Research on the Dynamic Relationships among Taiwan’s Early Childhood Education and Its Stakeholders: The System Dynamics Perspective

In Taiwan,the low birth rate has become one of the most critical problems faced by the government and educational institutions at all levels.The enrolling student number of kindergartens perhaps is the most directly affected by such trend.The purpose of this study aims at constructing a system dynamics model to depict the relationships between the preschool children and their stakeholders for deducing the evolutionary trends of,and the interactions of,governmental policies and the operations of the early childhood education institutions.Through the interpretation of policies and simulation analysis of the twenty-year growth trend related to the child population in Taiwan,this study found that governmental policies and the promotion of education and care services have a positive effect on the growth of all levels of kindergarten classes.Besides,the relationship between the education and care service staff and the kindergarten play a causal balancing role in our proposed model.We suggest that the system dynamics model proposed by this study can help to observe the dynamic relationships formed by the stakeholders in preschool education and care system based on the“joint responsibility”of Taiwan’s early childhood education.

A Study of Health Prescribing for Children with Tourette’s Disorders in Children’s Health Education Specialty Care Clinics

Objective:This study designs and implements the health prescription of children’s health education specialized nursing clinic based on the physical and mental characteristics of children with Tourette’s syndrome.Methods:Applying the evidence-based nursing model and nursing intervention theory based on the survey research by searching China Knowledge Network,Wanfang Database and Wipro Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database,the study collected the literature on the health prescription intervention research in children’s Tourette’s disorders health education in children’s health education of specialized nursing outpatient clinic for review and combined with the specialty characteristics to formulate“Children’s Tourette’s Disorder Health Education Prescription.”Results:Tourette’s syndrome in children is a common pediatric neurological disorder,mainly manifested as involuntary,rapid and repeated muscle twitching and vocal tics,which brings serious psychological pressure and life disturbance to the affected children.Conclusion:For children with Tourette’s syndrome,healthcare professionals should give enough care and understanding to the children and their parents,provide timely and effective health education to them,help them improve their bad behavioral habits,establish correct cognitive attitudes,enhance self-confidence,improve patient compliance,reduce the frequency of recurrence,reduce the incidence of complications and promote children’s physical and mental health development.

Literature Review:Inclusive Education in Early Childhood

This literature review provides an overview of existing research and compares,and contrasts aims and definitions of Inclusive Education(IE)policies in China and Australia.It begins with the development of IE in each country;then it describes definition and concept of IE.The last section summarizes research in early childhood education in both countries.

A Comparison of the Main Features of Suzuki and Traditional Violin Education

In early childhood education it is important to determine a child＇s ability or attitude towards different subjects Training and/or education geared towards these tendencies will not only ensure a more healthy future choice in education for the child but furthermore will enable the child to have a happier educational atmosphere in early childhood. Music education/training in early childhood is considered to be very important in early years. Music education/training, in the correct and proper context using tangible and feasible teaching techniques not only improves and develops a child＇s musical skills but also helps develop his/her personality. Two people who shared this view were Zolt^n Kod^ly and Shinichi Suzuki. Suzuki positively affected the educational systems worldwide with his approach to violin teaching and his ideas on early childhood pedagogy. Choosing between the Suzuki violin teaching methodology and the traditional violin teaching methodology is a personal decision. This article tries to objectively elaborate on different aspects of Suzuki and traditional violin teaching methodologies. Each methodology has its pros and cons and knowing what these are will help individuals to make a more educated choice.

