美国托幼机构教育质量研究述评

自20世纪60年代以来,美国托幼机构教育质量研究在民众追求教育的公平、效果和效率的动力推动下,从对一般性的"托幼机构教育是否利于儿童发展"问题的分析,逐渐深入、具体为对"怎样的托幼机构教育更有利于儿童发展"和"如何提供高质量的托幼机构教育"等问题的探究;研究范式从条件-结果模式逐渐转向生态模式,研究设计从考察短期效果的简单横断研究转向分析长期效果的复杂的长期追踪研究.     

当前幼儿读物存在的问题及原因分析——以呼和浩特、乌兰察布市为例

幼儿读物是幼儿认识世界的重要媒介之一,幼儿读物对幼儿的发展有着不可替代的影响作用。笔者通过访谈、观察呼和浩特、乌兰察布市的一些图书市场,以及对幼儿家长的调查问卷,发现当前幼儿读物存在以下问题：幼儿读物的种类多但质量参差不齐;主题过于单一而缺乏创意;内容繁杂而良莠不齐;题材多外国经典而少本土原创;形式多样但安排不当;多媒体电子读物对幼儿图书阅读形成一定的冲击。     

Four Perspectives on Child Care Quality

National and state child care policies are shaped in part by studies of child care quality. The majority of these studies focus on variables that influence child outcomes. Katz suggests that this is but one of four perspectives on child care quality, and that parents, children, and child care staff have perspectives on child care quality that have not been adequately addressed. This article reviews the variables, measures, and studies associated with each of these four perspectives. The authors argue that given the preponderance of studies conducted from the professional/researcher perspective, more effort should be directed to studying child care quality from parents' children's, and child care staff members' viewpoints.     

Corporate-Sponsored Child Care: Benefits for Children, Families, and Employers

As more women enter the workforce, businesses are beginning to devise methods to assist employees with their child care needs. Research has demonstrated the benefits of corporate child care arrangements, not only for the employer but also for employees. Some companies utilize early childhood accreditation as a means of establishing quality caregiving. Yet, almost no research has been conducted to determine how corporate sponsored child care, accredited or not, affects the children involved. Many questions beg to be answered before it is known what the benefits of corporate-sponsored child care are for young children.     

In-house consultation to support professionals’ responses to child abuse and neglect: Determinants of professionals’ use and the association with guideline adherence

This study examined the presence and strengths of determinants associated with consultation of an in-house expert on child abuse and neglect (CAN) by preventive child health care professionals who suspect CAN. This study also assessed the relationship between in-house CAN expert consultation and professionals’ performance of six recommended activities described in a national guideline on preventing CAN for preventive child health care professionals. A total of 154 professionals met the study’s inclusion criteria. They filled in a questionnaire that measured in-house consultation practices and twelve determinants associated with the professional, the in-house expert, and the organizational context. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) reported to consult the in-house expert in (almost) all of their suspected CAN cases. Professionals who reported better recollection of consulting the in-house expert (i.e. not forgetting to consult the expert) (p = .001), who were more familiar with consultation (p = .002), who had more positive attitudes and beliefs about consultation (p = .011) and who reported being more susceptible to the behavior (p = .001) and expectations/opinions (p = .025) of colleagues regarding in-house expert consultation were more likely to consult the in-house expert. Furthermore, in-house expert consultation was positively associated with two of six key guideline activities: consulting the regional child protection service and monitoring whether support was provided to families. The implications of these results for improving professionals’ responses to CAN are discussed.     

Professionalization as an advocacy strategy: a content analysis of Canadian child care social movement organizations’ 2008 discursive resources

Do early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals make good advocates? Canadian advocates have fought for better child care policies since the mid-1940s. What has happened to this advocacy with the recent increased professionalization of the ECEC sector? How does increased professionalization limit, innovate or expand advocacy strategies? This content analysis of seven Canadian child care social movement organizations’ discursive resources in 2008 examines how different types of child care social movement organizations communicated their positions to their members and the public to manage a changing economic and political climate. Preliminary findings indicate that both ECEC workforce sector associations and grassroots organizations shared common advocacy messages, played down problems associated with a market approach to child care, and framed child care as a business case in their messaging. The authors suggest this reflects a nascent discursive move towards the professionalization of Canadian child care movement advocacy messages.     

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.     

Evaluation of Mental Health Consultation in Child Care Centers

Mental health professionals have speculated that their consultation services should improve the overall quality of a child care center, but few research studies have shown this effect in child care settings. In the present study, mental health consultation services were provided by four agencies to 25 urban child care centers to enhance children's emotional lives and social abilities, and to strengthen child care center staff's capacity to work with children who have difficult behaviors. A one-year evaluation was conducted to assess the impact of the mental health services on the teachers and child care centers using observational measures, director- and teacher-completed questionnaires, and qualitative focus group data. Centers with more than one year of consultation showed increases in overall quality, teachers' self-efficacy, and teachers' competence. In addition, staff expressed satisfaction with the mental health consultation services provided. Implications of findings and suggestions for future interventions are discussed.     

A Study of Child Rearing Practices Amongst Selected,Sudanese Families in South Australia: Implications for Child Care Service Selection

Child care services in Australia, for example, are largely defined and shaped by the historically dominant Anglo-Australian discourse and norms. The aim of this research was to examine critically and to find meaning in the experiences of recently arrived Sudanese families as they began to settle into their new cultural environment. The cultural values of some 30 Sudanese families were investigated and related to how these affected the selection of child care services. Qualitative research methods including an indigenous approach were used to gather data. Interactions with Sudanese families took place in their home environments. Interviews were conducted in a way that put those people interviewed at ease. Techniques used included narrative interviewing and vignettes.     

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.