Exploring Effects of Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Cyprus

Research Findings: This study, undertaken in Nicosia, Cyprus, sought to evaluate some of the hypothesized developmental benefits of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) by investigating how the pedagogical attitudes and practices of Greek/Cypriot parents (n = 142) and teachers (n = 16) relate to 4- to 7-year-olds' (n = 142) social–emotional functioning at the end of the academic year. After taking into account potentially confounding effects of parenting attitudes and practices, only a few classroom–environment effects were detected; virtually all of these proved inconsistent with theoretical expectations, though upon reflection they proved less surprising than first imagined. Practice or Policy: Results are discussed in terms of the evidence base of DAP.     

How are Developmentally Appropriate or Traditional Teaching Practices Related to the Mathematics Achievement of General and Special Education Students?

Recently, developmentally appropriate practices have been distinguished from traditional practices and have been advocated as one way to reform primary general education classrooms. Relatively little research has examined the efficacy of developmentally appropriate versus traditional practices. In particular, concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of this approach for students with disabilities. This study examined the relationship between primary teachers' implementation of developmentally appropriate and traditional teaching methods and the mathematics achievement of general and special education students. Observations, interviews and questionnaires were used to measure the mathematics teaching practices used with general and special education students. Because developmentally appropriate and traditional teaching practices are often characterized in terms of a continuum, principal components methods were used to generate continuous composite variables that described teacher presentation, materials, grouping, and curriculum. The outcome measure was a curriculum- based measure of mathematics achievement. Principal components results showed that the composite variables most clearly associated with the developmentally appropriate v. traditional continuum were not related to mathematics achievement. Instead, consistent with previous research, achievement was associated with a reported measure of instruction that emphasized mathematical processing and strategy instruction. Further, a reported “laissez faire” method that emphasized individual student choice and treated special education students like general education students was negatively related to achievement, as was placement in special education class.     

Boundary Crossing and the Professional Learning of Teacher Educators in New International Contexts

In this collaborative self-study, two teacher educators examine their experiences of working in new international contexts and the impact of those experiences on their professional learning and identities. Mandi moved from a major research university in one country to another, while Judy co-led a group of pre-service teachers on an international practicum for three weeks each year for three years. Using the concept of boundary crossing as a theoretical and analytical framework, each teacher educator identified a boundary-related critical incident or experience that occurred during her work in new international contexts. Through individual and collaborative analysis of their critical incidents, they found that working as a teacher educator in new international contexts involves the crossing and re-crossing of multiple personal, professional, linguistic and cultural boundaries. Working in these boundary spaces involved learning how to negotiate new kinds of relationships with colleagues and students, manage changed roles and responsibilities and, ultimately, a search for a renewed sense of self, as each sought to understand herself differently within a new professional context.     

Missing the Boat with Technology Usage in Early Childhood Settings: A 21st Century View of Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Technology use permeates virtually all aspects of twenty-first century society, though its integration in early childhood settings and recognition as a developmentally appropriate practice remains problematic. A position is taken that education professionals may be ‘missing the boat’ by not embracing technology usage as a developmentally appropriate practice. Concerns are presented that both preservice education and inservice professional development require substantial improvement if early childhood education professionals are to both recognize the role of technology in developmentally appropriate practice and develop skills in using it in classroom settings.     

Child Development in Cultural Contexts: Implications of Cultural Psychology for Early Childhood Teacher Education

In this article we argue that early childhood educators, under the influence of last century’s grand universal theories of child development, have not been attentive enough to the centrality of culture in children’s development. We discuss how the exploration of contemporary developmental perspectives is critical to the field and illustrate cultural views of child development based on cultural psychology. The goal of cultural psychology is to study the co-creation of human beings and cultures by focusing on both mentalities and practices, on both culture and biology. Using this lens, we explore the implications that cultural psychology holds for early childhood educators.     

Service Learning and Early Childhood Education: Intersection of Developmentally Appropriate Practice and P.A.R.E.

