Mothers of biracial preschool children were interviewed regarding self-concept, identity formation, developmental issues, and variables identified as part of child-rearing practices to promote the dual heritages of their children. Found that these mothers form two perspectives in promoting identity development. Self-concept was viewed as a…

Explored the impact of parental involvement and of public libraries on Head Start children's emerging literacy skills. Found differences in the amount of parental involvement in literacy activities and the types of activities. Library use was minimal for fear of damaging books, transportation problems, or lack of time or effort. Suggested…

Studied the effect of short-term exposure to neutral, prosocial, and antisocial toys on the prosocial and antisocial behavior of preschool children. Found that prosocial toys elicited prosocial behavior and antisocial toys stimulated antisocial behavior. In response to both prosocial and antisocial toys, boys displayed more physical than verbal…

Studied the first comprehensive research on residential child care in Hong Kong. Found that substantial numbers of children in care had been transferred from one residential facility to another, and that their parents suffered from more health, economic, and social maladjustment. Comparison of children involved in four types of movement found…

Reports developmental outcomes of a child who experienced a tracheostomy and had prolonged hospitalization and psychomotor therapy in an intensive care unit. Found a pattern of delay in speech and language production with no hearing loss, no cognitive impairment, an average level of fine motor disorders, no behavioral disorders, and normal…

Examined children's cognitive style and their play in different play areas according to sex and age. Found that females played most in the physical, block, manipulative, and dramatic play areas, while males played most in block play. Four-year olds played most in physical, block, and dramatic play, while five-year olds most often chose…

Discusses the implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, including progress made since 1989, and aims of early childhood education under the convention's mission and ideals. Proposes that the convention should be enacted in domestic law and become a reality in day-to-day teaching, thus ensuring that the philosophy of the…

Examined teachers in the process of integrating children with special needs into childcare programs in Ontario, Canada. Twenty-four teachers in seven childcare centers were interviewed. Found an extant model for the integration of children with special needs, and that both child-centered and teacher-centered strategies were used to make this…

Investigated the sociofamilial environment of French children born to HIV-positive mothers and the psychological repercussions to the family of events following HIV infection. A quantitative approach and interviews with parents were analyzed to understand the nature of the relationship between parent and children, the process of relational…

Studied perinatal and neonatal morbidity and mortality of diabetic mothers and their offspring in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. Suggests diabetes mellitus in pregnancy may be a common problem in Saudi Arabia, as poor maternal diabetic control results in high perinatal morbidity and mortality. Results suggest that health education and improved coverage of…

Examined the relationship between dramatic play and creativity from three perspectives: (1) the existing theories related to the association; (2) the research on this issue; and (3) some situational factors of dramatic play related to this relationship. Most of the research supports the relationship between dramatic play and creativity, noting the…

Investigated North American children's and adults' familiarity with, and liking for, fairy tales. Results support the hypotheses that children's liking for fairy tales relates significantly to their involvement in imagining activities and that more general imagining involvements are likely to be associated with, or to mediate differences in, the…

Explored the influences of teacher education on musical curriculum related to young children's responses to music. The findings showed that during a music activity, children attended to their teachers, that children's responses to music differed according to their age, and that teaching a music curriculum to early childhood caregivers does make a…

Examined the effect of sociodramatic play on the literacy learning of first graders. Found that sociodramatic play provided a vehicle through which the players practiced what they knew about literacy and provided an opportunity to think about literacy in the context of various play themes. Adult mediation enhanced the players' incorporation of…

Examined the priorities in early childhood education program development from the perspectives of school staff and families. The results revealed important differences between the staff and family perspectives and indicated a need for greater staff training in the processes of delivering relationship-based, consumer-driven family services, and in…