Teachers’ Understanding and Practices of Early Childhood Education and Development Curriculum in Nepal

Abstract

The focus of my study was on the understanding and practices of Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) teachers on the early childhood development curriculum in Nepal. Specifically, I discussed the current understanding of the curriculum and implementation among ECED teachers who have limited formal education and training. Through their experiences and insights, I explored how the curriculum is being implemented in practice in the classroom of ECED. I have derived two major research questions to explore the level of understanding of the ECED curriculum and current implementation into the classroom, where schools are still having challenges in implementing it. I adapted narrative inquiry as my methodology, delving into the narratives of four purposively selected ECED teachers from Chandrapur Municipality, Rautahat, for my research. Subsequently, I engaged in the reflective and analytical process to derive meaning from stories of ECED Teachers, exploring both commonalities and distinctive aspects of their experiences in practices of ECED. Like my own experiences as an ECD trainer and educator, the understanding of ECED curriculum and practices and my unique life experiences were also linked with ECED teachers’ understanding during data analysis and discussion. Upon collecting the stories, I interviewed ECED teachers about their experiences with understanding of curriculum and proceeded with the steps of transcription, translation, coding, and categorization. Subsequently, I formulated themes derived from the ECED teachers' perceptions of the curriculum and its effective practices into ECED classroom, challenges faced during implementation, and strategies used to overcome challenges. Simultaneously, every participant in the interviews accepts that the early childhood education curriculum is needed for managing the classroom and learning process of early-aged children. The implications of the study underline that the teacher training unit consistently improves ECED teachers’ teaching abilities and understanding of the ECED curriculum, helps teachers stay up to date on the latest educational techniques and takes advantage of professional development opportunities. Curriculum Development Centre is oriented for the implementation of ECED curriculum, to capacitate all ECED teachers to apply effective instructions and activities as per the curriculum.