Who are they and What do they Need: Characterizing and Supporting the Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Workforce in a Large Urban District. Issue 3 (14th June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cramer, Travis; Cappella, Elise
• Other Names: Cappella Elise guestEditor.; Godfrey Erin guestEditor.; Chacko Anil guestEditor.; Tebes Jacob guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: American journal of community psychology. Volume 63:Issue 3/4(2019)
• Page Start: 312
• Page End: 323
• Publication Date: 2019-06-14
• Subjects: Assistant teachers -- Early childhood education -- Professional development -- Teacher retention -- Teacher stress -- Social networks; Community psychology -- Periodicals; Community mental health services -- Periodicals; Community psychiatry -- Periodicals; Community Mental Health Services -- Periodicals; Community Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 155.905
• DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12338
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-0562

Abstract

Highlights: Assistant teachers are sought for professional advice considerably less than other ECE professionals. Assistant teachers' demographics highlight pathways to support their needs and utilize their strengths. Variance decomposition analyses were conducted to compare different on‐the‐job supports. Assistant teachers' receipt of coaching may be a key contributor to their job satisfaction. Professional advice from colleagues may support the quality of assistant teachers' work experiences. Abstract: Scholarship and policy emphasize strengthening the early childhood education (ECE) workforce, but this work neglects a large segment of the workforce: assistant teachers. This study responds to gaps in knowledge by examining the demographic characteristics, qualifications, professional supports, and workplace experiences of assistant teachers ( N = 120) in a representative sample of ECE centers ( n = 35) in a large urban district. In addition to studying assistant teachers' receipt of in‐service training and coaching, we draw from social network theory to investigate the professional support assistant teachers provide and receive via their collegial networks. We use a variance decomposition approach to explore how on‐the‐job supports, such as training, coaching, and networks, contribute to assistant teachers' work‐related stress and job satisfaction—two key predictors of ECE teacher attrition. Results indicate that few ECE staff members seek assistant teachers for work‐related advice. Coaching is found to be an important contributor to assistant teachers' job satisfaction; professional advice via collegial networks is a meaningful but under‐examined source of support for stress and job satisfaction. We consider implications for supporting and retaining assistant teachers and propose next steps for research on this understudied segment of the teaching workforce.