Eadie Patricia, Levickis Penny, Murray Lisa, Page Jane, Elek Catriona, Church Amelia
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 100 Leicester St, Carlton 3053, Melbourne, Australia.
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Early Child Educ J. 2021;49(5):903-913. doi: 10.1007/s10643-021-01203-3. Epub 2021 May 10.
The importance of Early Childhood (EC) educators' wellbeing has been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators have navigated numerous additional stressors while providing education and care services for some children and ongoing support for many others learning at home. This study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on EC educators' wellbeing and educator-child relationships, as growing evidence shows the influence of these factors on children's developmental outcomes. In July 2020, members of a Research Network of EC Professionals-who previously identified educator wellbeing as a priority issue-were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey included two published, validated scales: the Early Childhood Professional Wellbeing scale (ECPW) and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (modified). Survey items about educators' experiences during the pandemic were also included. Two hundred and thirty-two EC educators from across Australia completed the survey, mostly from Victoria where lockdowns were most severe. Linear regression analysis demonstrated stronger professional wellbeing was associated with less conflict in educator-child relationships and lower risk of staff turnover. This was more likely to be experienced by senior or more experienced staff. Although a negative impact of COVID-19 was reported, ECPW scores were relatively high, and organizational structures supporting professional wellbeing were most strongly associated with lower risk of turnover ( = 0.63, < 0.001). Findings highlight that supporting EC educators' wellbeing is essential for workforce retention, and for promoting quality educator-child relationships which are central to young children's learning and development.
在新冠疫情期间，幼儿教育工作者的福祉问题备受关注，因为教育工作者在为部分儿童提供教育和照料服务以及为许多在家学习的儿童提供持续支持的同时，还要应对众多额外的压力源。本研究旨在探讨疫情对幼儿教育工作者福祉以及教育工作者与儿童关系的影响，因为越来越多的证据表明这些因素会影响儿童的发展成果。2020年7月，一个幼儿教育专业研究网络的成员（他们之前将教育工作者的福祉确定为一个优先问题）被邀请参与一项在线调查。该调查包括两个已发表并经过验证的量表：幼儿专业福祉量表（ECPW）和师生关系量表（修订版）。还包括了关于教育工作者在疫情期间经历的调查项目。来自澳大利亚各地的232名幼儿教育工作者完成了调查，其中大部分来自封锁最为严格的维多利亚州。线性回归分析表明，更强的职业福祉与教育工作者与儿童关系中较少的冲突以及较低的员工流失风险相关。这种情况更可能出现在资深或经验更丰富的员工身上。尽管报告了新冠疫情的负面影响，但ECPW得分相对较高，支持职业福祉的组织结构与较低的流失风险最为密切相关（=0.63，<0.001）。研究结果凸显，支持幼儿教育工作者的福祉对于留住员工队伍以及促进对幼儿学习和发展至关重要的优质教育工作者与儿童关系至关重要。
