Early childhood education (ECE) is recognised as an important stage in the intellectual and psychological development of a young child’s life. In response to this, the Malaysian ministry of education is working alongside the private sector to increase access to quality preschool education to ensure equitable outcomes are achieved. Thus, trained professionals are important for children’s sustained growth and development. However, educators, still lack the necessary qualifications and competencies as training programmes are insufficient or irrelevant to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills. A qualitative approach was selected to explore participants’ perceptions and first-hand experiences regarding training processes and challenges faced. The target population for this study consisted of employers, human resources managers or the management team of private early childhood education centres (ECEC) in Ipoh, Perak. Interview samples were selected using the cell sampling purposive technique and the instrument used was structured interview questions. Online interviews were conducted using Google Forms and WhatsApp voice notes and messages. Deductive coding was applied to the data and investigator triangulation was employed to improve data credibility and validity. The findings indicated that ECE teachers lacked the required qualifications to deliver educational services properly. Next, ECE operators, managers, and training leaders consistently engaged in training but was unable to apply appropriate training processes. Lastly, there are multiple common challenges that ECECs face in planning and managing training programmes. The findings are significant to prompt ECECs to reconceptualise their approach to training to develop more effective training programmes.

Authors:
Racheal Har, Quest International University, Malaysia
Tilagavati A/P Subramaniam, Quest International University, Malaysia

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Racheal Har is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Quest International University in Malaysia

See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule

Bookmark