ABSTRACT

Service learning (SL) is both a pedagogy and philosophy adopted by many early childhood teacher educators. Extant research suggests the incorporation of service-learning can be effective for facilitating preservice teacher learning of curriculum, pedagogy, approaches to diverse learners and families as well as establishing a professional identity. To guide the intentional adoption of SL and its assessment in early childhood teacher education programs, the authors present the Developmentally Appropriate Practice /P.A.R.E. model and illustrate how the model might be applied in a teacher education program. Challenges to incorporating service-learning in early childhood education programs and future areas of research are described.     

Teaching the Standards is Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Strategies for Incorporating the Sociopolitical Dimension of DAP in Early Childhood Teaching

Many early childhood practitioners in the U.S. are experiencing tension between their desire to offer students developmentally appropriate learning experiences and their obligation to teach the academic knowledge and skills mandated by their states. However, careful examination of the DAP guidelines’ definition of culturally appropriate practice reveals a significant sociopolitical dimension that has been obscured by the field’s tight focus on the sociocultural dimension. Because standards-based education is an explicit feature of the sociopolitical landscape of U. S. public education, teaching the standards is developmentally appropriate practice. Implementation of this broadened understanding of DAP adds new complexity to early childhood teachers’ work. This article offers ideas drawn from Bronfenbrenner, Vygotsky, and Dewey as sources of theoretical support and provides examples of strategic decision making—illustrated with examples drawn from Texas kindergartens—that can assist teachers in managing the curricular and instructional complexities that accompany the broadened understanding of DAP.

A Descriptive Survey of the Educational Preparation and Practices of Antenatal Educators in Ireland

Antenatal education is recommended to prospective parents, yet little is known about the educational preparation of the facilitators of this education, or of the educational practices they use. The aim of this study was to investigate the educational preparation and practices of antenatal educators in Ireland. Data were collected using a questionnaire structured on the three components (abilities, opportunities, and means) of Stamler’s theoretical framework of enablement. Eighty-four of the 120 antenatal educators responded (70%), and this included midwives, public health nurses, physiotherapists, and private antenatal educators. Findings describe a picture of varied educational preparation for the antenatal educator with a range of educational practices being used. Within public antenatal classes, large class size was a barrier to providing a participatory educational approach.     

文化全球化语境中的心理学研究的前瞻

全球化是一个多维度过程。化作为全球化的一个维度，必然走向全球化。由于心理学的内涵是化意义的，心理学研究在化全球化语境中必将在研究方法、研究对象及理论建构方面形成共同认可、遵循的行为规则。全球化并不意味着心理学研究的趋同化，反而将呈现多元化的趋势，本土化研究将蓬勃发展。化融合的态势也将使心理学的跨化研究全面、深入地开展。心理学必将走出“青春期”，步入成熟。     

Exploring a Community of Practice Model for Professional Development to Address Challenges to Classroom Practices in Early Childhood

This study explored whether or not, and how, an on-site and research–teacher community of practice model for professional development addressed the challenges to classroom practices in a Head Start program. Data sources included interviews with teachers, videos of planning and teaching sessions, and the researchers' fieldwork log and reflective notes. Qualitative analysis revealed (a) five major challenges to classroom practice that aligned with previous research—existing practices did not always cohere with research-based practice, lack of teacher buy-in, lack of planning between the lead and assistant teachers, lack of assistant teacher participation in instruction, and high teacher turnover; (b) five aspects of professional development that aligned with the community of practice model—sharing stories with teachers, being on-site and interacting with teachers and children, inviting all teachers to participate, beginning by building on existing practices, and negotiating practices by reflecting with teachers; and (c) how these aspects of our professional development model addressed the challenges to classroom practice in the focal classroom. Implications for in-service professional development and teacher education are discussed.     

