Promoting Caring in Children and Families as Prevention of Violence Strategy

Promoting caring in children is a powerful venue to prevent violence in our society. This article reviews the roots of violence, explores the various contexts of violence, and then describes how caring can be used to prevent violence. In particular, the role that families and schools can play in helping children develop caring is discussed.     

鲁迅“为人生”的人生关照中的儿童关照

鲁迅是“五四”时期为复兴祖国文学而被时代呼唤出来的第一代作家的卓越代表。鲁迅认为,文学的首要功用是改造国民性。基于这个文艺观,鲁迅先生便以“为人生”的文学主张来关照人生了。而孩子是祖国的希望,“立人”的关键就是在于孩子健康正常的成长。因而,在鲁迅的“为人生”的人生关照中都能或隐或现的看到性格各异、身份各异的孩子的身影,使得读者不难品味出鲁迅先生的一番良苦用意。     

Helping Homeless Families Overcome Barriers to Successful Functioning

The author articulates key stressors in the lives of families who are homeless. These stresses often combine with barriers such as lack of job opportunities and/or insensitive professionals. Strategies for helping homeless families overcome these barriers and related issues are presented.     

Dispositions Toward Families and Family Involvement: Supporting Preservice Teacher Development

This article highlights the importance of nurturing preservice teachers as they develop the dispositions essential to establish empowering relationships with children’s families. The authors identify and describe several key dispositions necessary for working with families and offer suggestions for ways that these elements might be integrated into early childhood teacher preparation programs.     

论特殊需要儿童家庭与专业人员合作的几个核心问题

融合教育的教育理念,对特殊需要儿童的家庭教育产生了深远影响。随着融合教育实践的逐步深入,如今很多特殊教育专业人员都已经意识到能否建立和保持与家庭整体积极的合作伙伴关系是特殊需要儿童发展社会适应能力、获得学业成功以及教师实施个别化教育计划的关键。本文对家庭与特殊教育专业人员的合作做了历史回顾,阐述了在合作模式下家庭各成员和特殊教育专业人员的角色转变,为我国特殊教育者与家庭建立积极、平等的合作关系提出了三项策略。     

Exposure to Media Violence and Young Children with and Without Disabilities: Powerful Opportunities for Family-Professional Partnerships

There is growing concern regarding the amount and type of violence that young children are exposed to on a daily basis. Through media, popular toys and video games violent images are consistently present in children’s lives starting at a very young age. This paper discusses (a) the growing presence of young children’s exposure to media violence, (b) the influence of media violence on early childhood development and well-being, (c) the impact of media violence on young children with disabilities, and (d) recommendations for addressing this national dilemma within the context of family-professional partnerships. A list of related web resources is also included.     

新起点项目:一项预防离异家庭儿童心理健康问题的家长干预技术

新起点项目(New Beginnings Program,NBP)是美国心理学家Wolchik等人为预防离异家庭儿童心理健康问题而编制的一套家长干预技术。NBP面向离异母亲,包括为期十周的团体培训及两次个别辅导。NBP课程的内容包括提高母亲与孩子的亲子关系质量,增强母亲管教孩子的有效性,增进父亲与孩子的接触与联系,减少父母冲突对孩子的影响,从而达到预防离异家庭儿童心理健康问题的目的。近年来我国离婚人数持续上升,离异家庭儿童的心理健康问题不容忽视。本文详细介绍了NBP的理论基础、发展过程、内容、形式等,收集了NBP的临床实验研究证据,并进一步讨论了如何将NBP引入中国家庭。     

Creating a Caring Community: The University of Arkansas Nursery School Experience

The seven dimensions of establishing a caring community at the University of Arkansas Nursery School are described. Key components include empathetic teacher–child and teacher–parent interactions, celebration of differences, and a responsive classroom environment.     

流动幼儿的家庭嘈杂度与情绪调节之间的关系研究

本研究以河南省郑州市5所民办幼儿园随机抽取中班、大班各5个班级,共310名幼儿家长为研究对象,其中流动幼儿161名,非流动幼儿145名。通过家庭嘈杂度量表、幼儿情绪调节策略量表进行测评,比较流动与非流动幼儿家庭嘈杂度及情绪调节发展的实际情况,并且详细研究了家庭嘈杂度和情绪调节之间的相关关系。结果显示,流动幼儿的家庭嘈杂度显著高于非流动幼儿家庭,流动幼儿在认知重建策略维度上显著低于非流动幼儿,在其他情绪调节维度上有显著差异;家庭嘈杂度与积极情绪调节策略中认知重建策略呈显著的负相关,与消极情绪调节策略(发泄和被动应付策略)呈显著的正相关。     

农村家庭子女数量对家庭教育投资目的与期望的影响研究

选取农户家庭进行抽样问卷调查,进一步探讨农村家庭子女数量对农村家庭教育投资目的与期望的影响。结果表明：随着农村家庭子女数量的增多,农村家庭通过教育投资实现子女考上大学以及社会流动的愿望越迫切;子女少的家庭,受现代生育文化的影响,对子女的教育期望无性别偏好;而子女多的家庭,受传统生育文化潜移默化的影响,对子女的教育期望存在显著的性别差异。     

