THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SCHOOL CLIMATE AND CAREGIVERS’ DISPOSITION TOWARDS EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Early childhood caregivers are essential to achieving the goals of early childhood education. Interactions with caring adults in safe, nurturing, and engaging environments benefit children’s development and learning. Providing exciting learning environments typically entails a wide range of efforts and activities carried out under the supervision and care of caregivers with specialized knowledge, experience, and skill. A caregiver, according to Engle and Lhotska (2019), is someone who looks after infants and young children; it embodies past and future perspectives as well as deep emotional involvement in the rearing and socialization of a young child to provide the food, healthcare, stimulation, and emotional support necessary for children’s healthy survival, growth, and development.
Not only is the quality of caregiving assessed, but by the acts themselves, but also by the manner in which they are carried out – in terms of affection and responsiveness to the child – which are critical to a child’s survival, growth, and development (Engle & Lhotska, 2019). As a result of their findings, Sonawat and Furia (2016) concluded that a competent early childhood teacher possesses inner stability, self-awareness, integrity, theoretical grounding, and broad knowledge, with a focus on environmental science, community and young children’s literature, kindness, and respect for the child. Care-giving, on the other hand, is a professional engagement process that emphasizes appropriate attitudes on the part of practitioners. Curtis (2015) identifies positive attitudes toward and respect for children as individuals, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or religion, as quality markers for preschool staff, as well as excellent interpersonal relationships among colleagues. The phrase
The term “attitude” refers to a person’s prevailing tendency to respond favorably or unfavorably to an item, person or group of people, institution, or event (Morris & Maisto, 2005). Attitudes can be either positive (values) or negative (values) (prejudices). According to Kreitner and Kinicki (2017), attitudes have three components: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. A feeling or emotion experienced in response to an object or circumstance is referred to as the affective component. The cognitive component of attitude expresses one’s thoughts or feelings about a particular item or circumstance, whereas the behavioral component expresses how one intends to act or behave toward someone or something (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2017). Most of the time, the three components collaborate to shape caregivers’ classroom postures through direct and indirect interactions between society, school, and caregivers (Leite, 1994).
Notably, attitudes Views about work influence how employees perform in their jobs. In the mid-1970s, many educational experts agreed with Brophy and Good (1974) that caregiver attitudes and expectations could be self-fulfilling prophecies. According to Brophy and Good (2017), once caregivers establish a specific attitude or belief, they may begin to treat students differently in ways that help bring about the outcomes that they expect. However, in order to comprehend caregiver attitudes and how they represent caregiver attitudes, we may need to consider the context in which they operate. In other words, research into the relationship between school climate and caregiver attitudes is require
The phrase “school climate” refers to the atmosphere that influences teachers’ behavior. as well as students. Anyone who spends time in schools will notice how different one school feels from another. The school climate refers to a school’s mood, ambiance, tone, philosophy, or milieu. Schools, like people, have personalities; a school’s climate can be thought of as its personality. The school climate describes how the school building and classrooms are organized. It refers to a school’s “feel,” which may differ from one school to the next within the same district. While an individual school can create a climate independent of the larger organization, changes in school culture at the district level can have a positive or negative impact on school climate at the building level.
School climate refers to the physical and psychological characteristics of the school that are more susceptible to change and provide the foundation for teaching and learning. A school’s climate is made up of several factors from its physical and social surroundings. These include physical appearance and plant; student interactions; leadership/decision making; a disciplined environment; and a learning environment.
As a result, school climate is evident in the sentiments and attitudes toward a school expressed by students, teachers, staff, and parents, including how students and staff “feel” about going to school each day. As a result, when the school climate is hostile and poorly prepared, it has the potential to demotivate caregivers and have an impact on their work of caring for others.
the infant.
1.2 Problem Statement
Although it is widely acknowledged that early childhood caregivers play important roles in fostering children’s holistic development, some caregivers’ attitudes appear to consistently fall short of the expectations of school authorities, parents, policymakers, and educational stakeholders. While many people have sought explanations for this unwholesome development in a variety of areas, few studies have looked into the possible link between the school climate and caregivers’ attitudes toward early child care development and education (ECCDE). Whatever solutions to the deteriorating standards at this basic level of education are proposed, they can only be implemented in schools with a healthy school climate – spacious classrooms, appropriate seating, and an adequate number of ethically conscientious teachers.
However,
Observation reveals that many schools provide far from ideal conditions. Overcrowding, dilapidated structures, subpar facilities, job overload, administrative tyranny, a negative interaction culture, low pay, and other issues are now commonplace in many ECCDE organizations. This may have a significant impact on the attitude of ECCDE caregivers toward work, and may directly or indirectly affect the quality of care and education provided to the children by these caregivers. As a result, this study is being conducted to fill a knowledge gap regarding the possible relationship between school climate and caregivers’ attitudes toward early childhood development education in the Ikeja Local Government Areas of Lagos State.
1.3 Study Objectives
The purpose of this study is to look into the relationship between school climate and caregivers.
In Ikeja LGA, Lagos State, there is a proclivity for early childhood development education. Other specific goals include:
i. Determine whether inadequate facilities influence caregivers’ attitudes toward early childhood development.
ii. Determine whether administrative tyranny influences caregivers’ attitudes toward early childhood development and education.
iii. To determine whether poor culture and hostile interaction in the social environment of schools are related to caregivers’ attitudes toward early child care development and education.
iv. Determine whether the school climate is related to caregivers’ negative attitudes toward early childhood development and education.
1.4 Hypotheses for Research
In this study, the following research hypotheses will be tested:
HO1: There is no link between poor culture and hostile interaction in the social environment of schools and caregivers’ attitudes toward early childhood.
care development and education.
HO2:A poor attitude of caregivers toward early child care development and education is not associated with school climate.
1.5 Importance of Research
The growing popularity of nursery schools throughout the country has brought the issue of school climate to the forefront. When children grow up in an environment in which the relationship between school climate and caregivers’ attitude toward early child care development and education is positive, they become assets to their parents, community, and the nation as a whole. This study is significant because it will shed light on the relationship that exists between school climate and caregivers’ attitudes toward early child care development and education. The study’s findings would be useful in making decisions.
Early childhood development programs are affected by the process. It will also evaluate the roles of various stakeholders, such as school owners, teachers, schools, inspectors, and parents, in ensuring adherence to the prescribed curriculum implementation standards.
1.6 Field of Study
The purpose of this study is to look into the relationship between school climate and caregivers’ attitudes toward early child care development and education in Ikeja, Lagos State. This study’s variable scope will include the physical environment, social environment, teacher attitudes, and so on. The study is limited to selected daycare/creche/kindergarten schools in Lagos State’s Ikeja Local Government Area.
1.7 Study Restrictions
The researchers encountered minor constraints while conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. The significant limitation was the scarcity of literature on
Because the subject is new, the researcher incurred more financial expenses and spent more time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information and in the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited sample size covering only/kindergarten schools in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos. As a result, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other creche schools in Nigeria. Furthermore, the researcher’s involvement in this study while also working on other academic projects will impede maximum dedication to the research. Nonetheless, despite the constraints encountered during the research, all factors were minimized in order to provide the best results and make the research a success.
1.8 Terms with Operational Definitions
Attitude:
This term refers to outward and visible postures as well as human beliefs. Individual attitudes shape what they see, hear, think, and do.
The term “school climate” refers to the environment that influences the behavior of teachers and students. It refers to a school’s feel, atmosphere, tone, ideology, or milieu. Schools, like individuals, have personalities; a school climate can be thought of as a school’s personality. It also defines the organization of the school building and classrooms.
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