ICF-CY as a Framework for Understanding Child Engagement in Preschool

Abstract

Engagement in preschool predicts children's development, learning, and wellbeing in later school years. The time children engage in activities and social interactions is conditional for preschool inclusion. Engagement is part of the construct participation, which is determined by attendance and involvement. Two suggested underlying dimensions of engagement had been identified as essential when assessing children's participation in preschool activities. As engagement is a key question in inclusion of all children, and preschool becomes a common context for them, it is increasingly important to understand the concept of engagement in those settings. In Sweden most children attend preschool but children in need of special support tend not to receive enough support for their everyday functioning. This study aimed to conceptualize child engagement in preschool with ICF-CY as a framework to clarify core and developmental engagement dimensions included in Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ). The content of CEQ was identified through linking processes based on ICF linking rules with some exceptions. Specific challenges and solutions were acknowledged. To identify engagement dimensions in the ICF-CY, CEQ items related to ICF-CY chapters were integrated in the two-dimensional model of engagement. Findings showed that engagement measured for preschool ages was mostly related to Learning and Applying knowledge belonging to Activities and Participation but the linkage detected missing areas. Broader perspectives of children's everyday functioning require extended assessment with consideration to mutual influences between activities, participation, body functions, and contextual factors. Related to core and developmental engagement, findings highlight the importance for preschool staff to pay attention to how children do things, not only what they do. Activities related to core engagement include basic skills; those related to developmental engagement set higher demands on the child. Linking challenges related to preschool context were not consistent with those reported for child health. Using the ICF-CY as a framework with a common language may lead to open discussions among persons around the child, clarify the different perspectives and knowledges of the persons, and facilitate decisions on how to implement support to a child in everyday life situations in preschool and at home.

Student Engagment and Math Teachers Support

“…The engagement level of children in preschool predicts their overall development, learning, and entire wellbeing in later school years. The time spent by children on activities and social interactions is crucial for preschool admission (Adolfsson, Sjöman, & Björck-Åkesson, 2018). The years of experience of the teacher plays a role on student engagement levels.…”

Engagement of Preschool-Aged Children in Daily Routines

“…With regard to early childhood education, engagement is expressed through the time the child spends engaged in activities, as well as the level of interaction with the social and physical environments and timeframe in which they are achieved in a developmentally and contextually appropriate manner. Thus, children’s engagement during early childhood education mainly refers to the manipulation of objects and materials, involvement in games with peers or adults, and participation in the activities of everyday life [ 3 , 4 ]. On the subject of children’s engagement in daily life activities, Chiarello et al [ 5 ] highlighted two important areas: participation in family and recreational activities and self-care, indicating that engagement in these areas provides a great deal of opportunities for having fun and communicating and interacting with other persons.…”

Elementary School Teachers' Referral Decision Making – A Biopsychosocial Approach

“…This tool is based on the biopsychosocial model and constitutes a comprehensive guide that contributes to the understanding οf the dynamic interplay among the numerous individual and environmental factors of health and well-being. In particular, studies based on the ICF's version for Children and Youth (henceforth abbreviated as ICF-CY [40]) focused, among others, on the involvement of developing people in key life domains, on activity in everyday life situations, on the integration of challenged students in school settings, on the impact of critical environmental factors, and on the individual support needs assessment [3,5,26,37].…”

“…Nonetheless, these studies are still sparse. At the same time, many researchers stress the need for a better understanding of the complex and dynamic relationships among the ICF-CY components [3,15,16,35]. Within this context, the inclusion of students' personal factors, the evaluation of the educational environment, the creation of short tools for screening and their adaptation to the specific country and culture of implementation are suggested [1,2,5,25,31,36,38].…”