Developmental Programming of Ethical Consciousness： Impact on B ioscience Ethics Education and Learning

Personal ethics are strongly influenced by emotions, particularly secondary emotions, because these emotions expand ethical reasoning and development as the child matures. A well-developed consciousness profoundly influences a person＇s actions and conduct when solving problems of what is thought, or taught to be, right or wrong Compelling neurological evidence supports the claim that children begin to develop enduring ethical standards at an early age and that these standards are largely based on the experiences of early childhood. Essentially, the innate sense of ethics requires nurturing during infancy before it can be cognitively understood and practiced in maturity. In biological terms, the development of neural networks that regulate emotional growth, and subsequently, the capacity for ethical discrimination, depends on the infant＇s early social environment. Thus, the toddler＇s early epigenetic experiences enhance, or impede, its innate still dormant genetic potential. Importantly, personal character development and ethical discrimination begins long before the child＇s formal educational years. As a consequence, early learning has to discover ways of conserving adaptive thinking which can be applied to the choices that may confront future generations. Early ethics education, including accurate access to scientific, medical, and technological knowledge, is thus critical. Future generations will increasingly require education from a global perspective when making major ethical decisions in areas, such as nuclear technology, disposal of wastes, preservation of biodiversity, global warming, and unregulated human population growth. As long as our culture continues to reflect advances in science and technology, there is an obligation to make science education overlap with crucial periods in the advancement of ethical consciousness. Significantly, when considering the human capacity for excess at times of conflict, it is incumbent on the scientific community to integrate research-based knowledge with wide-ranging learning and problem-solving skills. Bioscience ethics, the established interface bridging applied science and applied bioethics, can assist in this process of integration. To become fully responsible adults, we must share our extraordinary cognitive talents and respect life on earth in all its rich diversity. In biological terms, human uniqueness resides primarily in our brains with its products being co-operation in family and ancestral units, long education, sophisticated language and culture, and importantly, ethical consciousness-all attributes held in trust by knowledge and wisdom for future generations.

Discussion on the Current Situation of Inclusive Education in Chinese Preschools

At present,the public is beginning to pay attention to education and the growth of young children,and inclusive education is gradually being valued by the public.Society needs to treat everyone equally,include all children,oppose discrimination and exclusion,and protect the right to education of children with special needs.By discovering and eliminating various learning obstacles,all children have more opportunities to participate in learning and realize the personalization of teaching models.The implementation of inclusive education in kindergartens can enable more children with special needs to adapt to and integrate into society.The article discusses the challenges faced by inclusive education in Chinese preschool under the perspective of inclusive education,in order to improve the quality of inclusive education and promote the healthy physical and mental development of children.

近年OECD国家幼儿教育经费投入趋势研究——基于《Educationata Glance:OECD Indicators 2010-2015》报告的分析

《Education at a Glance:OECD indicators》是OECD每年发布的关于各成员国3年前教育发展概况统计。通过对2010-2015年6年间OECD发布的《Education at a Glance:OECD indicators》报告中关于幼儿教育阶段经费投入状况的分析发现:OECD国家近年对幼儿教育的投入占GDP的比例平均0.6℅以上,占教育总体投入的8.5℅以上,并且教育投入正在向幼儿教育倾斜;政府是学前教育投入的绝对主体,并正在逐步通过多种方式降低家庭负担的比重;在保证一定数量的公办幼儿教育机构的基础上逐渐扩大对私立机构的投入和资助。OECD国家幼儿教育经费投入趋势对我国幼儿教育经费投入具有重要的参考价值。

educare:一个值得引入的幼教概念

educare一词在西方幼教界广为使用,在我国学界却长期不为人知。辞源学的考察表明,educare与education同源同祖,仅在精微层面含义有别,但这一精微差别意蕴深远,可以为进一步辨明幼儿教育的基本性质提供独特的视角。educare语义表征下的幼儿教育与其他学段的教育存在以下性质方面的根本差异:幼儿教育的使命不在于任何形式的"自外而内的输入性学习",而在于"对幼儿内发性精神成长的保育"。引入educare概念对我国学前教育学科的理论发展和实践转向均具有重要意义,我国幼儿教育工作者应勇于践履educare内涵指引下的本真使命。

A Critical Analysis of Education for Sustainability in Early Childhood Curriculum Documents in China and Norway

