Addresses the multivariate nature of research on minority children and families in Israel; offers an alternative framework for investigation. Applies ecological approach toward study of child development in an attempt to identify variables that influence the child and family at various levels of the ecological context. Discusses research methods…

Investigated the role of educational personnel in children's dramatic play in Icelandic preschools, how they intervened, and their views on dramatic play and their own role and function. Findings indicated that adult participation in children's dramatic play was not common and most frequently occurred outside the theme of play, although personnel…

The focus of this article on play training (when adults intervene in informal but purposeful ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play) is not on whether it works, but on why it works. A theoretical framework for examining adult/child play interactions, which reconciles diverse perspectives in the literature, is presented.…

Home- and center-based child caregivers were randomly assigned to training and control groups. Caregivers who received training on inclusion attended group meetings and observed either live, or videotaped, on-site demonstrations. Caregivers who received training scored significantly higher on an observation scale and self-rating questionnaire than…

Examined low socioeconomic-status (SES) preschool classrooms for teacher perceptions of children and teacher/child interactions as a function of ethnicity. Hispanic teachers described Hispanic boys as having high levels of difficulty; they engaged in high levels of interaction with them. Perceptions of girls were more positive and less influenced…

Examined ethnic attitudes in a multiethnic elementary school in Hawaii. Interviews and surveys in Study 1 revealed age-related differences in how children described different ethnic groups. Results of Study 2 (participants nominated peers to fulfill certain roles with positive and negative connotations) indicated some differences from research in…

Surveyed teachers and mothers from early-childhood-education programs in Jamaica about child rearing. Found that teachers accorded more importance to fostering inquisitiveness and less to rule-conformity than mothers, and were less likely to think they should be privy to children's private thoughts (intrusiveness). Mothers and teachers with less…

Investigated effect of classroom type (DAP versus DIP) on stress behaviors and activity participation of 102 preschool children as moderated by socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. Found twice the level of overall stress behavior in DIP classrooms, with lower SES children and males (during small motor/paper-and-pencil activities) exhibiting…

Analyzed first, second, and third graders' invented games for type, complexity, and rule knowledge; compared game-rule knowledge to classroom-rule knowledge. Found two types of rules: conduct and procedural, indicating children perceive need for rules that tell how to play and that specify appropriate behavior (conduct rules resembled classroom…

This case study recorded and analyzed, during a primary prevention program in an urban day care center, the process of emotional socialization in two 4-year-old children considered at risk for academic failure. It isolated and described influential factors in emotional socialization, described changes in social skills and emotional expression, and…

Researchers long have sought a connection between play and literacy behaviors. Most agree that play is a basis for developing literacy skills. This study investigated the use of block play in a first-grade classroom. Results showed that the students increased the number of literacy behaviors after having been exposed to the enriched block-play…

Narrates one year in the life of a fourth-grade class that moved from teacher-directed to student-initiated learning, or what is referred to as "emergent curriculum." Encourages readers to reconsider students' and teachers' roles in developing curriculum. Describes changes over time in physical environment, academic curriculum, and social…

Argues that common understanding of "caring"--characterized by gentle smiles and warm hugs--obscures complexity and intellectual challenge of work with young children. Draws on feminist moral theory, specifically the ethic of care, to emphasize its deeply ethical, philosophical, and experiential roots. Highlights, through classroom narratives, how…

Used ethnographic methods to examine, over six months, the relationship between gender and open-ended computer software use to compose stories for 36 first graders. Found that females in mixed-gender groups were more likely to have their competence or work laughed at or criticized than when working alone or in all-female groups. Females used…

Examined the extent to which kindergartners used computer speech during narrative writing and the relationship between this use and the linguistic properties of their written products. Found that length of text, grammatical cohesion, and lexical density were strongly associated with use of computer-generated spoken feedback. Narrative types and…