Anti-bias and culturally supportive curriculums in early childhood education classrooms in Nova Scotia
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Date
2010-04-28T18:25:54Z
Authors
Quilty, Leah
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Abstract
This study was designed to examine if anti bias and culturally responsive
curriculums are present in urban and rural daycares in Nova Scotia. Additional factors
were investigated to determine the relationship between early childhood educators' training, the length of time that they have been in the field, the number of professional
training programs or academic courses on this curricula which they have attended, the
ways in which the courses were conducted, the skills they were taught, a measure of
cultural sensitivity, and the implementation and maintenance of a culturally responsive
curriculum. Given that there is no current listing of early childhood educators in the
province of Nova Scotia, the desired sample size was estimated using the following
assumptions: at least 6 staff are employed in each urban center and 3 staff are employed
in each rural daycare. Given that there are 379 licensed daycares in the province it was
estimated that there would be 1527 early childhood educators in the province. Of the 308
early childhood educators who were approached, 32 (9%) responded to the invitation to
participate. A decision was made not to seek more survey responses because of the time
and expense relative to an anticipated low number of additional returns. An Intercultural
Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and a questionnaire developed for the research was used to gather
data in this study. The ISS was used to determine each participant's level of intercultural
sensitivity and in particular how well each respondent interacted, enjoyed, respected, felt
comfortable, and was attentive to students of various backgrounds. The questionnaire was
used to gather information about demographics, the type of training early childhood
professionals had received on anti-bias and culturally responsive curricula, the teacher's
attitudes toward an anti-bias and culturally responsive curriculum, how teachers were
making their classrooms and curriculum responsive to all students, the supports that the
teachers perceived as being in their schools for them to engage in anti-bias practice, and
the problems and issues they believed must be addressed in order to carry out successful
multicultural education programs. Based on the fact that participants of this study did not
mention features of the anti-bias and culturally responsive curriculum that past
researchers have mentioned as critical, and the fact that this study showed no significant
outcomes between those who were trained, either by degree, diploma, or the equivalency,
and their culturally sensitivity, and the fact that one's level of experience did not have
any significant impact on the way in which they were trained, it was suggested that in
order for these outcomes to be adjusted it is the training program facilitator that needs to
adjust.
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Keywords
Social values , Prejudices , Anti-racism , Early childhood education