logo logo European Journal of Educational Research

EU-JER is is a, peer reviewed, online academic research journal.

Subscribe to

Receive Email Alerts

for special events, calls for papers, and professional development opportunities.

Subscribe

Publisher (HQ)

Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Christiaan Huygensstraat 44, Zipcode:7533XB, Enschede, THE NETHERLANDS
Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Headquarters
Christiaan Huygensstraat 44, Zipcode:7533XB, Enschede, THE NETHERLANDS
Research Article

Scientific Information and Validation Criteria in Kindergarten Teachers: An Exploratory Study in Chile

Sergio Sepúlveda-Vallejos , Alejandro Almonacid-Fierro , María Isabel Cifo , Andrew Philominraj

Teaching is a demanding and complex exercise, exposed to the direct or immediate resolution of multiple problematic situations, whether pedagogical, r.

T

Teaching is a demanding and complex exercise, exposed to the direct or immediate resolution of multiple problematic situations, whether pedagogical, relational, or socio-affective. The teacher's personal resources are often insufficient to cope with the profession's demands. The research reports that there is a gap between research and educational practice. Hence, the objective of this research was to analyze the criteria used by early childhood educators to attribute validity to the written sources of information that guide their pedagogical decisions. The present study follows a qualitative research methodology. The sample for this study was non-probabilistic and consisted of 18 early childhood educators who participated through semi-structured interviews and discussion groups. The data obtained were analyzed by inductive categorization using NVivo 14. The findings revealed that the validity criteria assigned by the educators about the sources of information related to theoretical aspects is mainly attributed to the texts and authors they know, while those referring to practical aspects are attributed to their own experiences or the other educators at the same level. The results showed that specific information and obtaining it in the shortest possible time were the criteria that determined the use of information sources.

Keywords: Early childhood educators, early childhood education, evaluation criteria, sources of information.

cloud_download PDF
Cite
Article Metrics
Views
231
Download
1027
Citations
Crossref
0

Scopus
0

References

Abela, J. A. (2002). Las técnicas de análisis de contenido: una revisión actualizada [The techniques of content analysis: an updated review]. Andalusian Studies Center Foundation/ Fundación Centro Estudios Andaluces. https://bit.ly/3ybsFfn

Alonso, L. E. (1996). El grupo de discusión en su práctica: memoria social, intertextualidad y acción comunicativa [The focus group in its practice: social memory, intertextuality and communicative action]. Revista Internacional de Sociología, 13, 5-36.

Arteaga González, P., Hermosilla-Ávila, A., Mena Bastías, C., & Contreras Contreras, S. (2018). Una mirada a la calidad de vida y salud de las educadoras de párvulos [A look at the quality of life and health of early childhood educators]. Ciencia and Trabajo, 20(61), 42-47. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-24492018000100042

Baden, C., Pasitselska, O., Aharoni, T., & Tenenboim-Weinblatt, K. (2022). Serial focus groups: A longitudinal design for studying interactive discourse. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221118766

Blanco-López, Á., Martínez-Peña, B., & Jiménez-Liso, M. R. (2018). ¿Puede la investigación iluminar el cambio educativo? [Can research illuminate educational change?]. Ápice. Revista de Educación Científica, 2(2), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.17979/arec.2018.2.2.4612

Borg, S. (2010). Language teacher research engagement. Language Teaching, 43(4), 391-429. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444810000170

Bråten, I., & Ferguson, L. E. (2015). Beliefs about sources of knowledge predict motivation for learning in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 50, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.04.003

Broekkamp, H., & van Hout-Wolters, B. (2007). The gap between educational research and practice: A literature review, symposium, and questionnaire. Educational Research and Evaluation, 13(3), 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803610701626127

Buys, T., Casteleijn, D., Heyns, T., & Untiedt, H. (2022). A reflexive lens on preparing and conducting semi-structured interviews with academic colleagues. Qualitative Health Research, 32(13), 2030-2039. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323221130832

Buysse, V., Wesley, P. W., Snyder, P., & Winton, P. (2006). Evidence-based practice: What does it really mean for the early childhood field? Young Exceptional Children, 9(4), 2-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/109625060600900401

Cain, T., Wieser, C., & Livingston, K. (2016). Mobilising research knowledge for teaching and teacher education. European Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 529-533. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2016.1256086

Chafouleas, S. M., & Riley‐Tillman, T. C. (2005). Accepting the gap: An introduction to the special issue on bridging research and practice. Psychology in the Schools, 42(5), 455-458. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20084

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Manual de investigación cualitativa III. Las estrategias de investigación cualitativa [Handbook of qualitative research III. Qualitative research strategies]. Gedisa.

