In this theoretical article, we present, argue for, and illustrate a conception of early childhood arts education, centred on the notions of "synaesthesia" and "transduction". The empirical illustrations come from three different activities where teachers and children (aged 4-8 years) are engaged in music-listening, playing drums and a…

This research investigated the nature of play activities and the social engagement of young children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in inclusive early childhood settings. Twelve focus children with a diagnosis of ASD participated in the research. These children were enrolled in regular early childhood education programs with typically…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how very young children can influence their daily life in preschool, in relation to teacher control. The specific questions studied were: What opportunities do the children have to make their own choices and take the initiative? How does teacher control manifest itself? What form do permanent…

What role do infant and toddler teachers play in transmitting their culture? Symbolic and cultural mediation approaches suggest children learn how to be members of their culture through social interactions and that this process begins at least by 9 months of age if not from birth. In previous cross-cultural studies of early childhood programs,…

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts the child's right to identity, privacy, freedom of thought and beliefs, but also a right to protection. In the Swedish curricula for pre-school and school (Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden, 1994, 1998), it is stated that children should be treated with respect and that all education…

Interviews were conducted with 28 kindergartners, their teachers, and their director to examine Japanese children's moral development. Qualitative analysis of interviews revealed three themes related to moral development: social system morality, emotions, and responsibility. Children made moral decisions based on social system morality…

Used teacher interviews and observations to examine the roles five teachers undertook to promote literacy in a classroom of Spanish-speaking kindergartners. Found that teachers' roles could be identified and described as: monitoring, facilitating, interacting, inquiring about, initiating, extending children's play, engaging children in discussion,…

Describes frame play as a type of play in which children and teacher jointly plan the theme, roles, and actions and produce an extended imaginary play situation that can be repeated. Presents other types of play and discusses teachers' role in supporting theme development, resource organization, and environment transformation. Analyzes frame play…

Discusses principles of early childhood education and trends in the education and care of handicapped children in Japan. Maintains that children express their inner world through play and that teachers need to be ready to meet a child, understand his or her expression, create the present, and reflect on the experience. (KB)

Summarizes progressions between 2 and 6 years of age in children's power of concentration, ability to express ideas, build logical relationships, structure spoken words, and play with the semantic, phonetic, syntactical, and morphological aspects of oral language. Notes that the progression depends on the educator's interaction with the child.…

Discusses the special problems of adults who work with young children in preschools, day care centers, and other child care settings. Presents a model characterizing possible types of relationships between children and adults in these settings and discusses the programmatic implications of each type of relationship. (JMB)

Emphasizes the interactional aspects of play, describes the competencies necessary for young children to participate in pretend or imaginative play, and discusses the influence of status patterns on play in groups of preschoolers. Highlights the role of the adult as an active participant and co-player. (Author/MS)

Describes six primary grade teachers' beliefs which guide their teaching practices within an exploration of child centered programs. Seven graduate students viewed a video which illustrated and described child centeredness in different settings and described what they perceived as teachers' interpretations of child centeredness. (RJC)

Suggests a non-static approach to preschool curriculum planning which would incorporate cognitive learning, while at the same time retaining important program aspects which pertain to the child's physical, social and emotional development. (NH)

Presented at the twelfth assembly of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, Washington, D.C. (MS)