Showing papers in "Early Childhood Education in 1996"

Training Early Childhood Educators for the Future.

Abstract: This presentation focuses on future needs and ideas for training early childhood educators. Current emphases on cognitive preparation for success in schools and on developmentally appropriate practices with young children sometimes give short shrift to the importance of new ways of conceptualizing teacher education so that those who dedicate themselves to preparing young children for the next century will be more confidently prepared to do so. Nurturing teachers are wise in the ways of young children, thoroughly conversant with child development theories and knowledge, reflective and observant of the special nature and needs of each child. Creative trainers will help teachers of the future become skilled not only at classroom organization and management, but also adept at individualizing the curriculum, depending on each child`s personal style, gifts, and interests, as well as flexible in working with families.

The effect of perceived social status on preschool children's evaluations of behaviour

Abstract: One of the major tasks of the early childhood years is to learn positive and socially acceptable ways of interacting with others and much of this learning occurs within the context of the peer group. Positive peer interactions thus make a substantial contribution to children's social and emotional development and rejection from the peer group in childhood has been linked to a variety of negative outcomes including early school withdrawal, delinquency and mental health problems (Asher, Oden & Gottman, 1977; Kupersmidt, Coie & Dodge, 1990; Parker & Asher, 1987). The perceived power of peer rejection as a predictor variable for future maladjustment has led to increasing concern by researchers to identify the factors involved in the establishment and maintenance of negative peer status. In addition to such potential determinants as physical attributes, social cognition and communication patterns (Black & Hazen, 1990; Kurdek & Krile, 1982; Shaffer, 1988) behavioural characteristics appear to be strongly related to the development of peer social status. However, although initial behaviours serve to rapidly establish children's status within groups of previously unacquainted peers (Dodge, 1983), there is increasing evidence which suggests that, once status is established, behaviour change in itself may not be sufficient to improve social status (Mize & Ladd, 1990). The present study arises from the premise that children's reputation may have an influence on the ways in which their peers both perceive and respond to their behaviour. In other words, a prior reputation may serve to maintain a negative peer status even when behaviour is improved. The present study was therefore designed to examine the extent to which a preschool child's social status or reputation, once established, affects peer perception of his or her subsequent behaviour. Of additional interest were possible sex and status differences in social information-processing. Subjects were 62 children (35 boys and 27 girls) from three local Community Preschools. The children ranged in age from 4 years, 7 months to 6 years, 1 month of age. Prior to commencement of the main study socio-metric interviews were conducted consisting of a combination of limited choice positive nomination and a three point rating scale. Children were then assigned to one of five status groups: rejected, neglected, average, popular or controversial. Children unable to be classified were designated "other". In conjunction with socio-metric testing, teachers were asked to complete a twelve item Teacher Assessment of Social Behaviour Questionnaire (Cassidy & Asher, 1992). After completion of sociometric testing children took part in individual interviews in which they were presented with information regarding the liked or disliked status of a hypothetical same sex peer and reputational information in the form of social information pictures depicting the target child engaged in social interactions. From this information children made inferences about the hypothetical peer's general disposition by rating the likelihood that he or she would behave in either pro-social or antisocial ways. Children were then presented with two types of hypothetical situations, other involved and self involved. The other involved hypothetical event consisted of presentation of a picture showing the same sex target peer and another same sex child involved in a conflict situation. The self involved event consisted of a hypothetical situation involving the subject and the target child in which the intentions of the target peer were ambiguous but a negative outcome for the subject resulted. Children were asked their perceptions of the target peer's involvement in the hypothetical events along the dimensions of locus of control, intent and stability for the other involved event, and locus of control and intent for the self involved event. Presentation order of popular versus unpopular target peer and self involved versus other involved hypothetical events was counterbalanced across subjects. The results clearly demonstrated that preschool children's evaluations of the target peers varied as a function of the target child's reputation and the subject's gender. Overall, children made significant distinctions between popular and unpopular peers both when making dispositional evaluations of the target peer and situational attributions about the target child's involvement in the hypothetical events. In contrast to expectations, no status differences in social information-processing were found. Sex differences in the use of reputational information were evident both for dispositional inferences and situational attributions. Specifically, girls made greater distinctions between popular and unpopular peers than boys both when making inferences about the target child's disposition, and when making attributions of intent. Relative to boys, girls rated the popular peer as more friendly, more helpful and more liked and the unpopular peer as more likely to get angry, fight and hurt others. Girls also rated the unpopular peer as acting intentionally more often than boys and were less likely to ascribe intent to the popular peer. Sex differences were also observed for teacher ratings of aggression, disruption and sociability. Teachers rated boys more highly on the dimensions of aggression and disruption while girls were rated high on sociability. These dimensions were also significantly correlated with children's evaluations of the target peer. Specifically, boys rated as highly aggressive or disruptive were likely to make more negative evaluations of a popular peer on pro-social items whereas sociable children of both sexes made more positive evaluations of an unpopular peer's involvement in a self involved negative event. Overall, these results replicate previous research (Cirino & Beck, 1990; Dodge, 1980; Hymel, 1986; Waas & Honer, 1990), indicating that children vary their perceptions of and explanations for behaviour as a function of the liked or disliked status of the target peer. Additionally however, the present study extends previous research efforts by demonstrating that reputational bias interpretations of behaviour is present in a much younger age group than that previously studied. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for intervention programs and research into children's peer relations.

