Preschool Teachers' Use of Pyramid Model Practices in Mainland China

Abstract

The social domain is 1 of 5 preschool curricular domains in mainland China. Chinese preschool teachers are expected to use teaching practices that foster young children's social competence. The purpose of this study was to explore a small sample of Chinese preschool teachers' use of teaching and behavior support practices associated with the Pyramid Model. Twenty preschool classrooms in mainland China were observed using the prepublication version of the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool for Preschool Classrooms (L. Fox, M. L. Hemmeter, & P. Snyder, 2008). In addition, each teacher completed a social–emotional teaching practices survey. Results indicated that Chinese teachers were observed to use, on average, about 31% of key teaching practices associated with the Pyramid Model. They were implementing more universal promotion practices than targeted social–emotional teaching practices. Chinese teachers generally were not observed to be teaching behavior expectations and social problem solving, nor were they developing individualized interventions for children with the most persistent challenging behavior. Correlational analyses suggested that observed implementation of Pyramid Model practices generally was not related to self-reported use of these practices. Limitations and implications of the present study along with considerations for future research are discussed.

Preschool Teachers’ Use of Strategies to Support Social-Emotional Competence in Young Children

“…Participating preschool teachers were observed to use approximately 14% of the Key Practices, and the level of preschool teachers' implementation did not vary significantly across classroom types and levels. In the absence of training and professional development, low levels of teachers' implementation of practices to support social-emotional competence were observed in other studies (e.g., Heo et al, 2014;Luo et al, 2017;Steed & Roach, 2017). However, in comparison to studies conducted in South Korea, China, and the United States, the levels of Turkish preschool teachers' use of practices to support young children's social-emotional competence were considerably low.…”

“…A number of studies have demonstrated that children who have deficits in socialemotional development are more likely to demonstrate challenging behaviors (Dunlap et al, 2006;Hemmeter & Conroy, 2018;Luo, Snyder, Clark, & Hong, 2017;Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004). Children who exhibit challenging behavior during preschool years are at risk for failure in formal schooling and their adult lives are often characterized by violence, anxiety, and abuse (Diken, Cavkaytar, Batu, Bozkurt, & Kurtyilmaz, 2010;Greenberg & Kusche, 2006;Overton, McKenzie, King, & Osbourne, 2002; Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children [TACSEI], 2004;Turan, Erbas, Yucesoy-Ozkan, & Ulke-Kurkcuoglu, 2010).…”

“…Although the emphasis of the national curriculum on the social-emotional development of young children is promising, it does not warrant teachers' intentional implementation of practices and strategies to support the development of socialemotional competence. In fact, descriptive studies in the international literature show that without training and professional development support, early childhood teachers and providers across different countries infrequently use social-emotional teaching strategies while teaching young children (Heo, Cheatham, Hemmeter, & Noh, 2014;Luo et al, 2017;Steed & Roach, 2017). Intervention studies in this area, however, show that when teachers are provided with high-quality training followed by implementation support (e.g., coaching), they are able to implement strategies frequently with fidelity to enhance social-emotional devel International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education (INT-JECSE), 10(1) 2018,11-24.…”

“…Although the international literature includes several studies examining preschool or childcare teachers' use of social and emotional teaching strategies associated with the Pyramid Model (e.g., Heo et al, 2014;Luo et al, 2017;Steed & Roach, 2017), Turkish preschool teachers' implementation of these strategies is not known. Having information about preschool teachers' use of practices to promote socialemotional competence of young children would support the development and implementation of professional development programs in this area.…”

Okul Öncesi Öğretmenlerinin Çocuklardaki Problem Davranışı Belirleme ve Davranışa Müdahale Stratejileri

“…Özetle çocukların sosyal-duygusal açıdan sağlıklı gelişebilmeleri için okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin hem sınıflarında gözlemlenen problem davranışları doğru belirlemeleri hem de problem davranışlara müdahalede pedagojik açıdan uygun stratejileri kullanmaları önemlidir (Erbaş ve Yücesoy-Özkan, 2010;Öngören-Özdemir ve Tepeli, 2016;Uysal ve diğerleri, 2010). Dolayısıyla öğretmenlerin, problem davranışları belirlemeye, bu davranışların ortaya çıkmasını önlemeye ve problem davranışları ortadan kaldırmaya yönelik bilgi ve beceriye sahip olması gerekmektedir (Hemmeter ve diğerleri, 2016;Luo, Snyder, Clark ve Hong, 2017;Steed ve Roach, 2017). Yapılan araştırmalarda çoğunlukla okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin problem davranışlar ve müdahale yolları ile ilgili genel bilgileri görüşme yoluyla ölçülmüştür ve bulgular öğretmenlerin bu konuda bilgi eksikliklerinin olduğunu göstermiştir.…”