Influences of Family Involvement in Kindergarten Transition Activities on Children’s Early School Adjustment

Transition to kindergarten can be a pivotal experience for children because of its potential long-term impact on school performance. As the importance of relationships among contextual factors surrounding a child has been recognized, many schools have made efforts to establish strong ties with families in order to make kindergarten transition experiences as seamless as possible. Our current understanding of the role of family involvement in kindergarten transitions and the specific outcomes, however, is still somewhat limited. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, this study investigated the impact of family involvement in kindergarten transition activities on children’s transition to kindergarten and their early school adjustment. Although quantitative results revealed that family involvement is not a significant predictor of children’s early school adjustment, qualitative evidence suggests that families believe their involvement in kindergarten transition has a positive influence. In addition, qualitative results provide information concerning barriers, which interfered with family involvement in the transition process. Based on these findings suggestions for schools and families of young children are provided.     

Maternal Support of Children’s Math Learning in Associations Between Family Income and Math School Readiness

This study examined maternal support of children’s math learning at 36 months (n = 140) as a mediator of the association between early childhood family income and children’s counting and calculation skills at 4½ and 6–7 years. Family income was associated with this measure of children’s math school readiness, but the association was almost entirely indirect and mediated by observed maternal support of children’s numerical skills at 36 months. Maternal support of children’s spatial concept and general learning (cognitive stimulation and sensitivity) were not significant mediators of this association. Results suggest that income-based gaps in counting and calculation skills at school entry may be due in part to the constraints that low family income places on early numerical learning support.     

Blood and Bones: The Influence of the Mass Media on Australian Primary School Children’s Understandings of Genes and DNA

Previous research showed that primary school children held several misconceptions about genetics of concern for their future lives. Included were beliefs that genes and DNA are separate substances, with genes causing family resemblance and DNA identifying suspects at crime scenes. Responses to this work ‘blamed’ the mass media for these misunderstandings. This study aimed to determine whether that blame had any foundation by examining the media habits and conceptions about genes and DNA of Australian children. With little prior research considering the influence of entertainment mass media on children’s academically relevant knowledge, this was an exploratory study with a mixed modes design. Data were collected by detailed media questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with 62 children aged 10–12 years, and subjected to content and thematic analysis. Specific mass media examples children reported using were examined for genetics content. Results indicate 5 h/day of media use, mostly television including crime shows, and that children perceived television to be their main source of information about genetics. Most children (89 %) knew DNA, 60 % knew genes, and more was known about uses of DNA outside the body such as crime solving or resolving family relationships than about its biological nature and function. Half believed DNA is only in blood and body parts used for forensics. These concepts paralleled the themes emerging from the media examples. The results indicate that the mass media is a pervasive teacher of children, and that fundamental concepts could be introduced earlier in schools to establish scientific concepts before misconceptions arise.     

Elementary School Children’s Explanations of Day and Night

Science & Education - Most students have interacted with scientific representations that are used as teaching resources in schools. Often these external representations present challenges for...     

The Impact of Tourette’s Syndrome in the School and the Family: Perspectives from Three Stakeholder Groups

This article analyzes the perceptions of Spanish health professionals, children with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) and their parents about social, school and family problems related to the disorder. A qualitative research methodology was used involving Focus Groups (FGs) made up of children with TS (× 2 FGs), parents/caregivers of persons with TS (× 2 FGs) and health professionals (× 1 FG). The study highlights many of the principal areas of concern for persons with TS, parents/caregivers and health professionals that directly and indirectly add to the burden of living with the disorder. The results of the study point out that the stigma and social maladjustment in children with TS is caused in large part by a misunderstanding of the disorder by teachers and peers. Parents of children with TS especially emphasize tics, considering them to be the main cause of social maladaptation. The results suggest that interventions among parents, teachers and peers should be implemented towards a greater understanding of the disorder and its symptoms.     

