DEVELOPING RESPONSIVE CAREGIVING SKILLS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD  EDUCATION STUDENTS AND TEACHERS: AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH AND  PRACTICAL APPROACHES

Bui Thi Xuan Lua

Bui Thi Xuan Lua	btxlua@sgu.edu.vn	Saigon University 273 An Dương Vương, Cho Quan ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Summary:

This paper presents a systematic review of national and international studies on the development of responsive caregiving skills among early childhood education students and teachers, to identify significant research trends and practical orientations. The review followed PRISMA guidelines and analyzed 19 studies selected from three databases: VJOL, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar. The findings indicate that responsive caregiving is widely recognized as a core pedagogical principle in early childhood education, playing a crucial role in the quality of educational interactions and children’s holistic development. Based on content analysis, the paper synthesizes five prominent research and practice orientations, including: 1) Designing training programs and modules for responsive caregiving skills; 2) Developing the emotional competence and professional capacity of early childhood teachers; 3) Applying responsive interaction strategies in classroom settings; 4) Promoting collaborative support models involving families and communities; 5) Strengthening professional practice and practicum experiences for pre-service early childhood teachers. Accordingly, the paper recommends intensifying experimental research, integrating the development of emotional competence into teacher education, and establishing school–family community partnership models to institutionalize responsive caregiving as a professional standard in early childhood education.

View file

Keywords:

skill development

responsive caregiving skills

preschool teachers

teacher training

system overview.

Refers:

[1] Brunsek, A., Rodrigues, M., Sokolovic, N., Borairi, S., Janmohamed, Z., Jenkins, J. M. & Perlman, M. (2024). Can a brief professional development improve early childhood educators’ responsivity and interaction quality in child care centers? A cluster randomized controlled trial. Early Education and Development, 35(5), pp.1014-1031. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2023.2274302.

[2] Bùi Thị Xuân Lụa. (2025). Rèn luyện kĩ năng chăm sóc đáp ứng với trẻ cho sinh viên ngành Giáo dục mầm non. Tạp chí Khoa học, Trường Đại học Sư phạm Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 22(3), tr.4689-4702. https://doi.org/10.54607/hcmue.js.22.3.4689.

[3] Choi, J., Horm, D., Jeon, S. & Ryu, D. (2019). Do stability of care and teacher–child interaction quality predict child outcomes in Early Head Start? Early Education and Development, 30(3), pp.337-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2018.1546096.

[4] Cologon, K., Wicks, L. & Salvador, A. (2017). Supporting caregivers in developing responsive communication partnerships with their children: Extending a caregiver-led interactive language program. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 33(2), pp.157-169. https://doi. org/10.1177/0265659016650978.

[5] Đỗ Thị Minh Liên. (2019). Nâng cao hiệu quả rèn luyện nghiệp vụ sư phạm cho sinh viên Khoa Giáo dục mầm non Trường Đại học Sư phạm Hà Nội. Tạp chí Khoa học, Trường Đại học Sư phạm Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 57, tr.54-59.

[6] Eshelman, V. T., Lieberman-Betz, R. G., Vail, C. O. & Brown, J. A. (2022). An examination of patterns of caregiver responsiveness and toddler communication in early childhood classrooms. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 43(1), pp.80-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2021.2 005189.

[7] Garner, P. W., Parker, T. S. & Prigmore, S. B. (2019). Caregivers’ emotional competence and behavioral responsiveness as correlates of early childcare workers’ relationships with children in their care. Infant Mental Health Journal, 40(4), pp.503-517. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21784

[8] Girolametto, L. & Weitzman, E. (2002). Responsiveness of child care providers in interactions with toddlers and preschoolers. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 33(4), pp.268 281. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2002/022).

[9] Hoàng Thanh Phương, Bùi Thị Thanh Thủy, Bùi Thị Loan & Quách Thị Thu Hà. (2023). Một số định hướng xây dựng nội dung chương trình đào tạo giáo viên mầm non theo định hướng phát triển năng lực đáp ứng yêu cầu đổi mới giáo dục hiện nay. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ, Trường Đại học Hùng Vương, 31(2), tr.56-63.

[10] Landry, S. H., Zucker, T. A., Williams, J. M. & Merz, E. C. (2014). Improving school readiness of high-risk preschoolers: Combining high quality instructional strategies with responsive training for teachers and parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(3), pp.387-400. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.04.001.

[11] Lee, S. Y., Shin, M. & Recchia, S. L. (2016). Primary caregiving as a framework for preparing early childhood preservice students to understand and work with infants. Early Education and Development, 27(3), pp.336–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/1040928 9.2015.1076675.

[12] Lê Thị Bích Ngọc. (2021). Cấu trúc năng lực thích ứng nghề nghiệp của giáo viên mầm non đáp ứng yêu cầu đổi mới giáo dục. Tạp chí Khoa học Giáo dục, 203(3), tr.42-49.

[13] Lucas, J. E., Richter, L. M. & Daelmans, B. (2018). Care for child development: An intervention in support of responsive caregiving and early child development. Child: Care, Health and Development, 44(1), pp.41-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12544.

[14] Mortensen, J. A. & Barnett, M. A. (2015). Teacher child interactions in infant/toddler child care and socioemotional development. Early Education and Development, 26(2), pp.209-229. https://doi.or g/10.1080/10409289.2015.985878.

[15] Nguyễn Thị Vui. (2022). Phát triển năng lực thích ứng với sự thay đổi trong hoạt động nghề nghiệp của giáo viên mầm non. Tạp chí Giáo dục, 489(1), tr.33 37.

[16] Ota, C. L., DiCarlo, C. F., Burts, D. C. & Laird, R. (2006). The impact of training on caregiver responsiveness. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 27(1), pp.23-34. https://doi. org/10.1080/10901020600675117.

[17] Phan Thị Lan. (2019). Biện pháp phát triển năng lực thích ứng nghề cho sinh viên ngành Sư phạm mầm non tại Trường Đại học Phú Yên. Tạp chí Khoa học, Trường Đại học Phú Yên, 22, tr.56–64.

[18] Pratt, M. E., Lipscomb, S. T. & McClelland, M. M. (2016). Caregiver responsiveness during preschool supports cooperation in kindergarten: Moderation by children’s early compliance. Early Education and Development, 27(5), pp.640–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.11 38825.

[19] Quygley, C. F. & Hall, A. H. (2016). Taking care: Understanding the roles of caregiver and being cared for in a kindergarten classroom. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 14(2), pp.181-195. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1476718X14548783.

Journal:

No. 2, February 2026

VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

THE VIETNAM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

DEVELOPING RESPONSIVE CAREGIVING SKILLS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION STUDENTS AND TEACHERS: AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES