PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

Societally speaking, early childhood education has not been deeply understood or respected from a developmental standpoint. Stereotypes of early childhood teachers and misinformation regarding how children learn pervade, leading to confusion about what quality looks like in early childhood classrooms. The underlying premise for this study is that the environment, the child, and the teacher are not mutually exclusive entities, but are connected, dynamic, and interrelated. The focus is on the role the physical environment plays in learning and explores why the environment exists as it does, highlighting the critical and active role teachers play. The aim of this study was to articulate the developmental needs of children and the pedagogical values that underpin the decisions that go into designing effective early learning environments, while lifting the voice of expert teachers in shaping the landscape of early childhood care and education. A complex line of reasoning led to the design, implementation and analysis for this study. The line of reasoning is as follows: 1) children are impacted by their environments (socio-cultural theory), 2) children deserve to spend their time in well-designed spaces that support their learning and development (self-determination theory), 3) teachers moderate this experience for children (ecology of schooling; affordances), 4) as so, teachers must take a critical, reflective approach to ensure optimal contexts for all children (dispositions, reflective practice, critically conscious professional), 5) there is much to be learned from expert teachers with regard to the environment and the pedagogical values that underpin their practice, hence the need for the voice and expertise of teachers within the realm of research (Educational criticism; participatory practitioner research). Through the lens of Eisner's (2017) educational connoisseurship and criticism and the use of photovoice as a participatory method in education, fi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Victoria Carr Ed.D. (Committee Member); Lisa Vaughn Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rhonda Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Preschool Education