Early childhood educators' knowledge of language development: an integrative literature review

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the scientific production on the knowledge of early childhood educators regarding language development and their pedagogical practices in Brazil, considering the educators’ perceptions. Objectives: This review aims to identify relevant literature and synthesize existing research on the topic of early childhood educators’ knowledge of language development. Methods: For this purpose, the following databases were searched: LILACS, SciElo and ERIC, using the following keywords: language development, language acquisition, oral language, children’s language, early childhood education and preschool teachers. The inclusion criteria for the review were scientific articles published in English and/or Portuguese, studies with early childhood education teachers /educators as participants, published between 2012 and February 2022, qualitative and/or quantitative studies, and articles published as full text and open access. Results: The low production found may reflect the need for more publications on this topic, especially in the Portuguese context. It was concluded that the knowledge acquired by teachers during their training paths has a reciprocal impact on the beliefs and practices presented by these professionals in the context of early childhood education intervention. Conclusion: After identifying the published works, this research proved to be relevant and convergent with current conceptions regarding the importance of the link between the knowledge of language acquisition and development acquired by early childhood educators and their practices in school contexts on a daily basis.