Family-Centered Intervention for Young Children at-risk for Language and Behavior Problems

This study investigated the effects of a family-centered intervention that involved parents in weekly assessments and daily routine activities for promoting young children’s language and behavior. Forty-one 3–5-year-old children at-risk for language and behavior problems, recruited from three developmental pre-schools, were randomly assigned to a control and an intervention group that received parent–professional support. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were used to examine whether groups differed on post-test scores on the Test of Early Language Development—Third Edition and Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, using pre-test scores as a covariate. Results showed that children in the intervention group outperformed children in the control group on both tests. The study indicated that family-centered intervention is an effective method for empowering parents to identify and implement concrete solutions to their children’s problems, especially when done as part of a professional collaboration.     

A Study of Reported Tension in Interparental Relationships as Co-Existent with Behavior Adjustment in Young Children

The importance of replication is widely recognized in several research traditions. Empirical synthesis of seemingly diverse results may be particularly important when factor structure similarities are being evaluated because apparent differences in findings may be an artifact of different locations of factor axes, even though variable positions in factor space may be virtually identical. The present study empirically evaluated the comparability of seven sets of factor structures reported in previous research with the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Results indicate that the inventory’s primary factors were reproduced in the studies, although the Masculine scale was somewhat less invariant than its Feminine counterpart. Thus, the results support the validity of this androgyny measure across several variations in sample types. The study represents a heuristic example of a methodology for the meta-analysis of factor structure studies.     

Preferential Handedness in Young Children

A number of characteristics of eleven Repgrid indices of cognitive structure, in particular the Smith &; Leach hierarchical complexity index, are investigated among boys and girls in the 9-15 years age range. The Smith &; Leach index is shown to be significantly reliable (p < .01) over a 30-month period, but in common with seven indices of cognitive differentiation, it is of dubious validity. Reasons for such dubiety are discussed.     

Burnout in Teachers of Young Children

The purpose of this study was to identify variables or combinations of variables that are related to burnout in teachers of young children. The 353 participants were teachers who worked with young children more than 20 hours a week. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, a 22-item semantic differential measuring burnout, and a questionnaire about personal and job characteristics were administered to the subjects. A factor analysis, one-way analyses of variance, and maximum regression were used to analyze data. The factor analysis showed that the Maslach Burnout Inventory measures burnout and competence of teachers. The variables which account for burnout and competence are discussed.     

Individual Differences in Theory of Mind, Aggressive Behavior, and Social Skills In Young Children

Research Findings. The present study examined relations between social-cognitive skills, aggression, and social competence using teacher questionnaires and tabletop tasks with preschool and kindergarten children. It was hypothesized that the acquisition of a theory of “mind”, as indexed by an understanding of false beliefs, might be related to social behavior for this age group. Overall, results indicated that both generation of forceful solutions in a traditional social-problem solving task and performance on the false belief tasks were significantly related to social competence, after controlling for the effects of age, language comprehension, and teacher ratings of aggression. In addition, theory of mind understanding was a better predictor of social competence than performance on a more traditional social information-processing task that involved the generation of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems. Practice. The implications of these findings for preschool and kindergarten peer relations and their potential relevance to treatment of deficits in social skills are discussed. Specifically, training in an understanding of counterfactual thinking (e.g., through increased and structured opportunities to engage in pretend play and storytelling) may enhance preschooler social skills.     

Attachment in Chronically Underweight Young Children

This study, conducted in Chile with a low-income population, was designed to assess quality of mother-infant attachment in 17-21-month-old children of different nutritional status. 43 nutritionally healthy and 42 chronically underweight children were seen with their mothers in the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Children were classified in the conventional B (secure) and A and C (anxious) attachment patterns. In addition, an A/C pattern of anxious attachment was found to be frequent among children who consistently fail to gain adequate weight-for-age. Results showed a greater proportion (93%) of anxious attachments in the underweight group as compared to the group of children without a history of nutritional deficits (50%). Children classified as A/C presented the most serious weight deficits within the underweight group, indicating an association between severity of the nutritional deficits and insecure/disorganized attachments. Various hypotheses concerning the association between chronic nutritional deficits and insecure/disorganized attachments in infancy are discussed.     

