Turnover in Kindergarten Classroom Membership in a National Sample

Information was obtained from a large national sample of kindergarten teachers on changes in classroom membership for the 1995-1996 school year. On average, 26% of kindergarten classroom membership changed over the school year with frequency increasing as schools were more urban, in higher poverty districts, or with higher minority representation among students. School district policy allowing children to remain in the same classroom when they moved was related to slightly higher frequencies of new student enrollment and relatively higher class size. Teachers in classrooms with high turnover believed a high percentage of entering children had many adjustment problems, problems in communicating, following directions, academic skills, little formal preschool experience, and came from disorganized homes. These data provide teacher-reported national estimates for kindergarten classroom enrollments indicating substantial change over the course of the year and associated teacher beliefs.     

Classroom Community and Peer Culture in Kindergarten

This study reflects a naturalistic, interpretive 5-month study in a public school morning kindergarten regarding the children’s social development and creation of a peer culture during the transitional months into public education. The main focus of the research was the children’s perspectives on these transitions and their evolving classroom community and peer culture in response to the teacher, classroom and school environment. This study captures the dynamic and complex flow of activity that occurs in classrooms, the give and take of relationships, and the agency that children take in developing peer culture as one piece of community. Elements of the peer culture that are foregrounded include secondary adjustments as realized in clean-up strategies, protecting play materials over time, and hypothetical competition with the afternoon kindergarten class.     

Inclusion and Classroom Membership in Early Childhood

Using qualitative methods, this study examined classroom membership in an early childhood setting which included a young boy with multiple disabilities. Participant observation and interview data were gathered over a 6 month period. Themes emerged and were arranged according to three primary categories: (a) Shared and Meaningful Experiences, (b) Quality of Interpersonal Interactions with Peers, and (c) Practices that Contribute to Building Community. Findings revealed that there were deliberate and ongoing efforts to create a strong sense of community within the classroom.     

幼儿园教师失衡流动的影响因素及其启示

教师流动已成为当代幼儿园教师专业发展领域中一个值得研究的课题。目前有关幼儿园教师流动的研究主要集中在幼儿园教师的失衡流动与影响因素两个方面。研究者普遍认为,幼儿园教师的流动高于其他阶段的教师流动,处于失衡状态。引发失衡流动的影响因素既有外部的客观因素,也有内部的主观因素。未来的相关研究应在研究方法、研究内容与研究重点方面进行拓展与创新,并应着力探寻切实有效的途径,使幼儿园教师流动保持在正常水平,从而确保幼儿园教师队伍的稳定性。     

影响民办园教师主动离职的组织因素研究

用案例分析法对安徽省56例民办园教师主动离职行为的分析表明:影响民办园教师主动离职的组织因素主要有:苛刻的规章制度、福利待遇低、专业成长受阻、职业发展道路不畅、园长管理行为不当等.解决教师主动离职问题的关键在于提高教师的组织支持感受以及切实履行教师期望的"组织责任".     

幼儿园室内环境的教育价值及其创设

幼儿园作为专业的教育机构,其室内环境具有重要的教育价值,但当前幼儿园在室内环境的创设实践和观念上仍存在诸多误区.幼儿园在创设室内环境时应体现儿童的主体地位,让师生共同创设环境,把环境创设变成环境教育,进而融入幼儿园日常教育活动中,以充分实现幼儿园室内环境的教育价值.     

影响幼儿教师配班效果的因素及组织策略

配班是幼儿教师在园合作的一种主要形式,配班成功与否往往关系到幼儿园班级教学工作的成败.影响幼儿教师配班的因素除了幼儿园的相关外部保障机制外,还包括与幼儿教师自身相关的各种内在因素.在本研究中,我们从教师的个性特征、兴趣爱好和特长、人生观和价值取向等三方面入手,归纳和分析了这些因素对幼儿教师配班效果的影响,以期为幼儿园管理者更好地进行教学人事组织和安排,促进教师之间的有效合作提供相关启示.     

