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Educator Expectations in Full-Day Kindergarten: Comparing the Factors That Contribute to the Formation of Early Childhood Educator and Teacher Expectations

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Abstract

Teachers incorporate information from various sources as they form their academic expectations for students. The student record of prior achievement is the most salient factor that educators use to form their expectations for children’s achievement. Research on the factors that influence educator expectations has primarily focused on the ways teachers assimilate various pieces of information about students. More recently, there is an interest in moving away from this perspective and focusing more on teacher factors that may influence these differing expectations. The purpose of this research was to explore the factors that contribute to the formation of educator expectations in Full-Day Kindergarten. This study presents an in-depth examination of reports from Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and teachers on their teaching philosophies, roles, teaching practices, and interactions that support students in meeting curriculum expectations. This study elucidates the differences in the two groups in terms of how their expectations are formed and in turn how they may affect processes leading to child outcomes. Furthermore, this research responds to existing gaps in the educator expectation field by extending the research to include the early years.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), and the Psychology Foundation of Canada.

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  1. Queen’s University, Faculty of Education, Kingston, Canada

    Kristy Timmons

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  1. Kristy Timmons
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Correspondence to Kristy Timmons.

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Ethical approval was granted from the University of Toronto and two school boards. Information and consent forms were provided to and signed by all participants.

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Timmons, K. Educator Expectations in Full-Day Kindergarten: Comparing the Factors That Contribute to the Formation of Early Childhood Educator and Teacher Expectations. Early Childhood Educ J 46, 613–628 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-018-0891-0

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