Social Behavioral Aspects of Teaching Reading to Kindergartners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial effects of reading instruction upon a class of kindergartners. Pre-testing established the substantial equivalence of this group to two control groups in intelligence, reading readiness, personal-social adjustment, and socioeconomic status. The experimental group received regular instruction in reading from an experienced first grade teacher during the second trimester and one half (January to June) of the 1963-64 school year. Post-test data indicated that boys displayed less acceptable classroom behavior as a by-product of such instruction. Parents were favorable to the instruction, but the teachers involved were less so. The teachers maintained that the children, although interested, had to “work too hard” to master the task of reading.     

Sensitivity and Consistency of Maternal Writing Mediation to Twin Kindergartners

This study investigated whether mothers are responsive to their children's literacy level, thus employing different writing mediation styles with each twin according to the child's level, or whether they possess a consistent style employed with both twins. The sample included 28 sets of twin kindergartners (56 children, M age = 68.89 months) and their mothers. Children's literacy underwent individual assessment in their kindergartens. During home visits, mother-child writing interactions with each twin were videotaped. Interactions underwent analysis for task-specific measures (grapho-phonemic mediation, printing mediation, demand for precision, reference to orthography) and for general measures (atmosphere, mutuality, reinforcements, task perception). Findings demonstrated that along with sensitivity to the child's level (mediating on a higher level to the higher achieving twin), mothers of twins possessed a consistent mediation style. Sensitivity to the differences in literacy between the twins was salient in the task-specific mediation measures, whereas the presence of a style appeared in all the mediation measures. The results of this study support the stance that mothers' mediation style deserves to be acknowledged as an influencing factor in children's literacy development.     

Socialization and Social Judgments among Inner-City African-American Kindergartners

This study explores the relations between certain socialization experiences and social judgments among poor, inner-city African-American kindergartners. 54 mothers and their children took part in this investigation. Consistent with the domain distinction literature, children made judgments about the seriousness, rule contingency, context contingency, and punishment deserved for familiar moral and social-conventional transgressions. Mothers were queried regarding their child-rearing values and discipline practices and described their children's peer network and social experiences. Results indicated that children distinguished between moral and social-conventional issues when explaining why they were wrong and in terms of rule and home context contingency criteria, but not the other judgment criteria. Mothers placed high value on conformity and most often ignored or talked to children about their misbehavior. More frequent use of talking, less ignoring, and less denial of privileges by mothers predicted children's making the domain distinction. Discussion focuses on methodological limitations and directions for future research.     

Sensitivity and Consistency of Maternal Writing Mediation to Twin Kindergartners

This study investigated whether mothers are responsive to their children's literacy level, thus employing different writing mediation styles with each twin according to the child's level, or whether they possess a consistent style employed with both twins. The sample included 28 sets of twin kindergartners (56 children, M age = 68.89 months) and their mothers. Children's literacy underwent individual assessment in their kindergartens. During home visits, mother–child writing interactions with each twin were videotaped. Interactions underwent analysis for task-specific measures (grapho-phonemic mediation, printing mediation, demand for precision, reference to orthography) and for general measures (atmosphere, mutuality, reinforcements, task perception). Findings demonstrated that along with sensitivity to the child's level (mediating on a higher level to the higher achieving twin), mothers of twins possessed a consistent mediation style. Sensitivity to the differences in literacy between the twins was salient in the task-specific mediation measures, whereas the presence of a style appeared in all the mediation measures. The results of this study support the stance that mothers' mediation style deserves to be acknowledged as an influencing factor in children's literacy development.     

The Use of Video Games by Kindergartners in a Family Child Care Setting

In this interpretive study of children’s social interactions in a family child care setting, children were seen to spend a significant portion of their time playing, watching others play, and distracted by video games. When children were focused on video games, their interactions with one another were disjointed, rushed, and ineffective. Because children’s interactions are considered to be important learning opportunities, the prevalence of video games in child care settings and the implications of their use should be studied more closely.     

Shyness and Chinese and English Vocabulary Skills in Hong Kong Kindergartners

Research Findings: This study examined relations between parent-rated shyness and children's vocabulary skills in 54 Hong Kong Chinese kindergartners who learned English as a foreign language at school. Receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary were assessed both in Chinese and in English. Parent-rated shyness was uniquely associated with children's receptive vocabulary skills in both English and Chinese even after parents' education levels and socioeconomic status and children's nonverbal reasoning skill were statistically controlled. Practice or Policy: The findings suggest that shyness is associated with both first and second language learning.     