Purpose:This article examines how early childhood curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts are associated with current concepts of sustainability and principles of early childhood education for sustainability(ECEfS)in China and Norway.Design/Approach/Methods:Applying critical document analysis,the study explores a number of landmark curriculum documents from China and Norway,comparing the ways in which ECEfS is conceptualized,including the concept of sustainability,children as agents of change for sustainability,and sustainability in young children’s everyday lives.Findings:Corresponding to the analytical framework,China and Norway attach different importance to the three dimensions of sustainability-social-cultural,economic,and environmental.For example,Norway has a more autonomous view of children’s agency,while China gives more emphasis to teachers’support.The two countries also have different perspectives on how to work with families and communities based on significantly different traditions and institutions.The comparative document analysis argues that predominant cultural dimensions in each context,such as collectivist and individualistic factors,may shape the understandings of sustainability in each country’s early years’curriculum documents.Originality/Values:By broadening the focus on the social-cultural aspects of sustainability,this study extends the development of a culturally inclusive understanding of the concept of sustainability and contextualized/localized approaches to ECEfS across the globe.

Early Childhood Education for Sustainability Through Contradicting and Overlapping Dimensions

Purpose:The article investigates how to make a broader understanding of sustainability relevant for early childhood education(ECE)guided by the four dimensions suggested by United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization:ecological,economic and social/cultural sustainability,and good governance.Design/Approach/Methods:Previous research on ECE on sustainability is discussed in relation to the four dimensions and to Biesta’s concepts of socialization,qualification,and subjectification.Findings:The investigation finds that all four dimensions are necessary in ECE for sustainability,and it suggests how the dimensions can be understood,how they may overlap,and how they can be contradictive.Originality/Value:The article depicts how children’s opportunities to engage and to disturb established ways of thinking can be facilitated through all dimensions.

Application of Early Enteral Nutrition in Critically Ill Children

Objective: The objective is to investigate the incidence of moderate and severe malnutrition in children in intensive care units, and to analyze the safety and clinical efficacy of early enteral nutrition therapy in critically ill children. Methods: A total of 80 children hospitalized in the pediatric care unit meeting the inclusion criteria were selected and general data were collected, including 48 in the early enteral nutrition (EEN) group and 32 in the late EN group. The two groups were compared in the incidence of moderate to severe malnutrition, feeding tolerance, length of stay in ICU, total length of stay, changes in blood routine and biochemical indicators. Results: After 1 week in ICU, the feeding tolerance of the treatment group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The average length of stay in ICU and total length of stay in the treatment group were shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After 1 week of comprehensive treatment (anti-infection and EEN), the total number of WBC, absolute value of neutrophil and C-reactive protein in peripheral blood of the treatment group were decreased (P < 0.01), which was significantly lower than that of the control group with bacterial infection (P < 0.01). After 1 week of treatment in ICU, serum prealbumin in treatment group was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.05), but serum albumin was not significantly higher (P > 0.05). The rate of moderate to severe malnutrition at discharge was lower in the treatment group than at admission to the ICU (17 cases vs. 20 cases, 35.4% vs. 41.7%), but higher in the control group (19 cases vs. 16 cases, 59.4% vs. 50.0%). Conclusion: Malnutrition is prevalent in children treated in pediatric intensive care units. Early enteral nutrition therapy for critically ill children is safe and effective, that can significantly improve the nutritional status of critically ill children, reduce inflammatory response, and shorten the hospital stay.

Purposeful and Ethical Early Childhood Teacher:The Underlying Values Guiding Finnish Early Childhood Education

Purpose:The new Finnish National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care(2018)strongly highlights pedagogical knowledge and practice,demanding teachers to develop their pedagogical thinking,evaluation,judgment,and operating culture.Since ethics is viewed as vital characteristics of the teaching profession,our objective is to make these complex ethical issues more visible to be subject to democratic discussion and change.Design/Approach/Methods:The framework comprises a broad theory base of codes of ethics and professional codes of ethics of teaching.The research materials were national curricula of early childhood education and care(ECEC)-and pre-primary education.The eight-step qualitative analysis process was applied to identify and shed light on the codes of ethics laying the foundations forpurposeful and ethical earlychildhood education(ECE)teacher.Findings:The results indicate that through both theoretical lenses,the Finnish ECEC curricula comprise several ethical codes.For the future purposeful ECE teachers as ethical professionals,the results raise questions for further discussion.Particularly,issues related to the ethics of care,intellectual freedom,inquiry stance,and professional competence,and diversity may further enhance our ECEC curricula.

