Understanding Expectations: The Influence of Educator and Child Expectations on Kindergarten Childrenâ s Self-Regulation, Early Reading, and Vocabulary Outcomes

This dissertation is comprised of two studies. Study 1 is a qualitative study exploring the factors that may contribute to the formation of educator expectations in Kindergarten. This study presents emerging themes from an educator questionnaire that asked Early Childhood Educators and teachers to describe their teaching philosophies, roles, teaching practices, and other interactions that support students. Findings revealed key distinctions in educator responses to the questionnaire. Early Childhood Educators responded with a child-centred focus that was reflected in multiple themes. A teacher-directed, structured lens was evident in the themes that emerged from the teachers. This study presents the necessary background information to understand the differences in the two groups in terms of how their expectations may be formed and in turn may affect processes leading to child outcomes. Study 2 is an empirical study examining the influence of educator and child expectations on children’s self-regulation, early reading and vocabulary outcomes. Study 2 compared the expectation levels of the Early Childhood Educators and teachers. Results indicate that Early Childhood Educator and teacher expectations were congruent at Time 1 but dissonant at Time 2, with ECEs having significantly higher expectations for children’s self-regulation, early reading and vocabulary outcomes at Time 2. Furthermore, findings revealed that Early Childhood Educator and child expectations had significant positive direct effects on outcomes. The only significant direct effect from teacher expectations to child outcomes was for vocabulary, and this was a negative effect. Differences in professional knowledge base, educator roles, and the amount of time spent with children are potential explanations for these findings. Overall, the findings provide insight into the factors that may contribute to the formation of educator expectations in Kindergarten and begins to address the gaps in the expectation field by exploring the influence of educator and child expectations on children’s outcomes in the early years.Ph.D.2018-12-19 00:00:0