Kindergarten Teachers' (KTs') work is different from that of school teachers' because they juggle the role of being caregivers for young children and tending to their physical, emotional and educational needs, with the task of being 'managers' or 'leaders' of their kindergarten units (Guo et al. in Teach Teach Educ 27(5):961-968, 2011a; Aizenberg…

This short-term longitudinal study examined how economically-impoverished children's moral reasoning predicts specific aggressive subtypes. Children (N = 106, M[subscript age] = 52.78 months, 51% boys, ethnically diverse backgrounds) from urban Head Start programs completed a structured story-interview pertaining to moral reasoning and judgement…

Although teacher-child interaction has been recognized as an important indicator of quality in early care and education as well as a crucial predictor of children's development, limited studies have explored the pathways of teachers' job-related stress to interaction with young children. This study aimed to investigate the sequential mediating…

Emergent literacy abilities of young children are strong predictors of future academic success, however, biological and environmental risks can impact their progress. Parental interventions that promote home-based stimulation of preschoolers can enhance literacy development and ensure school readiness. mHealth technology may be a viable approach…

This study highlights a survey on 5783 kindergarten teachers' occupational commitment and its influencing factors in the socioeconomic context of China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through the WenJuanXing public online platform. Quantitative analysis results showed that kindergarten teachers' occupational commitment was…

This study investigated the relationship between the temperament dimensions, home environment factors, and the two types of young children's learning motivation. The study aimed to investigate the relative contributions of predictors and identify the predictors of young children's intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation in a classroom-based…

The present study investigated if preschool children's intention understanding could predict their use of other-oriented conflict resolution strategies. Participants were 30 preschool children (13 girls, M[subscsript age] = 4.46 years, SD = 0.73, range: 3.21-5.50 years). The children were observed for their conflict resolution strategies during…

The purpose of the present study is to investigate if early childhood educators' behavioral supports for young children are associated with their metacognitive knowledge of general problem-solving strategies. A sample of 175 Korean early childhood educators were surveyed regarding their implementation of behavioral support and meta-cognitive…

Teacher stress has a well-established research base, with similar sources of occupational stress reported by teachers at all grade levels. This study examined a proximal source of stress--the student--teacher relationship--as a predictor of stress in preschool teachers. This study is unique in its focus on "teaching" stress, which occurs…

This study investigated whether mothers' measured reading proficiency and their educational level predict, over and above each other, their children's receptive vocabulary and reading proficiency when confounding factors of speaking a minority language, ethnicity, number of children in the family, and marital and employment status are controlled.…

The transition to kindergarten is regarded as a critical early childhood developmental milestone with important implications for later school outcomes. Little prior research has focused on predictors of socio-behavioral kindergarten outcomes using longitudinal research designs. Further, few studies have examined kindergarten transition using…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing group of neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Earlier detection means an increased need for early intervention and other educational services. This study examined what services a sample of young children with ASD received, what variables predicted service utilization, and how satisfied…

Guided by affective events theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the temporal aspects of childcare teacher burnout, particularly as to how feelings of exhaustion throughout the day relate to perceptions of end-of-day job satisfaction and quitting intentions. A secondary purpose of the study was to explore the frequency and type of…

The current study examined associations among teachers' financial well-being, including teachers' wages and their perceptions of their ability to pay for basic expenses, and teachers' work time supports, including teachers' paid planning time, vacation days, and sick days, and children's positive emotional expressions and behaviors in preschool…

Cumulative risk theory suggests that a variety of social risk factors would have an additive effect on obesity risk. Multiple studies have suggested that obesity is related to basic resources such as transportation and financial resources. Additional research points to parental engagement and parental monitoring as additional sources of risk. This…