 2008, p. 3) and is related to connectedness, community and engagement (Allen et al., 2018). Previous research on school belonging has pointed out its importance for both educational outcomes and students’ engagement (Nix et al., 2022). In a society characterised by globalisation and social inequalities, belonging has become a highly contested and topical issue (Yuval-Davis, 2011). At the same time, there are high expectations that high quality ECEC will prevent social exclusion (Morabito et al., 2013). While belonging is a central concept in ECEC frameworks in countries like Australia and New Zealand (Erwin et al., 2022), it is less commonly used in the Nordic countries (Piškur et al., 2022). Results of recent research has shown that Nordic ECEC educators think that it is important to support children’s belonging, but there are complex power relations and potential value conflicts embedded in this work (Berge & Johansson, 2021; Eek-Karlsson & Emilson, 2023).

This research project consists of four sub-studies, which are guided by the following research questions:

1) What is expressed in transnational and Swedish national policy documents regarding children’s belonging?

2) Which contextual factors influence early childhood educators’ work to promote children’s belonging?

3) Which innovative processes and critical incidents can be identified in early childhood educators’ work to promote children’s belonging?

4) Which ethical and political value systems regarding children’s belonging are expressed at the macro-, meso- and microlevels of ECEC?

The study is based on a critical ecology of profession (Urban, 2008), which provides a systemic understanding of the professional work of ECEC educators. The meaning-making of educators is in focus when studying how their pedagogical work is related to policy and contextual factors influencing their work. Politics of belonging (Yuval-Davis, 2006; 2011) is used as a conceptual framework to analyse processes where belongings are constructed and negotiated. According to this framework, belonging is viewed as a power-loaded, multi-layered phenomenon (Yuval-Davis, 2006; 2011). A multimethodological approach is used, which includes policy analysis, focus groups with ECEC educators, participant observations in ECEC centres and stimulated recall where video observations of educators’ interactions with children are used as stimuli in interviews with educators. The focus groups, observations and stimulated recall will be carried out in three Swedish ECEC centres. The research is currently at an early stage, which means that this presentation will focus on the overall systemic perspective of the research topic, with tentative results from the first sub-study (policy analysis). The overall study has implications for both policy and educational practice, since it offers insights on how children’s belongings are constructed and negotiated through ECEC policy and the work of ECEC educators.

The research and development initiative, Culture for Learning (CFL), is aimed at fostering a culture of optimal development and learning for children in early childhood education in the former Hedmark county. CFL involves early childhood education authorities, the educational-psychological service, kindergarten leaders, and all staff members across 22 municipalities.

The objective of CFL is to ensure that children and youth grow up in a culture that promotes educational attainment and active participation in societal and professional life. A coordinated and innovative effort to enhance children's well-being, learning, and development contributes to the achievement of the following goals:

• Enhancing children's linguistic and social competence, preparing them for future educational and societal engagement.

• Facilitating the professional development of all early childhood education through collective and coordinated competence-building within professional learning communities.

• Actively utilizing various assessment results and other data at all levels of the education system to improve pedagogical practices.

Moreover, the CFL project in early childhood education serves as a longitudinal intervention study, complementing its focus on improvement efforts. The purpose of this intervention study is to examine the extent to which the various interventions within the CFL project have realized their intended objectives.

A comprehensive online survey has been conducted in all kindergartens, encompassing assessments by children, staff members, leaders, and parents regarding the quality of kindergarten provision. Three surveys were administered at three distinct time points: T1 (2017), T2 (2019), and T3 (2021) across more then 150 kindergartens. Approximately 8,000 four- and five-year-olds, 12,000 parents, 1,800 staff members, and 160 kindergarten leaders have participated in these surveys. The surveys cover a wide range of factors that research has shown to significantly correlate with well-being, development, and learning. Kindergartens have access to their own results through an interactive online result portal, enabling them to extract results for all respondent groups.

Pedagogical analysis serves as a core tool for analyzing and developing interventions in kindergartens within the Culture for Learning framework. Collective professional development initiatives have included learning caravans and workshops targeting different levels within the kindergarten sector. Furthermore, various online competence packages have been established for leaders at both kindergarten and municipal levels, as well as for all kindergarten staff, providing relevant theories and research-based knowledge. The implementation of competence packages has occurred within professional learning groups in each individual kindergarten. These packages have covered thematic areas such as relationships, language, parent collaboration, and pedagogical analysis.

There has been a positive development across all areas assessed by the survey respondents from T1 to T3. This includes improvements in children's social, linguistic, and motor skills. Four- and five-year-olds themselves reported experiencing an enhanced learning environment, with an average improvement of 0.15 standard deviations from T1 to T3. Additionally, there has been a certain degree of improvement in staff collaboration on pedagogical activities involving children, as well as their satisfaction and competence. Moreover, there has been a positive development in the pedagogical leadership in kindergartens, as assessed by both the leaders and staff members.