Educational Gymnastics: The Effectiveness of Montessori Practical Life Activities in Developing Fine Motor Skills in Kindergartners

Research Findings: A quasi-experiment was undertaken to test the effect of Montessori practical life activities on kindergarten children's fine motor development and hand dominance over an 8-month period. Participants were 50 children age 5 in 4 Montessori schools and 50 students age 5 in a kindergarten program in a high-performing suburban elementary school. Children were pre- and posttested on the Flag Posting Test, an individually administered test of fine motor skill requiring children to place tiny flags mounted on pins into preset pinholes. Students in the Montessori treatment group demonstrated significantly higher accuracy, speed, and consistent use of the dominant hand on the posttest, adjusted for pretest differences and gender. Effect sizes were moderate for accuracy and speed (ds = .53 and .37, respectively) and large for established hand dominance (?R² = .35). Longitudinal research on the effects of early childhood programs emphasizing the reciprocal interplay of cognitive and physical aspects of activity is recommended. Practice or Policy: The findings argue for a balanced approach to early childhood education that maintains the importance of physical activity and fine motor development in conjunction with cognitive skills. Montessori practical life activities involving eye–hand coordination and fine motor skills can be integrated into programs.     

Let's Get Our Houses in Order: The Role of Transitional Rituals in Constructing Moral Kindergartners

This article stems from a participant-observation study I conducted in a full-day kindergarten classroom in a central North Carolina public school during the autumn of 1994. In attempting to understand how morality was constructed by the teacher and children there, I saw that the teacher utilized a series of rituals to help the children shed their external (home) roles, make the transition to their school roles, and reaggregate as students (as opposed to children). While she conceptualized these activities as merely organizing the children for the school day, I interpreted them as a manifestation of rites of passage (van Gennep, 1960; Turner, 1969). This paper is the second in a three-part examination of these rites of passage, in which I map out and explore the teacher's use of transitional or liminal rituals to construct the moral identity of the role of student and foster the children's attachment to that role.     

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.     

A Longitudinal Examination of the Academic Year and Summer Learning Rates of Full- and Half-Day Kindergartners

Literacy data collected over the course of 2 academic years were used to estimate the rate at which full- and half-day kindergartners acquired literacy skills during kindergarten, 1st grade, and the intervening summer. Application of piecewise growth models to the time series data obtained on a sample of students from a large Southwestern school district revealed that economically disadvantaged full-day kindergartners gained literacy skills at a relatively faster rate than their more economically advantaged half-day peers during the kindergarten year. The accelerated gain experienced by full-day kindergartners was sufficient to enable a reversal of the initial performance deficit observed upon entry to kindergarten. However, over the summer between kindergarten and 1st grade, a different pattern of development was observed. Full-day alumni experienced a literacy fallback, whereas their half-day peers maintained the literacy gains acquired during kindergarten, leading to a second performance reversal by the beginning of the 1st grade. The gap in performance (half-day advantage) then remained constant as the literacy growth of full- and half-day alumni was equivalent over the 1st-grade school year. Implications for evaluating the efficacy of school-based initiatives like full-day kindergarten and more generally the effectiveness of schools and schooling are discussed.     

Discrepancy between preparation and practice in teacher education: An Ecuadorian study

A university in Ecuador requested assistance with curriculum revision so as to make its teacher training program more effective. In order to focus on real rather than perceived problems. a study of the curriculum was carried out. Over 200 graduates of the program were surveyed using a written questionnaire based on the content of the Faculty of Education curriculum. Results of the survey indicated a significant gap between preparation and practice. The major problems with preparation were identified as content emphasis and implementation rather than curriculum structure as perceived originally by university authorities.     

Reflections on an Ecuadorian Preschool: Identifying Opportunities for Assistance

As part of a mission team to Ecuador, the authors participated in numerous enrichment activities in an impoverished urban preschool. They discuss their visits to an orphanage and a special education facility while collaborating with the parochial leadership, medical personnel, and educators in Quito, Ecuador. The authors reflect on successful activities and opportunities for students and staff in these diverse settings.     

