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Children at risk of social exclusion in the early childhood and pre-school education system: evaluation of the model to prevent unfavourable developmental trajectories
Published: 19.07.2024.
Dejana Bouillet, PhD, Monika Pažur, PhD and Sandra Antulić Majcen, PhD are the authors of the paper “Children at risk of social exclusion in the early childhood and pre-school education system: evaluation of the model to prevent unfavourable developmental trajectories”. The paper is published in the journal Metodički ogledi, 59 (1).
The paper aims to describe and present results of evaluation of the model for the prevention of unfavourable developmental trajectories of children at risk of social exclusion (RSE). A total of 60 educators from 15 kindergartens in seven Croatian counties participated in the research.
Abstract: High quality pedagogical practise is one of the most important mechanisms to support families and children at risk of social exclusion (RSE) in the early childhood and pre-school education system (ECEC). This paper describes and presents the results of the evaluation of the model for the prevention of adverse developmental outcomes of children with RSE achieved through quality pedagogical practise. The contribution of using the model to children's social inclusion was determined using a quasi-experimental quantitative method. 60 educators from 15 kindergartens in seven districts of the Republic of Croatia participated in the study. Before and after six months of implementing the model, they completed the scale for assessing the child's social inclusion and the protocol for documenting pedagogical practise in relation to the child. The qualitative thematic analysis describes the ways in which the application of the model contributes to children's well-being. 30 educators who implemented the model were interviewed. The use of the model was found to contribute to better developmental outcomes for children at RSE and to educators' professional development and practise. The results suggest that the pedagogical practise of ECEC needs to be improved to prevent unfavourable developmental outcomes for children at RSE.