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…

Observed 37 pairs of low-income adolescent mothers and infants over a 6-month period to determine efficacy of clinical determinations of risk. Found that maternal-risk status was significantly associated with more sensitive parenting behaviors including responsiveness to infant cues and to infant distress, and social, emotional, and cognitive…

Notes that concerns regarding moral decline in society have prompted the British Government to focus on nursery school education for all, and that, regardless of grade level, values and citizenship are highlighted issues. Focuses on the ways early-childhood educators provide children with a variety of values. Evaluates a comparative study of…

Examined language choice for three bilingual families in the context of Singapore's bilingual policy for preschool children. Found that Chinese families prefer English for all activities; Malay families prefer the Malayan language for worship and interaction with family; and Tamil families choose the Tamil language for worship but prefer English…

Tested appropriateness of a multidimensional, hierarchically ordered model of self-concept for an African sample. Subjects were 215 Xhosa-speaking children in South Africa. Responses to self-description questionnaire suggest the importance of cultural-tendency early-childhood socialization in the conceptualization of multidimensional and…

Examines the contribution of storytelling to the education of young children, and reviews theoretical frameworks used to contextualize storytelling in formal education. Presents five major types of contributions of storytelling: to other language and expressive arts, to the inner world of affect, to autobiography, to narrative, and to certain…

Administered the Simple Adjective Test to 35 black South-African women in early pregnancy to explore association of maternal dominance and male births. Responses revealed that above-average dominance in mothers may be linked to higher number of male births. (LBT)