131 Session 7
Papers Topic - Inclusion Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention P7.07 Becoming Indigenous': The Scope of Researcher Immersion in Inclusive Educational Settings Presenting Author: Maria Torres (Portugal)
Affiliation: CIEC - Institute of Education - University of Minho, Portugal Co-Authors: Ana Paula da Silva Pereira, Manuel Jacinto Sarmento
P7.08 Building Inclusion Together Between Early Intervention for Children Services and Early Childhood Educators in Singapore Presenting Author: Ivy Chew Bishan (Singapore) Affiliation: Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC): EIC Services Co-Authors: Nurul Ain Bte Mohd Komari In recent years, the Singapore government has been actively advancing practices to promote inclusion of children with developmental needs in preschools. THK EIC, an early childhood intervention provider, conducted a pre-survey to understand the needs of the mainstream preschool educators. Results showed that more than 40% of preschool educators reported low self-confidence in managing children with developmental needs in their mainstream classrooms. To address this need and align with industry’s best practices, THK EIC embarked on two professional collaborative projects between preschool and early intervention educators. Interdisciplinary collaboration has been shown to be effective in boosting confidence and broadens preschool educators’ knowledge (Montgomery & Mirenda, 2014; Hedegaard-Soerensen, 2017). Firstly, THK EIC initiated a Community of Practice (CoP) for the Inclusive Coordinator Officers (ICO) to share resources, address challenges, and co-develop strategies for inclusive practices. Over 85% of the ICOs reported increased knowledge about resources for children with developmental needs and confidence in creating inclusive learning environments. Secondly, THK EIC also developed the Partners for Inclusive Practice (PIP) program that focused on co-developing of strategies, discussing challenges, goal-setting, and post-lesson reflection between preschool and early intervention educators, guided by principles of coaching and co-teaching models. Pre- and post-surveys examining preschool educators’ knowledge, attitudes and self- efficacy in relation to inclusive practices revealed improved attitudes towards inclusion and used a wider range of inclusive strategies. Continuous coaching and reflective practices are expected to further enhance inclusive practices, bridging gaps between early intervention and early childhood settings. One of the most challenging stages in ethnographic practice concerns the researcher’s entry into the field of research, requiring a continuous effort to navigate between familiarity and strangeness. Based on a participatory observation approach, this paper, part of a broader PhD course, examines the dynamics of interaction and communication, both verbal and non- verbal, among children with and without special needs, in three Portuguese preschool settings. Drawing on an experiential narrative, the presentation reflects on key axes of analysis, situated at the intersection of what is experienced and what is observed, within the underlying process of becoming a member or "indigenous" (Lévi-Strauss, 1998 [1955]). The acceptance of "being affected" (Favret-Saada, 1994), in allowing the field to challenge initial assumptions and destabilize the researcher, highlights the centrality of epistemological vigilance (Bourdieu et al., 1968) as a critical posture to avoid the reification of the data collected within the social structures under investigation.
P7.09 Inclusion in ECEC: Everyday Interactions, Activities and Practices in Preschool
Presenting Author: Eva Björck (Sweden) Affiliation: Jönköping University, Sweden
Researchers in inclusive ECEC tend to agree that quality can be assessed by structural and process indicators related to outcomes. However, valued outcomes differ between cultures and settings, influencing practices. This highlights the need for studies about how children in need of special support are engaged in everyday interactions and activities, and how their needs for support are met. Rating scales, mostly used in ECEC, do not capture inclusion in terms of participation, i.e. how often or how much children attend and engage in activities and interactions. An alternative is using behavioral count where a broad range of behaviors, activities, interactions, and environments of individual children and teachers are observed across the day. A study involving Portugal, Sweden, and the US illustrates the use of behavioral counts in observing preschool practices. A special focus on the differences between typically developed children and children in need of support in Sweden will be related.
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