Young Children's Trust Beliefs in Peers: Relations to Social Competence and Interactive Behaviors in a Peer Group

Research Findings: The aim of this study was to explore the relations between children's trust beliefs and social competence as well as social preference. In addition, this study examined how children with different trust belief profiles may differ in their peer interactive behaviors. A total of 47 children ages 5 to 6 participated in this study. Data were collected via observation of play behaviors, a teacher-rated social competence scale, and a child interview. The results indicated that children's trust beliefs in friends’ promise-keeping behaviors were positively associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal domains of social competence. Children who had greater trust in non-friend classmates’ promise-keeping behaviors tended to be sociable in a group, polite, and more preferred, and they were less likely to be disliked by peers. Children with different trust profiles exhibited differential interactive behaviors with peers. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that parents and early childhood educators should pay more attention to the extent to which young children trust their close friends and familiar peers, especially in terms of keeping promises. Adults may model their efforts in keeping their promises made to children and enhance children's capacity to reciprocate trust in close relationships. Adults can help children differentiate their trust based on the intimacy of relationships.     

Conceptualisations of disability and inclusion: perspectives of educators of young children

This grounded theory study explores beliefs about disability and inclusion from the perspectives of educators of young children in their respective roles as elementary school teachers and early childhood educators, in Ontario, Canada. The social relational model described by Reindal is used as a theoretical framework for interviews with four educators. The interview data provide a theory of educators' beliefs and show the relationship of the beliefs to their practice. Implications based on the theory are presented for both policy and professional development.     

Principles under pressure: student teachers' perspectives on final teaching practice in early childhood classrooms

Global concerns about what constitutes an appropriate curriculum and pedagogy for young children inevitably raises questions for teacher educators and the content of teacher education programmes. These concerns have been particularly visible in England following recent policy initiatives and the resultant ‘academic shovedown’ and ‘high stakes’ performativity culture in schools. Against this background, this article reports on a qualitative study of student teachers' experiences of their final teaching practice, identifying pressure from a range of sources to deliver a more formalised curriculum than they were prepared for in their university-based courses. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner among others, we consider the socio-political and -cultural sources of pressure linked through human agency, and the implications of these for teacher educators. The study argues that student teachers of young children may be faced with cognitive and emotional dissonance between the content of university-based training on the one hand, which promotes a developmentally appropriate, play-based approach in keeping with the Early Years Foundation Stage (the statutory curricular framework in England), and the reality of pedagogical practice in early years settings on the other.     

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Homeless Families with Young Children

This study researched the experiences of homeless families with young children between the ages of four and eight. Many families experience homelessness every year; therefore, it is important for early childhood educators to have an understanding of how homelessness affects families with young children so that educators can effectively serve the needs of homeless families as they seek to find more permanent situations for themselves and their young children. Many early childhood educators may not understand how homelessness affects young learners. This research sought: (1) to understand reasons families with young children become homeless; (2) to become aware of beneficial resources available to families and their perceptions of the resources; (3) and to examine the developmental effects that homeless living situations can have on young children. The outcomes of this study will be used to inform early childhood educators about practices as they seek to serve young children ages four to eight living homeless. Research suggested common themes as to why and how parents and young children are affected by homelessness.     

Assignments as a Pedagogical Tool in Learning to Teach Science: A Case Study

Fostering student teachers' confidence and competence to teach science in early childhood settings is a complex and challenging task for teacher educators situated in university classrooms. The research reported in this paper is based on an analysis of 3rd-year early childhood student teachers' assignments. The assignment required them to interview young children in order to find out what the children knew about a specified science topic. Three themes emerged from a constant comparison analysis. The first was the artificiality of the situation as constrained by the task. The second was the importance of sound subject knowledge in being able to ask questions of the children that were not misleading or difficult to answer. The third theme encompassed the difficulties associated with engaging young children in meaningful conversations. As a result of this analysis, the assignment task was modified to enable student teachers to work in more pedagogically appropriate and authentic ways.     

The Impact of an Ongoing Professional Development Program on Prekindergarten Teachers' Mathematics Practices

Mathematics is a natural part of daily life for young children as they explore and investigate the world around them. To build on these experiences, and to begin establishing a mathematical foundation, early childhood educators must not only be knowledgeable about mathematical concepts, they must also be aware of the most developmentally appropriate ways in which to teach these concepts to young children. After participation in an ongoing professional development program, specifically targeting teachers of prekindergarten children in public school, Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), Head Start, and child care settings, teachers reported positive changes in math practices. Specifically, teachers reported a stronger alignment to national mathematics standards and increased awareness pertaining to developmentally appropriate mathematics practices as they apply to early childhood classrooms. Teachers reported a shift towards more hands-on activities and a shift away from the use of worksheets in their prekindergarten classrooms. Implications from this study suggest that ongoing professional development that is designed to meet the specific needs of early childhood educators can have a positive impact on reported mathematics content knowledge and instructional practices.     

