Uses data from pilot year of Pre-school Education Initiative in Scotland to look at the impact of government-introduced voucher system intended to expand preschool provision. Identifies four changes in provision and for the culture: playroom activities, expectations for purpose/outcomes of program, parental roles, and requirements for quality…

Interviewed 24 early-childhood service managers to study impact of government regulations on daily practices within a range of early-childhood services in southwest England. Found that the majority of respondents considered government regulations to be related to meeting minimum standards rather than to quality assurance and were confused about…

Compared group and individual interviews to determine views of staff and 40 parents from four Scottish preschool centers. Found that parents' priorities for their children lie in the emotional and social domain and that they want a warm and homelike experience. Argues that staff should harness this parental "force" to resist pressures for a more…

Draws on research/development projects aimed at raising achievement through teaching thinking to explore core concepts of thinking skills and learning. Argues that educators need to move from the idea of developing the thinking child to creating powerful learning environments, thinking classroom, schools, and communities. Discusses approaches to…

Considers theoretical approaches to the origins, diagnosis, and etiology of autism and focuses on the research and development of the psychological theories concerned with the theory of mind in both normally developing and autistic children. (Author/KB)

Examined factors predicting parenting behavior of adolescent mothers of 24-month olds in a family-support program. Found that teens providing higher quality care had more positive childrearing beliefs, were less psychologically distressed, perceived their children as less irritable, and lived in higher quality neighborhoods than those providing…

Conducted content analysis of interview data to determine families' involvement in 100 first graders' literacy development. Identified four categories of involvement: reading at home, reading outside the home, using other literacy activities and materials, and writing activities. Found that many family literacy activities/materials do not…

This study investigated how 196 black South African 7- to 14-year olds living in rural, urban, and semi-urban areas perceived events surrounding the country's political transformation. Content analysis of interviews conducted shortly after the first general election revealed that perceptions and understanding of events increased in sophistication…

Used focus groups and questionnaires involving parents and professionals in Northern Ireland to develop consensus regarding diagnostic and assessment services for children with autistic-spectrum disorders. Validated results through meetings and comments on draft documents produced by a selected reference group. Identified recommendations for…

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…

Examined effects of a 10-week physical activity program on activity level and self-esteem of 8- to 11-year olds. Conducted activities three times weekly for one hour per day. Found that mile-run, timed sit-ups, and sit-reach performances improved significantly from pre- to posttests. Mile-run average heart rates, recovery heart rates, and…

Discusses the need for a unified curriculum to meet needs of all young children in inclusive settings and describes development of an early-childhood teacher's preparation program offering a comprehensive curriculum collaboratively between a university and a community college in Nevada. Presents program's requirements, goals, and stages of…

Explores impact of the English National Curriculum on work of teachers at Key Stage 2, focusing on how English should be taught and what constitutes primary English subject knowledge. Notes issues that emerged related to each of four language modes of English and the role of metacognition in learning English. Reviews findings in light of National…

Examined parents' participation in early caregiving tasks and social support for involvement with infants in two-parent Navajo Indian families. Found that fathers invested about 60% as much time as mothers in direct caregiving. Parents did not differ on reports of social supports for childcare. Parents received more extrafamilial and/or…

Notes that developmental theories are a resource for developing early-childhood curricula; reviews a variety of current theories and research, including maturationist, behaviorist and psychoanalytic theories, and constructivist theories of cognitive development. Presents suggestions for translating theory into curriculum, as well as conceptions of…