Saving One Smile at a Time: Oral Health Promotion in Pediatric Primary Care Practice

Oral health continues to be a major issue affecting children these days. Early childhood caries are considered to be the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States. Despite the availability of Medicaid, millions of children can still not access a dental provider to receive proper care. Getting children in for dental care early in their lives saves money. Children that do not receive proper oral health care during their childhood are at higher risk for more complex and restorative care as they age. Plans to reduce childhood caries include more creative interventions such as oral assessment, education and fluoride varnish application in primary care practices. Pediatric primary care providers are trusted by parents to care for their children and have an ideal opportunity to make a lasting impression and create behavioral changes in oral health during their frequent contacts with children and families. Integrating oral health promotion is a simple task with numerous benefits for children and families, as well as primary care doctors’ offices. With proper professional and governmental support oral health promotion programs in primary care practice can further increase in number which can ultimately improve oral health outcomes, save time and prevent costly dental repairs, as well as benefit the practice through proper reimbursement.

Parental expectation of early childhood education: comparison between China, Japan, and Korea

This study investigates 727 parents from China, Japan, and Korea by a self-devised scale and compares the differences in their expectation of early childhood education in cross-cultural backgrounds. The result shows that parents from the three countries have a positive attitude toward their children’s development. The main effect of nations on such factors as individual development, close attention to diet, willpower training, moral judgment, and emotional exchange with adults is significant, while the two-way interaction between nations and child gender, nations and child age, and the three-way interaction between nations, child gender, and child age are not significant.

Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,and Threats Analysis and Countermeasures on the Cultivation of Preschool Teachers in Sichuan Province

Training of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province brings advantages in increasing government support for the preschool education industry.The society attaches an important role to the preschool education industry as well as the rapid development of preschool education in Sichuan Province.However,problem exists in large flows of preschool teachers and imbalanced gender ratios.By viewing from the new situation,the comprehensive liberalization of the second-child policy and the development of educational informatization as well as the implementation of the one belt and one road strategy have created great opportunities in training of preschool teachers.At the same time,the increase in external impact of high-quality graduates in the east also poses a great threat to the development of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province.Through the strategic combination of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats analysis,the paper explores effective countermeasure ways to improve the quality of training of the preschool teachers in Sichuan Province and the construction of an excellent team of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province.

以家庭为中心的赋能健康教育模式在剖宫产初产妇早期母乳喂养中的应用

目的探讨以家庭为中心的赋能健康教育模式在剖宫产初产妇早期母乳喂养中的应用效果。方法选取2021年11月-2022年1月在我院计划行剖宫产的初产妇及其照顾者93例作为对照组,采用常规健康教育宣教方法,宣教对象主要为初产妇本人;选取2022年3-7月在我院计划行剖宫产的初产妇及其照顾者98例作为观察组,在对照组基础上实施以家庭为中心的赋能健康教育模式。比较2组初产妇及其照顾者干预前后母乳喂养知识情况;干预前后初产妇婴儿喂养态度、母乳喂养家庭支持;干预后初产妇泌乳Ⅱ期启动时间和出院时纯母乳喂养率。结果干预前2组初产妇及照顾者各指标比较,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);干预后,观察组初产妇及其照顾者母乳喂养知识,以及初产妇婴儿喂养态度、母乳喂养家庭支持、泌乳Ⅱ期启动时间和出院时纯母乳喂养率方面均优于对照组(P<0.05)。结论以家庭为中心的赋能健康教育模式能提高产妇及照顾者的母乳喂养知识,提升婴儿喂养态度及母乳喂养家庭支持,缩短泌乳Ⅱ期启动时间,提高产妇出院时纯母乳喂养率。