Diery, A., Vogel, F., Knogler, M., & Seidel, T. (2020). Evidence-based practice in higher education: Teacher educators' attitudes, challenges, and uses. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 62. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00062

Eigege, C. Y., Daundasekara, S. S., Gomez, M. L., Walton, Q. L., & Hernandez, D. C. (2022). Conducting research six feet apart: The feasibility of transitioning qualitative research to meet the emerging research needs during a pandemic. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211069442

Farley, K. S., Brock, M. E., & Winterbottom, C. (2018). Evidence-based practices: providing guidance for early childhood practitioners. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 32(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2017.1387205

Farley-Ripple, E., May, H., Karpyn, A., Tilley, K., & McDonough, K. (2018). Rethinking connections between research and practice in education: A conceptual framework. Educational Researcher, 47(4), 235-245. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18761042

Fernández-Prieto, I., Giné-Garriga, M., & Canet Vélez, O. (2019). Barreras y motivaciones percibidas por adolescentes en relación con la actividad física. Estudio cualitativo a través de grupos de discusión [Barriers and motivations perceived by adolescents in relation to physical activity. A qualitative study through focus groups.]. Revista Espanola de Salud Publica, 93, 1-12. https://bit.ly/3UT6cN8

Galindo Domínguez, H., Perines, H., Verde Trabada, A., & Valero Esteban, J. M. (2022). Entendiendo la brecha pedagógica entre la investigación educativa y la realidad del profesorado: un análisis de las barreras y propuestas [Understanding the pedagogical gap between educational research and teacher reality: An analysis of barriers and proposals]. EEducación XX1, 25(2), 173-200. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.29877

Gore, J. M., & Gitlin, A. D. (2004). [RE] Visioning the academic–teacher divide: Power and knowledge in the educational community. Teachers and Teaching, 10(1), 35-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600320000170918

Graneheim, U. H., Lindgren, B.-M., & Lundman, B. (2017). Methodological challenges in qualitative content analysis: A discussion paper. Nurse Education Today, 56, 29-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.06.002

Groß Ophoff, J., Wolf, R., Schladitz, S., & Wirtz, M. (2017). Assessment of educational research literacy in higher education: Construct validation of the factorial structure of an assessment instrument comparing different treatments of omitted responses. Journal for Educational Research Online, 9(2), 37-68.

Hendriks, F., Seifried, E., & Menz, C. (2021). Unraveling the “smart but evil” stereotype: Pre-service teachers' evaluations of educational psychology researchers versus teachers as sources of information. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 35(2-3), 157-171. https://doi.org/10.1024/1010-0652/a000300

Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., & Stigler, J. W. (2002). A knowledge base for the teaching profession: What would it look like and how can we get one? Educational Researcher, 31(5), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x031005003

Huaiquián-Billeke, C., Mansilla-Sepúlveda, J., & Lasalle-Rivas, V. (2016). Apego: representaciones de educadoras de párvulos en jardines infantiles en Temuco, Chile [Attachment: representations of early childhood educators in kindergartens in Temuco, Chile.]. Latin American Journal of Social Sciences, Childhood and Youth/ Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 14(2), 1119-1129. https://doi.org/10.11600/1692715x.14216100115

Hyseni Duraku, Z., Jahiu, G., & Geci, D. (2022). The Interplay of individual and organizational factors with early childhood teachers’ level of work motivation, job satisfaction, and burnout. International Journal of Educational Reform. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879221114891

Ivanova, I., & Skara-Mincāne, R. (2016). Development of professional identity during teacher’s practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232, 529-536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.073

Joram, E., Gabriele, A. J., & Walton, K. (2020). What influences teachers’“buy-in” of research? Teachers’ beliefs about the applicability of educational research to their practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 88, Article 102980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102980

Kaestle, C. F. (1993). Research news and comment: The awful reputation of education research. Educational Researcher, 22(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X022001023

Kallitsoglou, A. (2020). Implementation of evidence-based practices for early childhood social learning: A viewpoint on the role of teacher attitudes. Journal of Children's Services, 15(2), 61-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-04-2019-0022

Kostoulas, A., Babić, S., Glettler, C., Karner, A., Mercer, S., & Seidl, E. (2019). Lost in research: educators’ attitudes towards research and professional development. Teacher Development, 23(3), 307-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2019.1614655

LaBrot, Z. C., Weaver, C., Peak, L., Maxime, E., Butt, S., Johnson, C., Pigg, B., & Hamilton, F. (2022). Multitiered consultation to promote preservice teachers’ delivery of behavior-specific praise in early childhood education classrooms. Journal of Behavioral Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-022-09502-4

Landrum, T. J., Cook, B. G., Tankersley, M., & Fitzgerald, S. (2002). Teacher perceptions of the trustworthiness, usability, and accessibility of information from different sources. Remedial and Special Education, 23(1), 42-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193250202300106

Ministry of Education. (2013). Estado del arte de la educación parvularia en Chile [State of the art of preschool education in Chile]. https://bit.ly/4bqTBXl  

Ministry of Education. (2014). Antecedentes generales del nivel de educación parvularia en Chile [General background of the kindergarten education level in Chile].  https://bit.ly/3JYdBUM