幼儿园新教师分工合作式听评课实践研究

听评课作为幼儿园新教师主要工作之一,对新教师专业能力发展、幼儿教育质量提高等具有重要作用。在《幼儿园教师专业标准》、《3-6岁儿童学习与发展指南》等政策性引导、已有研究借鉴和实践研究的基础上,课题组成员依托教师合作共同体促进新教师专业发展的理念,运用行动研究法,通过加强新教师听评课培训、规范新教师分工合作式听评课活动记录、以"名师面对面"为典范等措施有效促进了新教师专业发展。     

Assessing Standards in the “Real” Kindergarten Classroom

The importance of using standards as key components in the curriculum is documented in both popular and professional literature. One aspect of integrating standards into the curriculum is the role of assessment. The focus of this paper is to prepare early childhood teachers to assess children's knowledge of the standards within the routines and centers provided in the kindergarten learning environment. Teachers can use this information to develop authentic assessment strategies which typically occurs in a child's learning during center and group time.     

Observed Classroom Quality Profiles of Kindergarten Classrooms in Finland

Research Findings: The aim of the present study was to examine classroom quality profiles of kindergarten classrooms using a person-centered approach and to analyze these patterns in regard to teacher and classroom characteristics. Observations of the domains of Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support were conducted in 49 Finnish kindergarten classrooms utilizing the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (R. C. Pianta, K. M. LaParo, &; B. K. Hamre, 2008 Pianta , R. C. , &; Hadden , D. S. ( 2008 , June ). What we know about the quality of early education settings: Implications for research on teacher preparation and professional development . The State Education Standard , pp. 20–27 . [Google Scholar]). In addition, questionnaire data on classroom and teacher characteristics, as well as Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (D. Stipek &; P. Byler, 2004 LaParo , K. M. , Pianta , R. C. , &; Stuhlman , M. ( 2004 ). The Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Findings from the prekindergarten year . The Elementary School Journal , 104 , 409 – 426 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) observational ratings, were used in the analyses. Latent profiling analysis was utilized to identify different profiles of classroom quality. Four latent profiles of classroom quality were identified that differed from one another most clearly in the domain of Emotional Support. Profile 1 represented a generally high level and Profile 4 a generally low level of classroom quality compared to the other profiles, whereas the medium-quality Profiles 2 and 3 showed varying levels of support in the assessed dimensions of quality. Only a few differences emerged among the profiles in classroom and teacher characteristics: The teachers in Profile 4 provided the least literacy instruction and had the least amount of work experience of all of the teachers. The findings using the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure indicated that child-centered practices were predominant among the profiles of higher classroom quality. Practice or Policy: The results of this study can be used to recognize kindergarten teachers' professional strengths and weaknesses and to support teachers' professional development with the aid of pedagogical interventions.     

Information and Digital Literacies in a Kindergarten Classroom: An I-LEARN Case Study

This case study, part of a larger qualitative research project, involved 24 kindergarteners and their teacher in the design, development, and evaluation of a research project built around the I-LEARN model (Neuman, Learning in information-rich environments: I-LEARN and the construction of knowledge in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, 2011b). I-LEARN is a six-step learning model (Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Apply, Reflect and kNow) designed to guide research for twenty first-century learning. The objectives of the study were both to improve the digital and information literacies of the participants and to validate the I-LEARN model for use in an early childhood classroom. The findings have implications for information literacy, digital literacy, and developmentally appropriate practices.     

关于幼儿园班级环境创设的思考与实践

随着幼儿园课程改革的不断深入,幼儿园班级环境的价值越来越受到人们的重视.本研究在认真分析了幼儿园班级环境,尤其是区域环境的教育价值的基础上,对班级区域的设置、重点区域的调整以及如何提高区域使用率等问题进行了深入探究,并提出幼儿和教师要共同参与到一日活动时间表的制定和调整中去.研究表明,幼儿园教师如能更多地关注班级环境创设,让环境成为教师和幼儿对话的平台,对有效提高幼儿园的教育质量具有非常积极的意义.     

Right to the Classroom: Seeking Spatial Justice in Kindergarten

The Urban Review - This article uses Lefebvre’s concept of right to the city to frame the practices of a Kindergarten teacher and her ability to create a more racially equitable classroom...     

