Center-Based Evening Child Care: Implications for Young Children's Development

With increasing numbers of women joining the evening/nighttime workforce, there is a need for quality childcare during these hours. This project, conducted in Japan, sought to compare the effects of child day care, child evening care, and child night care on the development and adaptation of young children. Caregivers completed a survey on the childrearing environment at home, their feelings of self-efficacy, and the presence of support for childcare. Childcare professionals evaluated the development of children. The results of the discriminant analysis indicate that factors in the home environment, not type of center-based care, explained developmental variance.     

Infant Neurosensory Development: Considerations for Infant Child Care

Infant brain development is a dynamic process dependent upon endogenous and exogenous stimulation and a supportive environment. A critical period of brain and neurosensory development occurs during the third trimester and into the “fourth” trimester (first three months of life). Disruption, damage, or deprivation in the infant’s social and physical environment can create permanent deficits in the developing neurosensory systems. Implications for infant child care environments are discussed, and a review of quality and standards in infant child care environments leads to a call for improvements to optimize child development.     

Quality of Center Child Care and Infant Cognitive and Language Development

The relations between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development were examined in a sample of 79 African-American 12-month-old infants. Both structural and process measures of quality of child care were collected through interviews with the center director and observation of the infant classroom. Results indicated that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessments of cognitive development ( Bayley Scales of Infant Development ), language development (Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development), and communication skills (Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales). In addition, quality of care in child care centers and at home was positively related. Analyses that adjusted for this association between quality of care at home and in child care suggested that the process measure of quality of child care independently related to the infant's cognitive development, and one structural measure, the infant-adult ratio, independently related to the infant's overall communication skills. Neither child nor family factors was found to moderate the association between child care quality and infant development. These findings, in conjunction with the growing child care literature, suggest that researchers and policymakers should focus on how quality of child care can be improved to enhance, not impair, infant development.     

Infant Care: Evaluation of Pre-Care Differences Hypotheses

189 infants/toddlers and their parents were visited in their homes 2 weeks before starting an out-of-home care arrangement and followed every two weeks until 6 months after care had begun (or its equivalent for parent care groups). At the beginning of the study infant/toddlers ranged in age from 2 to 30 months. In this report, hypotheses examining the role of pre-care family characteristics in determining child care use and later child adjustment were evaluated. Discriminant function analyses reliably separated care type and age of entry groups using pre-care family and infant characteristics as predictors. There were no significant differences in child behavior problems (externalizing and internalizing behavior) as a function of care arrangement type experienced. Mother's pre-care parent stress (PSI parent domain subscale: attachment to child) predicted anxious/withdrawn behavior 6 months later. Aggressive/destructive behavior was related independently to mother's health status and parent stress (PSI parent domain subscale: sense of competence) as measured before out-of- home care was begun. Difficult temperament infants had more behavior problems of all types.     

模糊综合评判模型在幼儿教育评价领域的运用——一种从分项评价到综合评价的计量模型

幼儿教育评价的理念、目的以及评价的方法技术日益科学合理。幼儿教育评价强调将分项评价与综合评价相结合,从分项评价到综合评价的数据处理,还需要把各单项评判结果合理地综合起来。模糊综合评判模型就是一种常见地用于计量最终测评结果的数学模型。     

金猪瘦身

农历丁亥是猪年。圆滚滚,肥溜溜,憨态可掬的猪,体现了丰腴,象征着富裕。因此,人们对猪的印象颇好,进而有猪年出身的小孩富贵、吉祥、好养之说。许多年轻父母便千方百计把小孩的出生时间选在猪年。然而,膘肥肉厚的猪,也会令人食之口感不爽;也会导致血脂升高;甚至还会遭遇“注水”。于是,人们又强烈希望肥猪瘦身,以保证健康的饮食。同样,小孩过于肥胖,也会     

Assessing ADHD Symptoms in Preschool Children: Use of the ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder that is typically diagnosed during the school years, although features of the disorder can be identified in early childhood. As more children enter into preschool programs, there are increasing opportunities for professionals to identify and treat ADHD prior to school entry. This may increase the likelihood that children will have successful academic and social experiences. Unfortunately, diagnosing ADHD in preschoolers is difficult, in part because few assessment instruments are designed and validated for this age group. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric and normative properties of the ADHD-Symptoms Rating Scale (ADHD-SRS) in preschool children. Results shed light on normative levels of ADHD behaviors in preschool children and suggest that preschoolers may present with a somewhat different symptom pattern than school-age children. Further, findings reveal that parents are more likely to endorse ADHD symptoms in their children than are teachers. Given this disparity, the current data emphasize the need for cross-informant assessment in the preschool population.     

