Reported Research Funding in Four Early Childhood Journals

Funding for research in the area of early childhood is an ongoing challenge. The present research objective was to identify the frequency of acknowledgment of federal funding in articles published by four leading early childhood journals from 1999 to 2008. We conducted a content analysis of 1,338 publications found in Early Child Development and Care, Early Childhood Education Journal, Early Childhood Research and Practice, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Approximately 28% of the sample (368 articles in the target journals) reported funding in general. More specifically, 43% of the sample (160 articles of the 368 articles funded) reported federal funding. It is concluded that external funding, particularly federal funding for early childhood research may be the exception rather than the rule.     

Work Demands and Work Resources: Testing a Model of Factors Predicting Turnover Intentions in Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education Journal - We studied the working conditions in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The aim was to explore how ECEC staff experience work demands and resources and...     

A Meta-synthesis of Caregivers’ Experiences Transitioning from Early Intervention to Early Childhood Special Education

Early Childhood Education Journal - The transition from Early Intervention (EI) to Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is a stressful time for caregivers of children with disabilities....     

Permeating the social justice ideals of equality and equity within the context of Early Years: challenges for leadership in multi-cultural and mono-cultural primary schools

This paper explores the ideology of social justice through links between equality and equity within Early Years and what remain the challenges for leadership. Questionnaires and interviews in English multi-cultural and mono-cultural schools with Early Years age phases were conducted. The findings showed that the ideology of social justice, equality and equity was interpreted differently in each Early Years setting. The multi-cultural schools used a variety of activities to embed social justice principles that involved their diverse communities more to enrich the curriculum in contrast to the mono-cultural schools. In mono-cultural schools however, leadership had to be more creative in promoting equality and equity, given the smaller proportion of their diverse pupil and staff population. Our conclusions suggest that most schools are struggling initially with implementing the current changes in Early Years, therefore their vision for permeating this curriculum with an equality and equity focus is at the early stages.     

芬兰《幼儿教育和保育国家课程指导》的内容与启示

《幼儿教育和保育国家课程指导》是芬兰政府颁布的指导芬兰幼教工作的纲领性文件。芬兰的幼儿教育和保育强调尊重儿童的内在价值,为儿童发展提供支持。在课程实施中体现公平性、整体性、集体性、环境舒适性、快乐性、语言中心等原则:课程内容主要包括数学、自然科学、社会-历史、艺术、道德和宗教一哲学等六个方面。芬兰《幼儿教育和保育国家课程指导》重视保障体系的建构,关注地方差异,强调政策的弹性,对我国具有借鉴意义。     

The impact of an early intervention home visiting experience on student learning in a dual early childhood/special education graduate preservice program

Home visiting is a primary service delivery approach to promote young children’s development and support families. Early Intervention professionals are expected to partner with families to create effective learning experiences in the daily context of routine family life. Concerns about early childhood (special) educators’ readiness to take on this partnership role have been voiced, suggesting explicit learning opportunities are needed within preservice preparation programs. This study explored the impact of an introductory assignment analyzing a videotaped home visit on preservice Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Special Education students’ learning about home visiting practices. Implications for scaffolding home visiting experiences in preservice preparation are discussed.     

Assessing emergent literacy in preschool classrooms

Recent research on the literacy development of children during the preschool years has emphasized the notion of “emergent literacy,” according to authors Kontos (1986) and Teale and Sulzby (1986). According to this view, preschool children learn about reading and writing as they participate in a literate culture. Early social interactions involving print are crucial to children's reading and writing development, according to the Early Childhood and Literacy Development Committee (1986).     

Effects of early literacy environments on the reading attitudes, behaviours and values of veteran teachers

Research has linked early literacy environments to the attitudes, behaviours and instructional values of reading teachers, but most prior research has addressed preservice or early inservice teachers. This mixed-methods, hypothesis-generating, Q methodology-based study explored the relationship between early literacy environments and the subsequent reading experiences, attitudes and behaviours of a purposive sample of veteran literacy educators. By-person factor analysis identified three empirical profiles of shared reading experiences, attitudes and behaviours: Early Readers Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments; Early Readers Not Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments; and Later Readers Not Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments. Conceptual variables found across all models using qualitative analysis included: Nature of Early Literacy Environments, Early and Later Competence and Appreciation of Reading, Attitudes about the Value of Reading, and Instructional Values and Behaviors in Literacy Education. These models suggest further evidence for the importance of early literacy environments (both home and classroom environments) and provide empirically-derived testable hypotheses for future research.     

Encouraging Professional Reflection in Early Education

This article examines the use of the Repertory Grid technique derived from personal construct theory as a tool to aid the reflection of teachers and other professional working in Early Education. The main focus of the article is a study of the constructs used to describe children, elicited at the start and again at the end of a module ‘Children's Development and Learning’, which formed part of a continuing professional development postgraduate award in Early Education. Completed grids provided a focus for reflective written commentary and informal group discussion by practitioners. Additional information was obtained by interviews with practitioners after the module had been completed. The approach was evaluated by quantitative and qualitative analysis of the participants' grids using the Rep Grid 2 package and by evaluation of the end of module interviews. The potential of the personal construct approach for supporting professional reflection in general and its particular application in Early Education is then explored.     

