Training proposal for professionals of early childhood education: validated contributions of occupational therapy by Delphi technique

Abstract

Currently, important gaps are identified in occupational therapy research that focus on the different concepts and objectives of Brazilian early childhood education. The objective of this research was to present the validation process of training workshops aimed at workers in early childhood education, through the consensus of specialists. Seven participatively elaborated workshops gave rise to the training framework and such information was presented in detail to the specialists in two rounds, according to the Delphi technique. Twenty-nine doctoral experts in early childhood education were invited, six of whom agreed to participate, with degrees in philosophy and literature, pedagogy and occupational therapy. A descriptive analysis of the responses was performed, based on the average of the results found. The workshops reached 95%-100% agreement. Some thematic enrichments were suggested, such as: school and preschool routine; neoliberalism and early childhood education; childhoods and their multiple determinations; the spontaneity of playing in early childhood education; children's culture and curriculum. The specialists also suggested dynamics and bibliographies for the workshops. Consensus denotes multidisciplinary theoretical-methodological consistency, which increases the complexity of the approach and the chances of generalization beyond the local interests of the institution that hosted this experience. The chart contains key themes, focused on current issues in early childhood education, which makes it possible for occupational therapists to use it in other contexts.