Popular Media Portrayals of Inequity and School Reform in The Wire and Waiting for “Superman”

Two popular media forms are examined—the documentary film Waiting for “Superman” and the HBO television series, The Wire—that present distinct, and at times conflicting, depictions of how to address educational inequity. Qualitative media content analysis was used to analyze the two media documents and to situate them within broader popular media representations of school failure. Waiting for “Superman” depicted school choice and dismantling unions as one way to address school failure. The Wire, in contrast, suggested a more complex and uncomfortable portrayal of school failure where blame is not directed at teachers and schools exclusively, but instead encompasses a complex web of inequity due to bureaucracy, economics, culture, politics, and media coverage. The analysis suggests that media sources such as film and television can play a role informing the public on issues of school reform and should be critically examined as pieces of the larger puzzle of improving schools and addressing school inequity.     

The Role of School Managers in Monitoring and Evaluating the Work of a School: inspectors’ judgements and schools’ responses

The paper presents an analysis of inspection findings for 22 secondary schools, selected from a larger sample of 100, in order to explore the nature of, and the responses to, OFSTED inspectors’ recommendations about the use of internal monitoring and evaluation to improve classroom practice. Inspectors’ reports, and schools’ action plans, were examined in order to determine inspectors’ expectations of senior managers in schools in relation to monitoring responsibilities and the means managers intend to use to meet these expectations. In their action plans some schools respond with bureaucratic procedures, while others indicate a more collaborative approach. This paper describes the first stage of a research project; the differences in implementation of the planned changes in schools will be the subject of further research.     

The Relationship of Self-Concept and Reading Achievement in First Grade Children’

Abstract

This investigation of 133 first grade Ss (25 percent Ilispano-75 percent Anglo and 50 percent male-50 percent female), found no significant correlations between objective scores of young children’s self-concept (SC) and their first or second grade reading achievement (RA). Moreover, SC correlations with other predictor variables, ethnic background (E), intelligence (IQ), and reading readiness (RR), were essentially zero. Only IQ, RR, and E were related to RA in a highly significant manner. At this age, RA, and possibly school in general, may not greatly influence the SC. Future investigation might profitably examine the change of SC as a function of age, mood, and stress.     

Jordanian School Counselors’ Leadership Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to identify the degree to which Jordanian school counselors were seen by teachers and principals to possess and display leadership behaviors related to Bolman and Deal’s (1997) transformational ‘four framework approach’ to leadership. This was based on the view that such leadership would relate to counselors’ effectiveness in their roles. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of teachers and principals designed to assess counselor leadership on four key dimensions (i) structural leadership, (ii) human resources leadership, (iii) political leadership, and (iv) symbolic leadership. The results of the study suggest high levels of transformational leadership among Jordanian school counselors as perceived by both teachers and principals. Principals assessed the levels more highly than teachers, with a significant difference evident. The results also showed a significant difference based on geographic area of the participants, even though those from all areas rated counselor leadership quite highly.     

弱智儿童亲社会行为研究综述

亲社会行为是弱智儿童适应行为中的一个重要方面,对弱智儿童教育十分重要。弱智儿童的亲社会行为与正常儿童、自闭症儿童相比表现不同,其中唐氏综合征儿童又是弱智儿童的一个特殊类型,影响弱智儿童亲社会行为的因素主要有年龄、性别、病因、智力等。     

The Influences of the Chinese Modern Family Changes on the Socialization of Children

This article mainly introduces the contemporary changes in Chinese family and especially analyses the transformation of family structure and type, family housing conditions, family relationship network, the relationship between husband and wife and parenthood. In addition, it discusses the influence of family changes in the socialization of children. Then it expounds the new transformation in children’s socialization because of family, school, mass media, etc. Finally, it discusses its challenge and reflection to family and pedagogue. Translated from China Family Education, 2004:4     

