Young children's relationships with teachers predict social and academic success. This study examines contributions of child temperament (shyness, effortful control) and gender to teacher-child relationship quality both directly and indirectly through the frequency of teacher-child interactions in the classroom. Using an NICHD SECCYD sample of 819…

Evidence strongly suggests that shared book reading at home and in preschool is important for young children's development of the foundational skills required for the eventual mastery of decoding and comprehension. Yet the nuances of how learning from book reading might vary across these contexts and with children's skills are not well understood.…

Interpersonal and work-related classroom behaviors of kindergarten children (as rated by teachers) were examined to identify behaviors critical for success in school. Results demonstrated a consistent and highly significant risk for maladjustment associated with subnormal ratings on work-related, as opposed to interpersonal, behaviors. (PCB)

Sex cleavages in toddler and preschool peer groups were investigated in two studies. In the first study, playmate preferences and initiations and responses to friends were examined during the free play of toddlers in day care centers. In the second study, cross-sex friendships in toddlers and preschool children were examined. (PCB)

The relationship of day care quality to the activities of preschool children during free play and their knowledge of social problem solving was investigated. Relationships were found between dimensions of quality and children's absorption in solitary play and knowledge of social problem solving. (PCB)

The influence of prior information on attitudes towards physical affection between adults and children was studied. Results showed that (1) prior information and expectations can influence attitudes toward adult-child physical affection; and (2) group differences in attitudes toward affectionate behavior exist among parents, nonparents, and early…

This study examined the experience and perceptions of child care workers regarding three aspects of the child care work setting: (1) center characteristics; (2) task characteristics; and (3) salary and benefits. (PCB)

This study attempted to (1) examine differences in the curiosity behavior of abused preschool children in situations with their mothers, a teacher, and a stranger; (2) determine whether the children exhibited more curiosity when exposed to novel versus familiar objects; and (3) examine adult behaviors theoretically related to children's curiosity.…

Two studies investigated: (1) the art preference of young children for realistic, stylized, and abstract styles; and (2) the influence that exposure to art has on these style preferences. Analyses revealed that exposure increased preference for the selected painting as well as preference for other paintings in that style. (PCB)

Reviews past research in the area of early childhood education, points out current realities, and suggests future possibilities for investigation. Discussion of these possibilities centers on finding research support, gaining access to programs and securing the confidence of teachers and parents. (HOD)

Traces the effects on young people through age 15 of three well-implemented preschool curriculum models--the High/Scope model, the Distar model, and a model in the nursery school tradition. (HOD)

Describes two studies that examined (1) whether negative evaluations of parents by day care staff should be viewed as a problem in the relationship between caregivers and families and (2) whether children experience day care differently as a function of staff attitudes about the caregiving abilities of their parents. (HOD)

Investigates the reading development of six preschool children who learned to read at home without systematic instruction. Attempts (1) to find out whether there was an identifiable process by which these children learned to read and (2) to study th role of the parents in these children's early reading acquisition. (HOD)

Explains how to administer and score a test of early spelling ability, how to assess what the test revealed at the beginning of the school year about 26 first graders' knowledge of the function of letters in written language, and how to use that information in "natural" writing projects. (HOD)

Thirty-three kindergartners from two social classes were tested on an array of prereading and oral language skills. Prereading skills were found to be highly intercorrelated and to relate to ability to provide decontextualized definitions for words. Oral language measures of decontextualized skill correlated within task, but not across tasks. (PCB)