Can Quality of Family Day Care Provision in England Be Assessed Accurately Using the Family Day Care Rating Scale? A report on reliability

The Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS; Harms & Clifford, 1989) was developed in the USA. The scale attempts to define quality in family day care for pre‐schoolers and to provide a standardised way of assessing it. The FDCRS has been shown to have good reliability and validity in the USA and Canada. However, the rating scale has never been used to assess quality of family day care in the UK. This paper describes data collected from 104 family day care providers (childminders) in England using the FDCRS. It reports on the internal consistency of the FDCRS subscales and the validity of aggregating the subscales to derive one single measure of quality. Analyses suggest that the scale may provide a useful global measure of quality. However, not all subscales yielded good internal consistency. Recommendations are made as to how the FDCRS could be modified for effective use as a research tool in England.     

The Effects of Infant Child Care on Infant-Mother Attachment Security: Results of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care NICHD Early Child Care Research Network

The aims of this investigation were to determine whether Strange Situation attachment classifications were equally valid for infants with and without extensive child-care experience in the first year of life and whether early Child Care experience, alone or in combination with mother/child factors, was associated with attachment security, and specifically with insecure-avoidant attachment. Participants were 1,153 infants and their mothers at the 10 sites of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Mother were interviewed, given questionnairies, and observed in play and in the home when their infants were from 1 to 15 months of age; infants were observed in child care at 6 and 15 months and in the Strange Situation at 15 months. Infants with extensive Child Care experience did not differ from infants without child-care in the distress they exhibited during separations from mother in the Strange situation or in the confidence with which trained coders assigned them attachment classifications. There were no significant main effects of Child Care experience (quality, amount, age of entry, stability, or type of care) on attachment security or avoidance. There were, however, significant man effects of maternal sensitivity and responsiveness. Significant interaction effects revealed that infants were less likely to be secure when low maternal sensitivity/responsiveness was combined with poor quality child care, more than minimal amounts of child care, or more than one care arrangement. In addition, boys experiencing many hours in care and girls in minimal amounts of care were somewhat less likely to be securely attachment.     

Assessing Marital Conflict from the Child''s Perspective: The Children''s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale

Guided by Grych and Fincham's theoretical framework for investigating the relation between interparental conflict and child adjustment, a questionnaire was developed to assess children's views of several aspects of marital conflict. The Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (CPIC) was initially examined in a sample of 222 9-12-year-old children, and results were cross-validated in a second sample of 144 similarly aged children. 3 factor analytically derived subscales (Conflict Properties, Threat, Self-Blame) demonstrated acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The validity of the Conflict Properties scale was supported by significant relations with parent reports of conflict and indices of child adjustment; the Threat and Self-Blame scales correlated with children's responses to specific conflict vignettes. The CPIC thus appears to be a promising instrument for assessing perceived marital conflict, and several issues regarding its interpretation are discussed.     

我国高等教育发展：规模与质量

在大众高等教育阶段,高等教育分化为高低不同的层次,要有适合不同层次教育的质量标准,不能以精英型高等教育的质量标准或某一种统一的质量标准衡量全部高等教育。处于不同层次的、适合不同质量观和质量评价标准的高等教育机构之间,教育目标不同,教育要求不同,在教育水平、教学质量、教学效果甚至学生质量等方面,都不存在可比性。无论处于高等教育的哪一个层次,只要教学活动能体现其教育价值观,实现其教育目的,就是高水平的教育、高质量的教学和高质量的学生。当前我国大众型高等教育机构面临的真正问题,不是学生整体质量相对于精英阶段明显下降,而是要根据适合自己学生实际需求的质量观制定有别于精英高等教育质量观的质量标准。     