用陈鹤琴幼儿教育思想指导家园共育

依托陈鹤琴“家团合作”的教育思想,近年来我们幼儿园在家团共育方面进行了积极的探索：既继承传统的家固联系的一般方式,也组织家长会、亲子活动、家教论文评比等丰富多彩的家团互动。还利用网络联系、家庭俱乐部等形式,探索家固沟通新渠道。     

Effects of Junior Kindergarten on Emerging Literacy in Children from Low-Income and Linguistic-Minority Families

We study the benefits of junior kindergarten for linguistic-minority 4-year-olds compared to their linguistic-majority classmates from the same low-income neighborhoods. At the end of the school year, linguistic-minority children made significantly greater improvements in language skills than their host society classmates. At the mid-year point, junior kindergarten teachers made efforts to help linguistic-minority children overcome the challenges of the school environment of their new host society by adapting their pedagogical strategies to those showing difficulty in their receptive vocabulary skills. They also offered greater means of contact to parents of linguistic-minority children having difficulty attaining language proficiency than to parents of children showing better improvements. Parents of linguistic-minority students showing smaller gains were more likely to use a larger proportion of the communication methods offered by teachers and participate in the parent–school relationship for the well-being of their children. Long-term results suggest that linguistic-minority children continued to make significant improvements.

Lap Reading for Young at-Risk Children: Introducing Families to Books

Many at-risk children do not experience lap reading to the degree their more advantaged peers do. To investigate the effects lap reading might have on such children, three families with at-risk children were taught lap reading techniques and were provided with books for lap reading over a 12- to 16-week period. Changes in the children's behavior included choosing books and reading as free-time activities, developing positive attitudes toward books, and persisting in attending to books in the face of other activity choices. Additional outcomes included an increase in higher level questions asked by the children, some improvement in their oral language, and an increase in literacy-specific knowledge. Lap reading is recommended as a tool for parents to increase instructional motivation for their at-risk children.     

Children,families, and feminism: Perspectives on teaching

Feminist theorists are raising questions about assumptions still common in the fields of family and child development which are relevant to early childhood educators. This article discusses why content and pedagogy work together in feminist classrooms and reviews research on the stages that many students and instructors move through as they learn about ways in which women continue to struggle for equal status in modern American society.     

Families Learn Together: Reconceptualizing Linguistic Diversity as a Resource

While a growing number of diverse children are entering U.S. schools, misconceptions remain regarding language acquisition. Analysis of weekly interactions in an urban children’s playgroup in the South reveals how the concept of language diversity as a deficit is still widespread. Mothers of young children still believed that efforts to learn multiple languages diminish a child’s ability to learn other things. Conversely, research points to multilingualism as a resource rather than a deficit. Findings indicate that interactions among mothers and children, mediated by the researcher, combined with observations of one child’s bilingual development allowed mothers and young children to rethink their beliefs regarding linguistic diversity. They began recognizing that bilingualism/multilingualism adds to the lives of all children.     

Starting School: Welcoming Young Children and Families into Early School Experiences

Throughout the world, young children and their families anticipate the start of school with expectations and hopes, as well as concerns. Although the approaches and customs differ from one nation, region, or culture to another, one constant is the recognition that a collaborative effort is needed to welcome young children and their families into formal schooling experiences. The transition process should be proactive and responsive to the children’s needs. This article addresses four key components of appropriate support for young children who are starting school: (1) a consideration of the developmental characteristics of young children, (2) a recognition of factors that affect adjustment to new situations, (3) the establishment of relationships with families, and (4) the implementation of strategies that assist young children in making this important transition. Strategies for assisting children who are beginning their school careers are shared.     

Perspectives from Both Sides of the Parent–Professional Partnership: A Preliminary Study on Taiwan’s Early Childhood Special Education Services

The purpose of this qualitative study was to get an understanding of perspectives on effective parent–professional partnership for young children with special needs in Taiwan. Through purposive sampling, a total of nine parent–professional pairs were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain perspectives from both sides of the partnerships about building effective partnerships. Data analyses were based on six domains (communication, commitment, equality, skills, trust and respect), and the results showed that (1) positive partnerships were found between partners; (2) participants agreed that their partners fulfilled their roles and met the children’s needs; (3) effective two-way communication was the key for building successful partnerships; and (4) other essential domains of competence (e.g. skills) needed to be further considered as well. Most importantly, the study further emphasised that positive partnerships should be built through effort from both sides.     

The role played by grandparents in family support and learning: considerations for mainstream and special schools

The twenty‐first century family faces many demographic changes. Despite this, the importance of intergenerational relationships remains. This article initially reviews the literature surrounding the role that grandparents play in their children's families, highlighting a growing body of research demonstrating the important support role that grandparents play in the lives of families with non‐disabled children. In contrast, there is limited research on the role played by and support needs of grandparents to families with disabled children. Recognising the significance of ‘family’ rather than purely ‘parent’‐based partnerships in UK schools, this article considers the role and importance of grandparents in schools; in particular, intergenerational learning, and how schools can begin to include grandparents and also provide support to meet grandparents' own support needs. Despite a limited literature on schools working specifically with grandparents of children with SEN, some policy and practice issues are discussed and areas for future consideration suggested.