This article presents a review of current research used to shape and guide an investigation into the nature of the influence of children as agents of intergenerational learning in environmental studies. Five children and their mothers were interviewed regarding their views about children's influences on parent and family eco-knowledge and…

This exploratory study examined children's picture books as a source of socialization messages, specifically regarding ageism. Thus, the appearances, cultural backgrounds, and roles of grandparent characters were examined in a sample of 220 books published over a 20-year span. Findings indicate that grandparent characters have come to…

There is a growing movement in education toward data-based decision-making requiring frequent monitoring of student progress. However, the literature fails to provide direction as to the best means of communicating information about a child's progress with his or her parents. Given the increasing number of immigrant families being served, it…

This study investigated whether the types and amount of playful activity and thought exhibited from early childhood to adulthood are related to aspects of moral development, such as empathy, behavior, and reasoning. It explored whether the assertions of theorists such as Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson regarding the facilitative effect of games with…

Within the current standards-based framework of early primary education, teachers must negotiate the integration of assessment with traditional, developmental orientations to teaching and learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teachers' approaches to early primary assessment within five different school contexts:…

Parenting styles are known to have a powerful influence on child development, and as such they can significantly influence children's Internet use. The purpose of this study is to examine the Internet parenting style of Jordanian parents and their perspectives on their children's Internet use. Children's Internet use was evaluated…

Use of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is increasing across the United States as an important indicator of the quality of programs for young children. Professional development is required to facilitate teachers' understanding of the instructional behaviors upon which they will be judged. This study investigated the use of the…

In recent years, the Chinese government has initiated a national plan to universalize quality kindergartens for all age-eligible Chinese children. Kindergarten is the main form of early childhood education and care (ECEC) service across China. However, the government faces two thorny issues on the journey toward realizing educational equity for…

As an aspect of the confluence between schooling and lived experiences, children develop literate identities and build personal theories of literacy. The purpose of this study was to explore the construction or children's literate identity in different contexts. Four children, two from Canada and two from the United States, were interviewed…

A test of the effectiveness of patterning instruction was conducted with 140 first-graders. First, 383 first-graders from 20 classes were screened on a patterning test. The eight in each class who scored worst were given individual 15-minute lessons on patterning or reading or mathematics or social studies three times weekly for a period of 6 1/2…

This study examined the diversity of teaching practices to illuminate the qualitative variety of instructional teaching practices among preschool teachers. Further, teachers' self-rated educational goals were explored to complement the multifaceted nature of preschool teachers' instructional teaching practices. The study was carried out…

The study investigated a relationship between National Board certification and perceived use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). A self-developed survey, the Early-childhood Teacher Inventory of Practices, was e-mailed to participants. Participants included 246 non-National Board-certified (non-NBCT) and 135 National Board-certified…

Parent-teacher communication and partnerships are important in children's early years. This study compared goal setting, conducted in English, during Head Start parent-teacher conferences with native Spanish speaking, Latino bilingual, and native English speaking parents and their children's teachers. To understand conference…

Preschool boys' pretense and coconstruction of shared meanings during two play sessions (superhero and generic toys) were investigated with 58 middle-class boys ("M" age = 54.95 mos.). The frequency of dyadic pretense and the coconstruction of shared meanings in the play were coded. The frequency of pretense did not vary across the…

Researchers and educators recognize that performance assessments and naturalistic observations are well suited for assessing young children's thinking abilities and understanding. The need to establish explicit evaluation criteria to guide assessment decisions has led to the widespread use of rubrics. Rubrics tend to channel assessors to look…