Promoting Social Skills in Young Children

The literature reflects that numerous factors impact a young child's ability to have playmates and develop friendships. This in turn can influence health, happiness, and stability throughout life. Social relationships may be enhanced through a youngster's efforts and those of caring adults, especially teachers, parents, and other caregivers. Two checklists are provided, one to assist when observing and recording a child's personal behaviors and another to aid adults with the self-assessment of their child guidance techniques. These results are beneficial to those who teach, guide, train, and provide other essential experiences for children.     

Powerful Portfolios for Young Children

The use of portfolio assessment is a valuable tool for teachers to use with young children to better understand how young children develop and learn. An intentional data collection and documentation system becomes a very powerful assessment tool, one that is authentic and based on children’s capabilities and strengths. Children, educators, parents, and administrators are able to see the collection of items that celebrates the child. This article will describe several aspects of the portfolio system including: what a portfolio is; it’s purposes; how to create the portfolio; and, how to use the portfolio with families.     

Ritual, Habit, and Perfectionism: The Prevalence and Development of Compulsive-like Behavior in Normal Young Children

Young children engage in a significant amount of rutualitic, repetitive, and compulsive-like activity that appears to be part of their Normal behavioral repertoire. Empirically, little is known about the onset, prevalence, and developmental trajectory of these phenomena. A parent-report questionnaire, the Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI), was developed to assess compulsive-like behavior in young children, and was administered to 1,492 parents with children between the ages of 8 and 72 months. The CRI has strong overall internal consistency and a distinct two-factor structure. The frequency of compulsive-like behaviors changes with age: Two-, 3- and 4-year-olds engaged in more compulsive behavior than children younger than 1 year of age and older than 4 years of age. Results are discussed from a development psychopathology framework and for their implications for future research in this area.     

Exploring Estimation in Young Primary School Children

There is an increasing emphasis in mathematics education on the importance of estimation abilities in children. This study investigates the role of context upon primary‐aged children's estimation skills. Children in three age groups (from aged 5 to 8 years) were asked to carry out a range of estimation tasks involving distance, area and volume measurements. The tasks varied in type and complexity and were either of a ‘real‐world’ or ‘mathematics task’ form. In addition to performance measures the children's answers to questions on how they carried out the estimates were recorded and analysed. Quantitative and qualitative analyses found significant effects for context and child strategy. Estimates in contexts perceived as mathematical were different, both in that they changed with age and in their error patterns, from contexts involving perceptual‐motor skills. The children's answers highlight the importance of imagery and classroom experience. The results are discussed within a model of estimating.     

Loneliness and Peer Relations in Young Children

Recent studies indicate that feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction can be reliably assessed with third- through sixth-grade children, and that children who are sociometrically rejected by their peers are significantly more lonely than other children. The present research was designed (a) to examine whether loneliness could be reliably assessed in a population younger than previously studied, (b) to learn whether young children who are poorly accepted by peers report elevated levels of loneliness and social dissatisfaction, (c) to assess whether young children understand the concept of loneliness, and (d) to examine the behavioral characteristics of lonely young children. Kindergarten and first-grade children (N = 440) responded to a questionnaire about feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in school. A subset of children (N = 46) were individually interviewed to assess their understanding of loneliness. To assess sociometric status and behavior, peers were asked to respond to various sociometric measures and behavioral assessment items. Teachers also provided behavioral information about children using a newly developed instrument. Results indicated that nearly all children understood loneliness, that loneliness was reliably assessed in young children, and that poorly accepted children were more lonely than other children. In addition, children who reported the most loneliness were found to differ from others on several behavioral dimensions.     