Quality Talk in Early Childhood Programs.

Abstract: This study examined the quality of verbal exchanges between teachers and children in 4 primary classrooms and the 4-year-old groups in 4 child care centers in Australia. Data were collected during small group activities for a minimum of 4 hours. Interactions were audiotaped, transcribed, and divided into messages which are equivalent to clauses with or without embedding. Messages were analyzed using five semantic networks. Results from the Year 1 classrooms indicated that one teacher chose command in over one third of the messages, mainly unsupported exhortative commands to act, and another teacher chose commands almost half the time, but included non-exhortative, supported commands to "cognize." Child care center results indicated that teachers often dominated talk, asking several questions but not giving children a chance to respond. Fewer commands were used in the child care centers than in the Year 1 classrooms and there was a higher incidence of non-exhortative commands; however, few commands were supported with information which might help children understand why they were being commanded to engage in particular behaviors. Results suggest that semantic networks offer a means of mapping quality talk which parallels different teacher leadership F,tyles, such as democratic and authoritarian styles. These semantic networks allow analysis of verbal interaction options not used by teachers and children. (Contains 34 references.) (KDFB) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************

ARTICLES : Literacy Activities in a Play Environment

Abstract: The literacy activities in a kindergarten play environment were examined. Five-year-old children in three kindergarten classrooms were interviewed about their concepts about reading and their activities were videotaped during their free choice play. The interviews and videotaped observations focused on Literacy activities that promote reading and writing during the children s play. The teachers in the kindergarten classrooms provided a literate environment including writing centers, writing activities, and print labels. A qualitative analysis indicated that the children viewed reading as writing because they could read their own marks on the page. The observations showed a wide range of language or literacy components in activities, some directly taught by the teacher, others the result of careful planning and provisioning.

ARTICLES : A Study on the Development of an Emergent Literacy Program and its Application for Young Children

Abstract: This study is to examine: (1) the effects of whole language program on 3-, 4-, 5-year-olds` literacy developments, and (2) the effects of whole language program of kindergarten on children s communications and literacy developments at the 1st grade. This study shows that the whole language program facilitates the children`s literacy development such as emergent literacy concepts and retelling of the stories read to them, and the children s writing development. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the whole language program on the communication skills in the lst grade. This study shows that children in whole language program grasp most of the emergent literacy concept and abilities during the time period of 3-, 4-year-olds. Therefore, it is advisable to apply the whole language program early on.

ARTICLES : Changes in Preservice Teachers' Beliefs About Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Education

Abstract: The present study examined preservice teachers` beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood classrooms using the Teacher Beliefs Questionnaire developed by Charlesworth, Hart, Burts, and Hernandez(1991). The questionnaire was administered three times over the course of the students` first year in an early childhood education teacher preparation program. Results indicated that students entered the program with conflicting beliefs about appropriate practice with young children, but beliefs about the importance of developmentally appropriate practices increased over the course of the year while beliefs about the importance of inappropriate practices decreased. Three clusters of items (discipline practices, instructional strategies, literacy practices) were identified as tapping different dimensions of teaching practices. The proportion of individual preservice teachers who held conflicting beliefs for each of the three dimensions decreased over time. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of prior belief structures and current program content on the emergence of beginning ideas about practice in novice teachers.

ARTICLES : GROUP TlME CONVERSATION IN A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM : EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES

Abstract: This article presents results from an ethnographic investigation of group time in a preschool classroom. The teacher in this classroom was selected because of her commitment to and success at group time. Group time presents unique opportunities for socially constructed learning through rich dialogue. It is mutually and reciprocally constructed by the teacher and the children. To show the complexity of the teacher`s efforts at group time, we make the teacher`s hidden work visible by discussing three strategies: becoming ready for conversation, exchanging contextualization cues, and using different types of group conversation. Rich and meaningful learning at group time becomes possible through the mutual efforts and support of the teacher, children, and parents.

COUNTRY REPORT : Towards Modernization : Challenges for Early Childhood Education in China

Abstract: In today`s society, China has realized the vital function of early childhood education and its lasting effects on a child`s development throughout life. Many parents, especially parents in big cities, are willing to invest, no matter the cost, into their child`s education including early childhood education. This attitude coincides with the country`s current profound and speedy social changes. The central task of economic construction leads to tremendous achievements and the national strategy of vitalizing the country by developing science and education. Consequently, a gigantic project of pursuing educational modernization is gradually in the making. Meanwhile many problems remain in our education system, which certainly cannot meet the society`s demands for qualified personnel at present and in the future, and therefore, calling for a deep reform in all levels of education. As the starting point of a person`s educational life, early childhood education is now facing significant challenges as it leans towards modernization.