Head Start Pedagogy in an Era of Accountability

Reva M. Fish, Laura Klenk, Julie Mazur, Adena Sexton

Abstract


Head Start teachers were interviewed to determine their approaches to teaching in the current early childhood education climate where there is an increased emphasis on academic instruction to meet learning standards. The grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis was used for this study. The core category and basic social psychological process that emerged from the data was “facilitating learning†and was carried out by teachers in four ways: free choice play, incidental teaching opportunities, play-like activities, and direct instruction.  The process included three other categories: “choosing a setting,†“deciding content,†and “addressing other viewpoints†and explains the pedagogical approaches Head Start preschool teachers use to meet increasingly rigorous curriculum requirements and higher expectations for student learning. The findings and their educational implications are discussed.


Keywords


preschool; Head Start

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References


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