由英汉称呼语看中西文化的差异

英汉称呼语中有三个方面差异较大，即亲属称呼语、亲属词的泛化和尊敬称呼语。在称呼语的背后有着深刻的文化因素。     

英汉词语隐喻文化的认知比较与研究

文章从中西文化对比的角度研究英汉词语隐喻。首先介绍了隐喻发展史及其基本特征;继而探讨了认知隐喻在文化比较中的积极作用;然后重点分析了英汉词语隐喻文化的异同;最后结论认为外语学习者要深入学习隐喻背后的文化内涵,只有这样才能掌握地道的英语和准确地理解隐喻的真正涵义,以达到更好地交流。     

International Week in a Norwegian School. A Qualitative Study of the Participant Perspective

This article explores an international week in a Norwegian primary school from the perspective of the different participants. Such international weeks are typically organized in connection with the United Nations Day, to contribute towards the school’s aims of inclusion and social justice. Whereas research literature has been critical towards such weeks, using terms such as “exotification” and “hall-way multiculturalism,” there has been little research on international weeks from the participants’ perspectives. This qualitative case study of a single week both confirms and challenges the research literature’s critical stance. On the one hand, these weeks may seem to be only “happenings”; on the other hand, they potentially promote critical reflection about cultural identities, connecting schools and local communities.     

美国高层次应用型国际商学教育研究——兼议中国现状与改革建议简

以美国四所商学院为研究样本,通过培养目标、培养内容、培养方式和国际商务人才知识技能结构的研究,对中国现状进行反思,提出了基于分层设定的思路实现培养目标的多元化和基于多维思路培养应用复合型人才的建议,以期对我国高层次应用型国际商务人才培养有所裨益。     

文化语言学视点的汉语称呼语文化意蕴及翻译策略——以井波律子《三国演义》日译本为文本

日本学者对《三国演义》研究的成果颇丰。为了弘扬民族传统文化,我们有理由关注、研究日本学者的成果。立足文化语言学,通过个案,从中日对比角度,揭示中日语言文化的差异,探讨译者在翻译汉语称呼语这一民族文化词汇时所采用的翻译策略。     

2010年海南国际旅游岛文化产业发展研究

2010年是海南建设国际旅游岛的开局之年,海南文化产业取得重大突破,文化创意产业园建设突飞猛进,会展节庆广告产业、新闻报刊出版发行业、广播电影电视业、文艺演出业、软件与网络信息产业、体育产业等都有较大提升。同时,也应看到海南文化产业发展还存在着创新不足、投入不够等诸多问题,这些都有待于海南各级政府和企业不断转变思路,切实提高自身素质,从而为实现海南国际旅游岛建设贡献力量。     

Early Childhood Teachers at the Center: A Qualitative Case Study of Professional Development in an Urban District

Professional development for early childhood educators (ECE PD) is an essential component of supporting a professional early childhood workforce. Yet research on ECE PD frequently centers on narrow fidelity data, while teachers’ individual voices and teaching contexts are only rarely considered in order to understand teacher experiences with PD initiatives. This qualitative case study utilizes the critical ecology of the early childhood profession framework (Miller et al., Early childhood grows up: Towards a critical ecology of the profession, Springer, London) to examine process-related questions in a large urban district’s PD initiative connected with the launch of a new district-developed kindergarten curriculum. Examining teacher experiences through an ecological lens, the study focuses on two kindergarten teachers, viewing them as active agents in their own professional learning and situating them within their particular teaching contexts. Data sources included classroom observations, teacher interviews, and curriculum fidelity data. Although fidelity data provided some information about teacher responses to the PD, triangulating this data with teacher accounts of adapting the curriculum to their particular context enabled more nuanced understandings about how teachers adapt information from PD sessions to their particular teaching contexts. This study demonstrates the need for research on ECE PD to go beyond fidelity data to explore process-related questions about teachers PD experiences.     

从文化学角度看中国幼教课程改革的方向

从文化学的角度看,幼儿教育改革实质上是一场深刻的社会变革,而文化变革正是这场变革的实质内容.主导中国内地幼教改革20年的"文化普遍论"思潮和香港幼教界所推崇的儿童中心主义思想在一定程度上导致中国幼教改革偏离了自身的文化传统.作者认为,文化相对主义和"3CAP"也许是中国幼教课程改革的发展方向.中国幼教改革的当务之急是要发展本土化的幼教课程模式,探索有中国文化特色的幼教发展之路.