Early Childhood Teachers' Self-efficacy and Professional Support Predict Work Engagement

Early Childhood Professionals’ Perspectives on Dealing with Trauma of Children

Childhood trauma is a significant concern in Australia and internationally. Professionals working in the early childhood education sector (i.e., providing early childhood education and care to infants, toddlers, and children from birth to age eight) are positioned to provide valuable support for children affected by trauma. However, there is less research on early childhood professionals’ perspectives and experiences of supporting trauma-exposed children compared to other education professionals (e.g., primary and secondary school teachers). This study explored early childhood professionals’ perspectives and experiences in relation to supporting children exposed to trauma. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 early childhood professionals in Victoria, Australia, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings illustrate that while educators develop valuable skills and experience growth from supporting trauma-exposed children and their families, they also experience emotional distress and challenges. Educators noted that there are limited professional development opportunities to learn about childhood trauma, and limited access to qualified and knowledgeable staff who can help them when supporting these learners. Implications from this study emphasise the importance of designing and delivering trauma-based professional learning opportunities and policies for early childhood educators.

The effect of Universal Teacher-Child Interaction Training on Hispanic teachers' sense of self-efficacy in early childhood education and care settings

Disparities exist in the availability of high-quality early childhood education and care settings (ECEC) across communities within the United States. Teachers have an imperative role in fostering children's socioemotional development; however, when the classroom climate deteriorates due to disruptive behavior, meeting these emotional and learning needs becomes more difficult. Dealing with challenging behaviors can lead to emotional exhaustion which is directly linked to a decrease in teacher sense of efficacy. Teacher-Child Interaction Training-Universal (TCIT-U) targets teachers' skills to provide quality interactions and decrease child behavior problems. Despite evidence that teacher sense of self-efficacy can inhibit negative teaching practices, a lack of research has explored this construct as related to TCIT-U. The current study is a randomized, wait-list control study measuring the change of teachers' sense of self-efficacy after participating in TCIT-U, and the first known of its kind. The study included mostly Hispanic (96.4%) teachers (N = 84) of ECEC programs across 13 unique sites serving 900 children ages 2-5 years from low-income, urban areas. Results from inferential statistics and hierarchical linear regression tests demonstrated TCIT-U as an effective intervention to improve teachers' sense of efficacy in classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. In addition, this study contributes to the effectiveness of TCIT-U as an in-service training which targets teacher communication skills for teachers with diverse backgrounds in ECEC settings with mostly dual language learners.

The well-being of head start teachers: a scoping literature review

Attention to students' socio-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes raises important considerations for the psychological wellbeing of teachers, especially Head Start teachers who often work with underserved families. This scoping review summarizes current literature on Head Start teacher psychological well-being and identifies 1. how teacher well-being is conceptualized and measured, 2. Which interventions exist to promote Head Start teacher psychological well-being or help them manage stress and 3. directions for future research. The review resulted in 32 articles (29 peer-reviewed and three gray literature). Findings highlight that research is primarily descriptive using cross-sectional surveys and secondary data. Evidence suggests that although resilient and committed as educators, Head Start teachers struggle to cope with the stressors involved in supporting early childhood education. Interventions to decrease stress and promote the psychological well-being are few but teachers indicate interest in such interventions. Autonomy, feeling valued for their work, collegiality between staff, and a supportive supervisor help improve job satisfaction, retention, and psychological well-being. Future research should be guided by conceptual models that prioritize Head Start teachers' input, use of validated measures of psychological well-being with consideration of cultural and structural factors that influence well-being.

Enhancing Chinese EFL Teachers’ Work Engagement: The Role of Self and Collective Efficacy

Teachers’ work engagement is considered an essential component in instruction. Accordingly, the emphasis should be over physical and mental predictors of this construct. In this line, this study investigates the relationship between Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ individual self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and work engagement. To this end, 300 Chinese instructors (males = 96, females = 204) from different colleges and universities participated in this study. The questionnaires were distributed among teachers with different educational levels and experiences. Linear multiple regression was used as a measure for data analysis. The findings showed the significant correlations between teachers’ work engagement, self-efficacy, and collective efficacy. Comparing the predictability power, teachers’ self-efficacy (B = 0.57) proved to have a higher index compared to their index of collective efficacy competence (B = 0.22). This study concluded that self-efficacious teachers and teachers who believe in collective efficacy are more engaged in the EFL contexts. Moreover, the study has some pedagogical implications and suggestions for different teacher educators, administrators, and advisors.