Debugging Strategies for Parents' Educational Anxiety in the Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School--Based on the Theory of Mature Forces

Due to the rapid growth of the economy and society,the burden of social security has been increasingly escalating,resulting in a continuous rise in parenting stress among certain groups of parents.On one hand,these parents aspire for their young children to grow through play;on the other hand,they are acutely aware that early childhood education constitutes the foundational stage of basic education and serves as the commencement phase of lifelong learning.Thus,they recognize the importance of emphasizing early childhood education.Therefore,preschool education has been given important significance.Parents place particular emphasis on education during this stage.They actively leverage their educational,financial,and social advantages to create favorable educational resources and opportunities for their young children.However,to a certain extent,this exacerbates educational anxiety among a segment of parents.Despite the implementation of various governmental measures,it appears that these initiatives have not fundamentally addressed parental educational anxiety at its root.This study employs interview techniques and literature review methodologies to gain a profound understanding of parental educational anxiety during the transition from early childhood to primary education.By integrating Gesell's Maturation Theory,this research aims to scientifically explicate the developmental patterns of children.Consequently,it endeavors to enable non-professional parents to adopt a"professional"perspective in their approach towards early childhood education.

学前教育评估人员专业素养指标体系的构建——基于德尔菲法的调查分析

明确学前教育评估人员专业素养是保障和提升学前教育评估人员专业水平、推动学前教育评估队伍专业化建设的起点。本研究采用三轮德尔菲法,建构了学前教育评估人员专业素养指标体系,具体包括评估理念与道德、评估知识与技术、组织与实施3个一级指标,评估理念、职业道德、评估知识、评估技术、组织协调和沟通交流6个二级指标和23个三级指标。该指标体系为遴选、培训、指导、考核学前教育评估人员提供了参考框架,并为学前教育评估人员的自我反思与专业提升提供了依据。

学前教育结构特征与过程质量关系的实证研究述评

当前我国学前教育正处于数量发展转向质量提高的关键节点,通过改善结构质量可以提高过程质量,进而推动学前教育高质量发展。梳理近30年国内外有关学前教育结构特征与过程质量关系的实证研究成果可以发现:学前教育质量评价与改进制度有助于提高过程质量;机构环境中的机构规模与类型、物质环境与材料、组织氛围与管理质量、工作条件等变量均对过程质量有显著预测作用;班级环境中的班级规模与师幼比、班级结构等变量有较强预测作用;教师的受教育水平、在职培训、个体特征等能够影响过程质量。我国学前教育结构特征与过程质量关系研究应进一步拓宽广度,丰富结构特征的研究内容;拓展深度,实施跨区域的追踪性研究,为学前教育政策制定提供循证依据。

幼儿教师和学前教育师范生对幼教情怀的认知:基于词语联想测验的分析

教育情怀是教师的核心素养,了解幼儿教师和学前教育师范生对幼教情怀的认知,有助于教育者对幼教情怀的共同理解以及在幼教师资培养培训中科学地培育幼教情怀。借鉴心理词汇研究范式,对521名幼儿教师和529名学前教育师范生进行“与幼教情怀相关”和“与幼教情怀无关”的词语联想测验,获取相应的特征词;对两类特征词分别归类,构建网络关系图,直观呈现其中心节点和典型关联。经卡方检验,两类研究对象对幼教情怀的认知总体趋于一致。研究结果表明,研究对象对幼教情怀的认知体现了幼教情怀的多维结构,以“关爱”为中心的情感支持是幼教情怀的核心心理成分,但研究对象对幼教情怀的认知存在一定的局限和偏差,需通过培养培训强化幼儿教师和学前教育师范生对幼教情怀的理性认知,引导其在积极的情感体验中领悟幼教情怀的真谛,通过实践修习和交流反思涵养幼教情怀,在尊师重教的环境氛围中升华幼教情怀。