The Parental Experience of Having an Infant in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit

The purpose of this systematic review was to explore and describe the experience of parents with an infant in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). A literature search covering the period 1998–2008 was conducted. Fourteen articles reporting qualitative studies describing parental experiences and meeting the inclusion criteria were evaluated and themes were identified. Findings revealed that parents with an infant in the NICU experience depression, anxiety, stress, and loss of control, and they vacillate between feelings of inclusion and exclusion related to the provision of health care to their neonate. Nursing interventions that promote positive psychosocial outcomes are needed to decrease parental feelings of stress, anxiety, and loss of control. Interventions need to focus on family-centered and developmentally supportive care.     

Assessing teachers’ multicultural and egalitarian beliefs: The Teacher Cultural Beliefs Scale

The article describes the newly developed Teacher Cultural Beliefs Scale (TCBS). The TCBS assesses multicultural and egalitarian beliefs about diversity, both of which reflect favorable attitudes toward immigrant students, but differ with regard to how cultural diversity is believed to be best accommodated in schools. Results from a first study with 433 beginning teachers supported the two-factor structure and the measurement invariance of the scale. Results from a second study with 340 teacher candidates and educational science students showed that proponents of multiculturalism and egalitarianism shared a motivation to control prejudiced reactions, but that they differed in their views on acculturation, prejudices, and authoritarianism.     

以儿童之家为依托的社区婴幼儿照护服务体系构建

社区儿童之家在实践中的蓬勃发展为婴幼儿照护服务提供了可能的空间。与其他年龄段的教育服务比较,社区儿童之家婴幼儿照护服务目前尚处于较空白状态,面临供需矛盾突出、定位模糊、硬件与软件建设失衡等诸多挑战。作为政府主导的社区公共服务平台,社区儿童之家在提供婴幼儿照护服务时,应遵循利国利家利童的价值追求：以提高我国儿童的国民素养为本,以提升家庭育儿生活品质为要,以关注婴幼儿精神生活为主。应兼顾作为直接的专业普惠性婴幼儿照护者,作为家庭、社区、机构育儿共享资源平台的组建者,作为新时代亲职教育的重要参与者之多种角色;以打造支持婴幼儿成长的公共友好活动空间,搭建“家庭—社区—机构(学校)”三位一体的公共照护平台,面向婴幼儿照护者普及科学养育理念、提升育儿技能作为建设任务;以开展覆盖日常开放与主题活动并举的亲子共育活动、普遍性与个性化相结合的家庭教育讲座与咨询活动,面向特殊需要婴幼儿及家庭提供社区帮扶与专业支持作为服务内容。     

试论人才素质测评的基本原理

人才素质测评源远流长,是政府部门和企事业单位人力资源管理实践中必不可少而且又十分重要的一项活动.但其理论性却仍然是不充分的.相比之下,由于素质与行为之间既存在确定性的关系也会受到不确定性因素的干扰,因此只有运用贝叶斯法则才可以清楚地说明人才素质为什么是可以测评的,以及是可以怎样来测评的.     

环境意识:全球化背景下主体素质结构的重要内容

在全球化背景下,从事实践活动,并受实践规定的现实主体,必须不断地审视和反思他视野中的一切对象,既从自为的维度审视和反思自身,又从自在的维度审视和反思环境,看二者是否交互为用,和谐并存,同步发展。这里涉及主体如何同时观照和统摄人的尺度与物的尺度,如何正确处理二者的相互关系的问题。这就把人的环境意识推向了当代社会的前台,或者换一种说法,缺乏环境意识的人,难以成为现代化的人。     

发挥文学作品作用 提升幼儿德育品质

幼儿期是人生的启蒙期,是形成良好道德品质的重要时期。大班幼儿随着年龄的增长,不再满足于追随、服从成人,而是有了自己的想法和主见,接受能力、阅读水平、沟通技巧、艺术欣赏能力都较强,活动的自主性、主动性水平明显提高。运用文学作品对幼儿开展道德教育,能有效地促进幼儿道德品质、行为习惯的正面发展。