Literature,listening, and young children

“What is that sound?”, “What did the kangaroo say?”, and “What might you hear during a walk?” provide evidence that educators of young children realize that listening represents a necessary ingredient in successful school experiences. Children listen for many hours of the school day, but listening has been a neglected area of instruction. The traditional low priority of listening instruction may have been based upon the myth that children naturally learn to listen or on the misconception that listening skills cannot be taught. Using literature to teach listening can improve learners' listening abilities, provided early childhood educators use developmentally appropriate children's literature.     

Misbehavior or Missed Opportunity? Challenges in Interpreting the Behavior of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly being included in early childhood classrooms that include typically developing peers and in general education classrooms once they enter school. Many of these learners have the requisite academic skills to be successful, yet their social communication and behavioral challenges often impede their successful inclusion in general education settings. The challenges educators may experience when interpreting and responding to some behaviors exhibited by young students with ASD are explored and analyzed using an illustrative case vignette of a Kindergarten child with ASD. Recommendations for analyzing the communicative function of children’s behavior and for embedding social communication opportunities in inclusive classroom settings are described.     

Gender behaviors in an early childhood classroom through an ethnographic lens

The purpose of the study was to examine, using an ethnographic perspective, young children's gender behaviors. Four children, 3 to 5 years old, are described using videotaped observations of a university laboratory preschool. This study revealed, through individualprofiles of the children, that gender behaviors in early childhood are constructed by the individual interacting with her his social world. Also, gender behaviors were found to be integrated with other social processes, namely, student and peer behaviors. Finally, sociocultural and poststructuralist perspectives revealed the obvious and subtle gender behaviors of young children. Thus, researchers using ethnographic methods can explain the complexity in which children experience becoming a person .     

What Does a Culturally Sustaining Learning Climate Look Like?

A solid base of research evidence exists to show that teachers’ assessments of children are impacted by their perceptions of those children. From the Pygmalion in the Classroom experiment which powerfully showed that teacher expectations of students impacted those students’ performance, to more recent research on teachers’ underrating of children based on low SES, race, and language learner status, it is clear that what educators believe about their students has real implications for their educational outcomes. This article examines the learning climate for young children at the intersection of children's immigration status, disproportionality, and teacher perceptions, making an argument for classrooms that are humanizing and culturally sustaining. Given the large and ever growing population of young immigrant students, teachers need tools to develop positive climates within which all students can thrive. This article presents a framework of such tools that can be built into teacher preparation curricula to support the development of early childhood educators.     

Parents’ and Early Childhood Educators’ Attitudes and Practices in Relation to Children’s Outdoor Risky Play

This study contributes to the understanding of early childhood educators’ and parents’ attitudes and practices in relation to outdoor risky play for children. This study included 26 early childhood educators and 112 parents in rural and metropolitan areas of Australia and the United States. Participants completed an online survey about their perspectives and practices related to the provision of opportunities for children to engage in outdoor risky play. Questions also investigated reasons that prevented participants from providing such opportunities for children. Findings indicated that most educators thought it was important for children to be provided opportunities for outdoor risky play and did provide appropriate activities. Types of outdoor risky play opportunities fell into the categories of supporting large motor skills, supporting free exploration of the environment, and supporting assessment of risk. However, educators located in Australia rated outdoor risky play opportunities as significantly more important compared to educators in the US. Many parents also felt outdoor risky play was important and provided appropriate activities. Opportunities provided by parents fell into the same categories as educators, with additional features of nervousness and a desire to avoid hovering. Many parents identified the young age of the child and safety concerns as barriers. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Reflections on Plowden

ICT can make a useful contribution to the development of early literacy but exploiting this potential in developmentally appropriate ways requires early years educators to meet the challenge of outlining the ways and means this process requires. As early years professionals we need to think not only about the ways in which ICT can help to enhance our current practices in literacy but also about how our concept of literacy itself might need to change. Clarifying our view of our role and responsibilities in relation to technological change and young children's literacy experiences in a rapidly changing world of communication could be one way of ensuring that at least some of these changes meet our needs and those of the children we work with.     

