The enculturation process in early childhood education and care: a mixed methods study

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the beliefs of Early Childhood Education teachers regarding the enculturation process of children. Eleven 2-year-old classroom teachers (Mage = 40.64; DT = 7.43; 81.81% female) participated in the qualitative phase, and 256 teachers (Mage = 42.25; DT = 9.78; 90.3% female) participated in the quantitative one. Based on interviews, four main themes were identified: Routines and habits, Values, Models of behavior, and Knowledge. Based on the qualitative results, an instrument was created to measure the teachers’ beliefs regarding enculturation in Early Childhood Education and Care. High convergence was obtained between the qualitative and quantitative results, supporting the idea that teachers are active agents of enculturation and social role models for children. We conclude that enculturation should be a curricular objective and that it deserves a greater presence in professional development programs for Early Childhood Education teachers.