Textbook translation will increase quality of education
Utah State University professor and research scientist Vonda Norma Jump helps Early Childhood Education Arabic students and professors by facilitating the translation of a widely-used textbook.
Jump said she saw a research opportunity in joining the “Strengthening Early Childhood Education in Jordan” project. With her own credentials and the help of colleagues, she was selected for the project and received funding.
One of Jump’s main goals and accomplishments while working with this project was obtaining translation rights from the publisher, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, to translate the textbook “Developmentally Appropriate Practice” into Arabic.
The affects of translating this book into Arabic are far-reaching. Jump said in Arabic-speaking universities there are few written materials for the students to learn from, meaning the majority of their education comes from word of mouth. This form of education can miss key information that students need in order to become effective early childhood education teachers. Having this book available in Arabic will increase the students’ effectiveness in understanding and helping children.
According to the NAEYC, “‘Developmentally Appropriate Practice’ is a framework of principles and guidelines for best practice in the care and education of young children, birth through age 8. It is grounded both in the research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known about education effectiveness. The principles and guidelines outline practice that promotes young children’s optimal learning and development.”
USU’s Associate Vice President for International Research, DeeVon Bailey, was one of the many supporters of Jump’s involvement with the project and translation of the textbook.
“Vonda is one of a number of Utah State faculty working around the world making a difference,” Bailey said. “Having our faculty internationally involved gives them the ability to come back to the laboratory and classroom and know what is going on in the world. It makes it so our students, who are going to have to function in an increasingly interconnected world, understand the world in a more relevant fashion.”
The Strengthening Early Childhood Education project consists of three universities, Utah State University, Petra University and the University of Jordan. Dr. Bilal, a faculty member from the University of Jordan, was assigned to translate the textbook.
Apart from laying the groundwork for the book’s translation, Jump has four focus areas in which she wants to help the two universities improve. These areas include professional development of faculty members, having students start teaching in the public kindergarten earlier in their degree, getting more student teachers to teach in the public kindergarten and increasing collaboration between the universities and the Ministry of Education in Jordan.
As part of professional development, Jump invited several faculty members to USU. In the summer of 2010 the Jordanians spent time in the Child Development Lab observing USU early childhood education students working with children. As they watched, Jump and the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Shelley Lindauer, explained what was happening in the lab. They emphasized how students were prepared to handle each situation because of the well-rounded education they received in both theory and practice.
At the end of the lab the Jordanians had a chance to speak with the USU students. Bilal asked the students how they were prepared to handle each situation while dealing with children. The students said from an early stage of their degree they were able to see theory come to life while working with children, and because of this they felt confident and prepared.
“He (Bilal) was amazed,” Jump said, “he just couldn’t believe it.”
“We are indebted to Vonda for such an achievement,” Bilal said. “Our work with Dr. Jump was a rich source of knowledge and enjoyment. We look at her as a model of efficient, wise and democratic leadership and coordination.”
– kayla.hall@aggiemail.usu.edu