Examines one preschooler's conversation with author to determine what concepts educators consider "difficult" for this age group. Finds that concepts such as "infinity" and "negative numbers," typically avoided by primary educators, were brought into view in the task-based conversations. Argues that individual children's questioning of…

Observed 81 caregivers from 24 urban centers interacting with 3- to 5-year olds. Interactions were categorized into negative/positive, language facilitation, concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning-up domains. When all positive teacher interactions were combined, found that early childhood education/child development coursework accounted…

Used interviews to examine the awareness level of Nigerian mothers and local organizations of the need to develop sustainable community-based group care facilities for preschoolers in rural areas. Found that mothers' preferred child care method was day care/nursery schools. Forty percent of local organizations were willing to contribute towards…

Used Academic Motivation Self-Rating Inventory to examine Greek student motives for school learning at end of primary school and how motives are differentiated during transition to secondary school. Found that academic motivation increased upon secondary-school entry and was not related to student's gender or socioeconomic status. Primary0school…

Considers the emergence of family-centered child care as a program model. Presents an historical overview of the family as a child-care component of quality and past efforts in parent education and parent involvement. Outlines a conceptual framework for family-centered child care, and discusses implications for public policy. (Author/KB)

Explores how teacher education might be improved, through considering the student teachers' unfolding experiences, highlighting the Post Graduate Certificate of Education in the United Kingdom. Focuses on: (1) the emphasis toward skills and performance in teacher education; (2) concepts of reflection applied within teacher education; and (3) the…

Provides an overview of substance-abuse prevention strategies targeting children and adolescents in the United States. Discusses the effectiveness of several major prevention approaches and programs and their implications for service providers. (Author)

Tested two path models of Predictors of Adjustment to School. The primary-school model analysis indicated that more difficult temperament, child's reported stressful life events, and male sex predicted teacher's ratings of poor student adjustment. The secondary-school model analysis showed that less family cohesion, adolescent's reported stressful…

Examined the effects of early educational experiences on the academic achievement and social skills of 91 inner-city first graders. Found that, after controlling for first-grade teachers' instructional practices and beliefs, children with prekindergarten experience had higher scores in mathematics and language and higher social skills than…

Examines the spiritual dimension of the education of young children, focusing on its role in education in Great Britain, the lack of definitions of "spiritual," and how parents and educators can foster young children's spiritual development. Maintains that in order to convey the mystery of life to young children, adults need to perceive the…

Describes the variety of possible effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on early childhood development in the cognitive, language, social-emotional, motor, and adaptive domains. Suggests interventions which can assist young survivors and their families. Suggests that more long-term, intensive studies be conducted on the short- and long-term…

Examined the perceptions of 20 early-childhood special-education professionals regarding different types of student assessment. Found that subjects perceived the activity-based assessment to be significantly more able than the norm-referenced test to assess functional skills of children with special needs, to provide information about the child's…

Examined the impact of a cultural exchange program on ethnic/racial awareness and attitudes of preschoolers in the United States. Found that teaching preschoolers about an ethnic/racial out-group raises their awareness of their own group membership, and does not automatically translate into their disparagement of out-groups; also found that…

Examined toddlers' spontaneous responses to six repeated readings; subjects were 2- to 3-year olds from at-risk backgrounds. Found that frequent children's responses included labeling pictures, commenting about the picture/story, and repeating what the reader said. Overall verbal activity and number of different responses increased across repeated…

Compared food texture preferences during infancy and toddlerhood. Found that infants displayed more negative expressions and head and body movements in response to complex textures than to simple textures. Toddlers displayed more positive head and body movements and more eagerness in response to complex than to simple textures. Experience with…