A Qualitative Metasynthesis of How Early Educators in International Contexts Address Cultural Matters That Contrast With Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Research Findings: The National Association for the Education of Young Children's guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) have been imported and researched by others across the globe. A central issue that has arisen for these international early childhood educators is whether these best practices are sensitive to the sociocultural contexts in which they work. To shed further light on this issue, a qualitative metasynthesis was conducted that examined findings from published peer-reviewed studies of DAP in international early childhood contexts that investigated how early educators conceptualized and/or engaged in practices with young children. It then looked at whether these understandings and/or practices culturally contrasted with DAP. In brief, matters involving culture that contrasted with the framework of DAP arose frequently for the early educators in the data set. Yet researchers rarely offered suggestions for early educators to attend to these issues. Practice or Policy: It seems that to address matters involving culture that contrast with the framework of DAP in international contexts early educators should examine the 3 central tenets of DAP simultaneously when addressing the needs of children—their sociocultural, individual, and developmental needs. It also appears that advocates for DAP need to consider whether particular materials, resources, and/or policies should be in place in any early childhood education context for early educators to conceptualize as well as practice DAP. Lastly, there is a need for further research that examines how teachers in international contexts are responding to cultural issues that contrast with DAP in their conceptions of and/or practices in early education.     

Correlates of young children's interactions with classmates with disabilities

Although including children with developmental disabilities in preschool classes has become increasingly common, little is known about how experiences in an inclusive classroom affect young children's development. In Study 1, 36 typically developing children (mean age = 55.2 months) attending an inclusive, university-based early childhood program were interviewed about their knowledge of and attitudes toward children with disabilities. Parents answered questions about: (a) expectations for their children's prosocial behaviors and (b) their own beliefs about interacting with children with disabilities. Parents' beliefs and children's attitudes toward children with disabilities were positively related to the frequency of children's actual contacts with classmates with disabilities during free play time. In Study 2, the beliefs and behaviors of 20 children from an inclusive university-based early childhood program and 18 children from an inclusive community-based program were compared. There was no difference between the two programs in the amount of contact typically developing children had with classmates with disabilities.     

Interventions and Adaptations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings

The inclusive education of children with disabilities is considered best practice, yet many early childhood educators feel unprepared to deliver appropriate instruction for children with disabilities and often require supports to successfully meet the children’s unique needs. Young children experiencing autism spectrum disorder are being diagnosed at a young age and they are commonly receiving their education within inclusive early childhood settings. This article presents two methods to meet the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder. First, early childhood educators can provide interventions tailored to the children’s learning needs. Second, educators can adapt the environment, materials, activity, instruction, and assistance they provide so that each child is appropriately supported, while still being encouraged to succeed as independently as possible. This article summarizes research-based interventions and adaptations that early childhood educators can implement within inclusive settings to meet the diverse needs of young children with autism spectrum disorder and presents a case study to describe how these practices can support young children with autism spectrum disorder within inclusive settings.     

Bullying Prevention Strategies in Early Childhood Education

Bullying is a serious problem that affects the young children’s well being. Early childhood educators find it difficult to manage bullying in the classroom. Preschool is the first environment outside of the home setting where children encounter difficulties when they socially interact with their peers. Based on the principles of protecting and establishing a safe environment for all children, the purpose of this review is to present current empirical evidence about the nature and distinctive facet of bullying among preschool children. It defines both the concept of traditional school bullying and bullying in early childhood education, describes the social context of young children’s bullying, differentiates between bullies and victims in early childhood education, discusses the young children’s interpretations of bullying, describes the young children’s functions in bullying, and provides a rationale for the use of bully prevention programs for young children.     

Linguistic Differences with Bilingual Parents Who are Immigrants: Words for Dialoguing About Young Children

While partnerships including meaningful, two-way, parent–teacher dialogue about young children during early childhood program and school meetings are critical, linguistic differences between bilingual parents who are immigrants and early educators can impede communication and lead to inequitable services. In this article, we focus on one aspect of linguistic differences for educators and bilingual parents: English-language adjectives used by teachers to describe young children. We highlight aspects of adjectives, their uses, and cultural contexts to illustrate potential misunderstandings that may lead to not only miscommunication but also challenges to partnerships and equitable early childhood service provision. Subsequently, we present recommendations to foster meaningful dialogue and greater understanding between educators and bilingual parents who are immigrants when dialoguing about young children.     

Adapting Strategies of Effective Instruction for Culturally Diverse Preschoolers

This article describes collaboration between preschool and university educators focused on adapting the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) standards for Effective Pedagogy for use in early childhood (EC) settings. The CREDE standards are strategies of best practices for culturally diverse K–12 students. Teachers and teacher educators worked together to adapt the CREDE standards for use with young children. Participants included 13 preschool teachers and 2 administrators serving 2- to 5-years-olds at a university-based EC center. Data sources included participant observations and video-recordings of the teachers' instruction. Criteria for measuring use of the standards were changed to be more developmentally appropriate, including adjustments for language development and a focus on goals that included self-management and social skills. The adapted CREDE EC standards may provide a useful framework for high-quality EC instruction for diverse children. This partnership may have been successful because the project drew on the strengths of both the university and EC collaborators, minimizing the hierarchical relationship that is often experienced in such an arrangement.