RELIABILITY AND STRUCTURAL VALIDITY OF THE TEACHER RATING SCALES OF EARLY ACADEMIC COMPETENCE

Currently, there are few strengths‐based preschool rating scales that sample a wide array of behaviors believed to be essential for early academic success. The purpose of this study was to assess the factor structure of a new measure of early academic competence for at‐risk preschool populations. The Teacher Rating Scales of Early Academic Competence (TRS‐EAC) includes two broad scales (Early Academic Skills and Early Academic Enablers) and was completed by 60 teachers for 440 children enrolled in Head Start and public preschool classrooms. Evidence from two exploratory factor analyses supported a five‐factor solution for the Early Academic Skills Scale (Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking Skills, Numeracy, Early Literacy, and Comprehension) and a five‐factor solution for the Early Academic Enablers Scale (Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Competence, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, and Communication). TRS‐EAC scores also demonstrated good to excellent reliability and were related to children's performance on direct measures of early academic skills.     

学生心理问题早期干预的实施策略

早期干预是预防学生心理问题迈向心理疾病的重要手段。早期干预应成为学校心理健康教育的中心工作。早期干预的基础是早期发现。早期干预包括分类性团体辅导、心理导师制、心理日记、根源性预防等多种实施策略。     

Meeting the Needs of Multiracial and Multiethnic Children in Early Childhood Settings

Early childhood programs have been in the forefront of implementing a multiracial curriculum. Early childhood educators need to extend these approaches to support and embrace multiracial and multiethnic children. These are children whose biological parents crossed traditional U.S. Census categories to have children. To meet the unique needs of these children and their families, early childhood educators need to engage in staff training, provide classroom materials, work closely with parents, and challenge the single race approach to multicultural education.     

早期现代英语的特点简述

早期现代英语是英语历史发展中的一个关键时期,同时这一时期也是英国文学史上最为关键的一个发展时期。但作为从中古英语向现代英语转变的过渡阶段,早期现代英语在规范化的过程中,仍保留了大量中古英语的遗迹,与当代英语在词汇拼写、句法结构等诸方面有很大的不同,使当代英语读者在阅读这一时期的文学作品及其它英语文章是会遇到许多困难,因此,有必要对早期现代英语的特点有一个概略性的了解。     

Problems in Primary Art Education: Some reflections on the need for a new approach in the early years

This article is concerned with a problematical aspect of primary art education, and the extent to which this may be linked with traditional Early Years approaches to this subject. A range of possible causes for the loss of confidence which many older primary children suffer with regard to art are considered, and early teaching is identified as a significant element in the emergence of such a response. Whilst the literature confirms the existence of difficulties in the later stages of primary art education, the article argues that the origins of such difficulties are to be found in the essentially passive nature of much early years art teaching. This approach, it is suggested, derives both from the logistical problems inherent in Early Years classrooms and—more importantly—from a particular notion of the nature and purpose of children's art which has dominated primary practice for many years. As a result, it is argued that there is a need to develop a new, more active, pedagogical approach to art in the Early Years of education.     

Starting to make a difference: responding to the challenges of recent developments in the early years

Recent national changes in ‘Early Years’ policy are likely to have major impact on the practice and profession of educational psychology. In this paper, implications at the individual, service and systemic levels are examined and practice examples given of how an Educational Psychology Service (EPS) might rise to the new challenges these major changes engender. The paper concludes that in order to maintain a clear overview of the continuing developments and demands in this area and to ensure that there is a co-ordinated response, the ‘Early Years’ should increasingly become recognised as an area for a Senior Specialist educational psychologist (EP). This EP would be charged with the responsibility for drawing up the service development plan for the Early Years and at the same time ensuring that the opportunities offered by the ongoing developments in this area are capitalised upon.     

论初唐诗人乔知之的诗歌创作

唐代诗人乔知之,以文辞名世。他现存的作品虽然不多,但是颇具风貌,能自拔流俗。本文把乔知之现存的诗歌分为女性题材、边塞题材和咏物题材三类分别探讨,指出其上承汉魏乐府古诗,典丽雅正,富含寄托的特点,认为在当时的文坛环境下,乔知之响应了陈子昂的诗歌主张并以自己的创作实践为初唐诗歌向盛唐诗歌过渡做出了贡献。     

从神经可塑性角度探究自闭症早期干预的有效性

早期干预是国内外自闭症领域的研究热点,大量的实证研究表明早期干预能够有效改善自闭症的早期症状,特别是对于处在发展关键期的儿童。早期干预能够促进大脑沿着正常的轨迹发展,从而对早期发展中的大脑产生根本的影响。     

Work commitment and job satisfaction for program staff: How to build it

Children develop appropriately in social, cognitive, physical, and emotional ways in a stable environment. Early childhood administrators can help create this stable environment by minimizing staff turnover. Staff turnover can be kept at a reasonable rate through the development of administrative skills which will enhance staff self-esteem and job satisfaction.Nora Palmer Gould is an Early Childhood Administrator who is currently working as a consultant to Early Childhood Programs.     

A person-oriented approach to understanding dimensions of parenting in low-income mothers

The purpose of this study was to examine parenting types in a low-income sample from a person-oriented approach. Data were used from a public use data set from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP) along with new extant ratings of parenting behavior from the EHSREP archive of videotaped parent–child observations. Parenting behavior indicators were examined using latent class analysis as a grouping strategy across three time points to characterize this sample of 2631 Early Head Start mothers. Three latent classes of mothers were identified at 14, 24, and 36 months: developmentally supportive (the largest group in this sample), unsupportive, and negative. Predictors of parenting types were also examined and parenting types were linked to child outcomes. The results of these analyses show common characteristics of these distinct types of parents likely to be in Early Head Start programs and may help programs identify which families would most benefit from services to help them increase behaviors to promote their young children's early development.     

早期干预实践的原则探析

早期干预实践源于看似不相容的理论,然而在实践过程中则发展出一些原则作为其实践的基础。文章回顾近十年来的文献,总结出了早期干预的一些原则。