大学生亲社会行为及其培养刍议

亲社会行为是对他人和社会有益的积极行为,本能论、习得论和情感论对其动机提供了三种理论解释。大学生亲社会行为具有自己群体的一些特征。从坚持德育为先、训练移情能力、提高情绪胜任力、弘扬亲社会模范等方面培养大学生亲社会行为,这对于构建和谐校园、建设社会主义和谐社会意义重大。     

狄更斯作品中的儿童教育

对狄更斯作品中大量遭遇不同,饱尝人间冷暖的少年儿童形象作了认真的分析,认为狄更斯通过对这些儿童经历及其人生状态的分析探讨了儿童教育的问题,意在启示人们能够认识儿童的人生经历与所受的家庭、社会及学校的教育有着直接的关系,整个社会都应该关心儿童和儿童教育。     

儿童亲社会行为与移情

亲社会行为是儿童社会化的一个重要标志。移情则是影响儿童社会化实现的一个重要因素,本文试图就儿童亲社会行为的形成与移情的关系作一探讨。     

关于留守儿童教育问题的思考

留守儿童教育是教育的新问题。家庭教育的缺失、传统应试教育的弊端对留守儿童的心理产生巨大的负面效果;社会环境的多样性和监护人的不到位影响着留守儿童的人身安全。完善留守儿童教育需要家庭、学校、政府、社会等多方面的通力合作。     

大学生亲社会行为的意义及培养

大学生亲社会行为对于构建大学和谐校园、建设社会主义和谐社会意义重大.大学生亲社会行为具有自己群体的一些主要特征,如互惠性、利他性、公益性和群体制约性.培养大学生亲社会行为可以从坚持德育为先、训练移情能力、提高情绪胜任力、弘扬亲社会模范四个方面着手.     

宁夏南部山区农村儿童的入学准备状况及其影响因素

本研究以宁夏南部山区218名农村儿童为被试,运用《儿童入学准备综合测评工具》(SRTB-CV)和《儿童家庭教育环境调查表》考查其学龄前阶段入学准备发展水平及家庭环境的作用。结果发现:(1)宁夏南部山区农村儿童的入学准备严重不足,且没有表现出随年龄发展的成熟效应和性别差异,回族儿童的入学准备水平显著低于汉族儿童;(2)家庭经济水平、父母受教育程度对被试的入学准备有重要影响;(3)宁夏南部山区农村当前的学前教育对当地儿童的入学准备状态没有显著贡献。     

Teachers’ guidance,family participation and track choice: the educational disadvantage of immigrant students in Italy

In Italy, as in other European countries, students of foreign origin are over-represented in the vocational school tracks, with relevant consequences on their limited chances of attaining a university degree. While research has long underlined the weight that a family’s social, cultural and economic capital has on a child’s school performance, educational expectations and choices, the role that school and teachers themselves play in the transition from lower to upper secondary school has been rarely explored in Italian sociological research. The present study aims to bridge this gap in the literature, showing how teachers’ orienting practices, interacting with highly differentiated patterns of family participation in the school guidance process, can play a relevant role in reproducing foreign-origin students’ segregation into the lower tracks of the school system.     

小学儿童对“仁慈”概念和行为的理解及教育建议

对小学儿童关于“仁慈”概念和行为的理解进行考察,结果表明：大部分小学儿童习得“仁慈”概念的时间是在二、三年级。小学儿童对“仁慈”概念的掌握表现出了阶段特征,随年级升高,他们对“仁慈”概念的理解逐步深刻化,但其思维活动仍局限于具体的事物及日常经验,缺乏抽象性。小学儿童对“仁慈”概念理解不存在明显的性别差异,但女生的表达优于男生。低年级小学儿童在理解仁慈行为时主要依赖情境故事,自我中心严重;中、高年级小学儿童逐渐摆脱自我中心。部分高年级小学儿童能理解仁慈行为的发生不受义务驱动,而低、中年级小学儿童则较难判断。在仁慈行为判断上,小学儿童不存在明显的性别和年级差异。根据研究结果,就如何培养小学儿童的仁慈之心提出教育建议。