Stability of Maternal Socioemotional Investment in Young Children

Objective. To investigate the stability of 3 constructs (Sensitivity, Delight, and Acceptance of the Parenting Role) of mothers' socioemotional investment in the young child from 15 months and 36 months postpartum. Design. A sample of 102 mothers participated. Factor structure stability, rank-order stability, and mean-level stability were investigated by confirmatory factor analysis, correlational analysis, and paired t tests, respectively. Results. All 3 domains of maternal investment showed reasonable stability. Each maternal investment measure showed at least a basic test of factorial stability. Both Sensitivity and Delight passed stringent tests of factorial stability, and Acceptance of the Parenting Role contained one item that was less valid at 36 months. There were no mean-level differences across time, and all rank-order stability coefficients were above. 50. Conclusions. The stability observed in maternal socioemotional investment, together with findings showing stability in related aspects of parental beliefs and attitudes, suggests that it may be neither simple nor easy to effect change in parents' attitudes and feelings regarding the child.     

The Dimensionality of Language Ability in Young Children

The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the dimensionality of language ability for young children (4–8 years) from prekindergarten to third grade (n = 915), theorizing that measures of vocabulary and grammar ability will represent a unitary trait across these ages, and to determine whether discourse skills represent an additional source of variance in language ability. Results demonstrated emergent dimensionality of language across development with distinct factors of vocabulary, grammar, and discourse skills by third grade, confirming that discourse skills are an important source of variance in children's language ability and represent an important additional dimension to be accounted for in studying growth in language skills over the course of childhood.     

Using the Multiple Intelligences to Enhance Instruction for Young Children and Young Children with Disabilities

The theory of the multiple intelligences are discussed in relation to working with young children and young children with disabilities. A rationale for the use of the multiple intelligences is discussed as well as practical suggestions on how they can be incorporated into early childhood programs.     

Helping Young Children to Delay Gratification

The ability to delay gratification (DG) in young children is vital to their later development. Such ability should be taught as early as possible. One hundred kindergartners (Mean age = 6.11), randomly assigned to three groups; a, labeling: received the treatment of being labeled as “patient” kids; b, story-telling: were read a story about the patient antagonist rewarded double gifts, while the impulsive character got only one same reward; c, control: received no treatment. Under the DG task of Ball-Moving Activity, the ANOVA results showed the children in labeling group delayed longer (M = 13.23 m) than the control one (M = 11.25 m), showed marginal significant difference at p = .06, medium effect size magnitude at η² = .06. No significant mean differences were found between the story-telling (M = 12.68 m) and the control group, though the story-telling group delayed more than 1 min longer than their counterparts. Sex differences on the task are also discussed.     

Minor Parenting Stresses with Young Children

The importance of major life stress and minor daily hassles associated with parenting was studied in 74 mothers and their 5-year-old children. Of interest were the relative and absolute contributions of the stress factors to indices of parental, child, and family functioning. Mothers completed questionnaires regarding stressors, aspects of parenting and individual psychological status, social support, family functioning, and child behavioral status. Mother-child pairs were also observed in interactions in a laboratory setting. Analyses indicated that life stress and parenting daily hassles significantly predicted aspects of child, parent, and family status. Hassles, however, proved to be a more powerful stress construct. Further analyses indicated that mothers' social support moderated the influence of hassles on indices of maternal behavior. The results are discussed in relation to the potential for minor parenting stresses to influence microsocial processes within parent-child relationships and contribute to dysfunction in children and families.     

Reading and Forgetting among Young Children

Kyöstiö, O. K. & Vaherva, T. (1969). Reading and Forgetting among Young Children. Scand. J. Educ. Res., 129‐146. The aim of this article has been to analyze learning to read and forgetting, and to determine an optimal time for starting primary school. The study is a follow‐up type, of an experimental nature, using kindergarten children as an experimental group, and primary and kindergarten children as control groups. The children were tested three times to measure their reading standard before and after a period of tuition, and after the summer vacation interval to determine forgetting. The results show that children are able to learn to read earlier than the present starting of school in Finland presumes. Factors which influence learning are intelligence, age, social status, and teaching method. The large number of drop‐outs from the sample groups diminish the value of the generalizations that can be made from the results.