幼儿园“一园两区”管理的对策

当前,一园多区幼儿园由于管理体制、管理制度、传统文化与教师结构等差异,给管理者带来种种挑战与困扰。宁波市实验幼儿园在"一园两区"幼儿园管理中,采用规划愿景,和而不同;科研领衔,一园一品;精彩中层,资源共享;错位发展,追求多元等对策,取得了较好的成效。     

Literacy Achievement during Kindergarten: Examining Key Contributors in an At-Risk Sample

This study investigated the contributions of initial literacy, oral language, and social adjustment to literacy achievement at the end of the kindergarten year. Data were collected across the kindergarten year from 48 children attending a school serving primarily children from low-income households with researchbased curriculum and intervention programs. Data were used to create latent variables to represent initial literacy, oral language, and social adjustment as predictor variables and a variable representing word reading and spelling as an outcome variable. Multiple regression indicated that only initial literacy contributed significantly to the outcome. Path analysis also indicated the significance of initial literacy while supporting the shared contribution of oral language to the literacy outcome. Discriminant function analysis indicated that individuals with higher scores on the literacy outcome had high factor loadings on both initial literacy and oral language. Social adjustment did not contribute significant variance to the literacy outcome in any of the analyses. This study has implications for both policy and practice, documenting the importance of initial literacy skills, even from the beginning of kindergarten, to kindergarten literacy outcome and highlighting the correlation between the effects of initial literacy and oral language on reading and spelling.     

Teaching Kindergartners Racial Diversity Through Multicultural Literature: A Case Study in a Kindergarten Classroom in Korea

Research Findings: This qualitative case study examines Korean kindergartners’ literary discussions about racial/cultural diversity during a whole-group read-aloud. Using multiple sources of data, including observations, open-ended interviews, and written materials and children’s artifacts, this study found that (a) the children exhibited a biased attitude toward African characters, and their stereotypical views reflected their allegiance to their social/cultural contexts; (b) literary discussions about race provided the children with valuable opportunities to explore racial diversity, equality, injustice, and freedom; and (c) reading multicultural literature helped the children develop and practice their racial language and literacy skills. Practice or Policy: The findings of the study add several important contributions related to teaching young children multicultural literature. Reading literature should be used to provide a chance to explore real-life problems and critically analyze all of the differences children encounter on a daily basis. Teachers should encourage young children to freely share their views about diverse social issues by creating a space where children feel secure in exchanging different views. In order to create a more supportive literacy surrounding, teachers should understand how profoundly children’s social and cultural environments affect their reading practices.     

韩国"全国幼儿园课程"评介

韩国教育部1999年颁布了新的“全国幼儿园课程”,新“课程”于2000年3月1日生效实施。从这一“全国幼儿园课程”涉及的内容,可以使我们对韩国幼儿教育的目前现状和独具特点有一些初步了解。     

幼儿教师职业承诺与离职倾向的现状及对策

通过对276名幼儿教师职业承诺和离职倾向的问卷调查,结果发现：（1）幼儿教师的职业承诺整体处于中等水平,以继续承诺最高,情感承诺次之,规范承诺最低;（2）幼儿教师的离职倾向处于一般水平;（3）幼儿教师的职业承诺与离职倾向呈显著负相关,情感承诺对幼儿教师的离职倾向有显著预测作用。     

Examining How and Why Children in My Transitional Kindergarten Classroom Engage in Pretend Gunplay

This self-study of pretend gunplay in my Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom was designed to guide me in not only improving my practice within the classroom, but also informing the development of sound classroom policies related to pretend gun-and-weapons play that balance children's developmental needs with my commitment to peace and conflict resolution. The participants in this study include 17 children in my TK classroom in Northern California, but the focus is on 8 students. Data for this study were collected through brief student interviews, audio-recorded classroom discussions, videotaped play, observations, and photographs, which were then analyzed through first and second cycle coding and grouped into significant patterns and common themes. This study allowed me to recognize the different types of pretend gunplay in my classroom, the types of play that induce conflict versus cooperative play, and the specific social needs of my students that are being met through their pretend gunplay. These findings allow me to respond effectively and critically to the developmental needs of my students while being able to recognize the topics that typically occur in pretend gunplay.