Understanding Early Childhood Stakeholders’ Beliefs and Experiences With Discipline Using Virtual Learning Labs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examinations of Dis/Ability in Early Childhood Practices and Pedagogies (Table 3)

Abstract

Young children of color with disabilities have experienced more exclusionary practices in educational settings. Given the fast-growing number of students of color across classrooms in the United States, and approximately 1 in 6 students identified with disabilities in public schools, it is important to pay attention to why exclusionary disciplines are disproportionately used at school. Using virtual Learning Labs, this study explored the beliefs and experiences of the exclusionary discipline of five early childhood stakeholders with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Through the qualitative focus group interviews, educational stakeholders highlighted the importance of continued use of humanizing and familiar inclusive disciplinary strategies to support students. Implications for multifaceted practices and research are discussed.

Authors

• Saili S. Kulkarni, San Jose State University

• Sunyoung Kim, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Namhee Kim, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Stephanie Fernandez, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Jing Wang, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Enimai Villavan-Kothai, Moreland School District