Attention, executive functions, and self-regulation develop rapidly across early childhood and play critical roles in children’s later academic and social–emotional competence. Yet relatively little is known about how early childhood teachers understand and support these skills in everyday educational practice. This presentation draws on two qualitative studies involving Chinese kindergarten teachers serving children ages 3–6 in Shanghai to examine how teachers conceptualize attention, executive functions, and self-regulation; the factors they understand as shaping children’s development; and their practices to support these skills in the classroom.
The broader professional and curricular context of early childhood education and care in Shanghai is also described to situate teachers’ perspectives within the local system. Together, these findings offer insight into how teachers make sense of these foundational cognitive and social–emotional skills and highlight opportunities for professional development that build on teachers’ existing knowledge, align with contextual realities, and integrate insights from neuroscience.
This week at the CEN seminar, Zoe Mao will be presenting a talk entitled “Chinese Teachers’ Perspectives on Attention, Executive Functions, and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Education”.