Early number and arithmetic performance of Ecuadorian 4-5-year-olds

This study aimed at (a) constructing a reliable and valid test to assess Ecuadorian 4–5-year olds’ number and arithmetic skills; (b) providing empirical data on Ecuadorian 4–5-year olds’ number and arithmetic skills; and (c) confronting these children’s actual performances with the performances expected by national experts in this domain. We administered the Test of Early Number and Arithmetic (TENA), developed on the basis of the Ecuadorian mathematics standards to 86 Preschoolers and 127 Kindergartners and asked 10 experts to evaluate TENA’s validity and predict children’s performances on it. Results supported the overall reliability and validity of the TENA. Furthermore, we observed differences in number and arithmetic competencies between and within Preschoolers and Kindergartners, but not between boys and girls. Finally, experts overestimated children’s performances on the test. The scientific and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

A Comparison of Phonological Awareness,Lexical Compounding,and Homophone Training for Chinese Word Reading in Hong Kong Kindergartners

Research Findings: In this study, 88 kindergartners received special training in lexical compounding, homophone awareness, or phonological awareness or were assigned to a control condition over a period of approximately 2 months, with 20-min lessons administered twice per week. Chinese word reading improved significantly more in the lexical compounding group as compared to the other groups. Vocabulary knowledge also showed a trend toward improvement in this group (p < .08) and improved significantly in the homophone group. Although phonological awareness improved most in the phonological awareness training group, this group showed no reading or vocabulary improvements relative to the other groups. Practice or Policy: The results underscore the importance of morphological awareness training for both word reading and vocabulary knowledge in young Chinese children.     

Performing Embodiable Topoi: Strategic Indigeneity and the Incorporation of Ecuadorian National Identity

The rhetorical history of Ecuador is rife with examples of politicians, intellectuals, and artists promoting visions of national identity through images of Ecuador's indigenous population. Between the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, such depictions became common and displayed increasing emphasis on the physical characteristics of indigenous people. This focus led to appropriations of indigeneity in which white and mestizo Ecuadorians spoke as if indigenous in order to construct arguments about their place in the nation. In the process, they engaged an “embodiable topos” that housed persuasive force within bodily performances of indigenous character. White-mestizo performances of indigeneity engaged embodiable topoi in order to appropriate specific positions associated with indigenous subjects and to establish access to otherwise unavailable forms of rhetorical legitimacy.     

Native science,intercultural education and place‐conscious education: an Ecuadorian example

This paper explores ways to bring together local and global knowledge systems in the context of education. It first discusses the concepts of native science and of intercultural education, key ideas in Ecuadorian indigenous education today. Both of these concepts seek to unite the local and the global in new ways. It explores the views of Ecuadorian indigenous educators and leaders around issues of education and science. The primary need voiced by these individuals is that of defending their communities against various kinds of encroachment, economic as well as cultural, and the enterprise of education is viewed within this reality. Finally, the paper discusses the paradigm of place‐conscious education, which the author argues is a unifying conceptual framework that speaks to the concerns voiced by these educators as well as those of educators elsewhere.     

Intercultural education and curricular diversification: the case of the Ecuadorian Intercultural Bilingual Education Model (MOSEIB)

Thirteen Ecuadorian indigenous nationalities follow the Intercultural Bilingual Education Model in Ecuador (MOSEIB). This paper analyses the present situation of MOSEIB, the challenges to it and future prospects. First, in order to understand how MOSEIB today has relieved the intercultural tensions of the past it is necessary to look at the history of Ecuadorian education. Second, in order to explore the particular characteristics of the MOSEIB model and the challenges of implementing intercultural education in non‐intercultural societies we ask how and to what extent the intercultural education policies and practices in Ecuador differ from those developed in other Latin‐American countries. Third, we consider curricular diversity, seeking to clarify how the MOSEIB curricula relate to the reality of the Kichwa indigenous nationality and its communal environment, rituals and agricultural schedules. We conclude with comments on future prospects and remaining challenges to the establishment of a truly intercultural society inside a multicultural country.     

发展观演变与发展经济学发展

自“发展”一词出现在人类文明的词典后,发展便注定成为人类社会一个永恒的研究主题。本文把发展观演变与发展经济学理论发展揉和起来,围绕发展观的三次演变,在发展观演变与发展经济学二者之间建立起一一对应的关系,分别是：传统发展观和结构主义学派;协调发展观和新古典主义发展理论;可持续发展观、自由发展观与发展经济学新趋势。