Children's Achievements in ECEC: Parents' Expectations

Studies about parents' expectations of their children's achievements in primary and secondary school often conclude that such expectations have an impact on academic achievements. This poses two quandaries for early childhood education (ECE): there is minimal research focusing on parents' expectations concerning achievements of young children; if parental expectations in ECE are also linked to academic achievements, other achievements of potential significance for young children and which can be promoted through early experiences are ignored. This article reviews responses to an open-ended statement submitted by 1975 parents whose children were attending early years settings in Malta. A phenomenological approach to data collection was adopted in this exploratory study as parents were invited to list three expectations about their children's achievements resulting from experiences accrued in formal settings. NVivo analyses yielded nine broad categories of expectations. Personal, social development, school readiness/academic achievements, skills development and personal learning were the four most frequently cited expectations. Results are analysed using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory. Having high expectations for each child is recommended but these need to be realistic, contextualised, shared and incorporated in the planning and design of learning opportunities which respect children's individuality, while acknowledging their abilities and learning characteristics.