Methodological approach and key outputs
The aim of the BE-CHILD project is to identify and select good practices in teaching socio-emotional competences from an early age. To that purpose a collaborative action research (CAR) will be conducted. Thus, researchers from outside schools, work in close collaboration with participating teachers in schools. The following steps are taken:
1) The first step involves documenting both how the preschools currently promote socio-emotional competences and the participants’ perspectives on children’s socio-emotional competences. The pre-school teachers reflect on how they work with socio-emotional development in their preschools. In the BE-CHILD project, we will realise this step by conducting interviews and questionnaires in each country and by using template for the selection and collection of good practices.
The interviews/questionnaires will be developed to gather information on the following:
- Identification of the main socio emotional competences to develop in children.
- Identification of the most relevant skills and competences educators need to develop socio-emotional competences in children.
Afterwards, the findings from the interviews/questionnaires will be analyzed and documented in a national report (one per country) including and highlighting important socio emotional competences to develop in ECEC.
2) In the BE-CHILD project we will also reflect upon good practices for promoting children’s socio-emotional competences by using a template for the selection and collection of good practices. That process will be a collaborative one in which participants learn from each other.
3) After that, we will implement good practices through collaborative action research in order to improve the pre-school’s practice in relation to the project’s aim. We will collect data through journals and observations.
4) At the end of the project, interviews will again be conducted with the participating educators.
5) Ultimately, a compendium reporting the methodology and important socio-emotional competences for young children will be elaborated at European level.