Montero, L., & Gewerc, A. (2018). La profesión docente en la sociedad del conocimiento. Una mirada a través de la revisión de investigaciones de los últimos 10 años [The teaching profession in the knowledge society. A look through a review of research from the last 10 years.]. Revista de Educación a Distancia, 18(56), Article 3. https://revistas.um.es/red/article/view/321481

Murillo Torrecilla, F., Perines Veliz, H., & Lomba Portela, L. (2017). La comunicación de la investigación educativa. Una aproximación a la relación entre la investigación, su difusión y la práctica docente [The communication of educational research. An approach to the relationship between research, its dissemination and teaching practice.]. Faculty/ Profesorado, 21(2), 183-200. http://hdl.handle.net/10481/48727

Pardo, M., & Adlerstein, C. (2015). Informe nacional sobre docentes para la educación de la primera infancia: Chile [National report on teachers for early childhood education: Chile]. Regional Teacher Strategy Project-OREALC / Proyecto Estrategia Regional Docente-UNESCO. https://bit.ly/3WRd0wb

Perines, H., & Campaña, K. (2019). La alfabetización de los futuros docentes en investigación educativa: Una reflexión teórica desde el contexto de Chile [The literacy of future teachers in educational research: A theoretical reflection from the Chilean context]. Revista Caribeña de Investigación Educativa, 3(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.32541/recie.2019.v3i1.pp7-18

Pianta, R. C., Barnett, W. S., Burchinal, M., & Thornburg, K. R. (2009). The effects of preschool education: what we know, how public policy is or is not aligned with the evidence base, and what we need to know. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 10(2), 49-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100610381908

Pineda, J. L. d. L., Villanueva, R. L. d. D., & Tolentino, J. A. M. (2022). Virtual Focus Group Discussions: the new normal way to promote reflective practice. Reflective Practice, 23(2), 190-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2021.2001322

Ratcliffe, M., Bartholomew, H., Hames, V., Hind, A., Leach, J., Millar, R., & Osborne, J. (2005). Evidence‐based practice in science education: the researcher–user interface. Research Papers in Education, 20(2), 169-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520500078036

Scott-Andrews, K. Q., Miller, A. L., Templin, T. J., Hasson, R. E., & Robinson, L. E. (2022). The feasibility and challenges of conducting online research to examine movement behavior in parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, Article 720083. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.720083

Sinnema, C., Sewell, A., & Milligan, A. (2011). Evidence-informed collaborative inquiry for improving teaching and learning. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 247-261. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2011.597050

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2009). Does school context matter? Relations with teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(3), 518-524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.12.006

Slavin, R. E. (2002). Evidence-based education policies: transforming educational practice and research. Educational Researcher, 31(7), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x031007015

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (2002). Bases de la investigación cualitativa: técnicas y procedimientos para desarrollar la teoría fundamentada [Basis of qualitative research: techniques and procedures to develop grounded theory]. Universidad de Antioquia.

Tardif, M. (2004). Los saberes del docente y su desarrollo profesional [Teachers' knowledge and professional development]. Narcea Ediciones.

Taylor, H. F., McCorkle, L. S., Vestal, A. R., & Wood, C. L. (2022). “I need you to show me:” coaching early childhood professionals. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50, 503-513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01172-7

Taylor, M. (2013). Social science teachers' utilisation of best evidence synthesis research. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 48(2), 34-50.

Taylor, S. J., & Bogdan, R. (2008). La entrevista en profundidad. In S. J. Taylor & R. Bogdan (Eds.), Introducción a los métodos cualitativos de investigación: la búsqueda de significados. (Vol. 2, pp. 194-216). Paidós.

Universidad de Chile. (1946). Decreto N° 1.067. Anexa la Escuela de Educadoras de Párvulos [Decree N° 1.067. Attached the School of Nursery Educators]. Universidad de Chile - Facultad de Filosofía y Educación.

Vanderlinde, R., & van Braak, J. (2010). The gap between educational research and practice: Views of teachers, school leaders, intermediaries and researchers. British Educational Research Journal, 36(2), 299-316. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920902919257

Van Schaik, P., Volman, M., Admiraal, W., & Schenke, W. (2018). Barriers and conditions for teachers’ utilisation of academic knowledge. International Journal of Educational Research, 90, 50-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.05.003

Virkus, S., & Mathiesen, M. (2019). Information Seeking Behavior of Primary School Teachers in Estonia: An Exploratory Study. In S. Kurbanoğlu, S. Špiranec, Y. Ünal, J. Boustany, M. L. Huotari, E. Grassian, D. Mizrachi, & L. Roy (Eds.), Information literacy in everyday life (Vol. 989, pp. 317-328). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13472-3_30

What works Clearinghouse. (2014). WWC evidence review protocol for early childhood education interventions. What works Clearinghouse. https://bit.ly/4aWHzUM

Williams, D., & Coles, L. (2007). Teachers' approaches to finding and using research evidence: an information literacy perspective. Educational Research, 49(2), 185-206. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880701369719

...