Our children too: a history of the Black Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development, 1973-1997

The Black Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development(SRCD) was founded in 1973 to address concerns about the portrayal of Black children in scientific research, the lack of participation of ethnic minority members in the governance structure of SRCD, and the perceived need for a mutual support system for minority scholars aspiring to productive careers in the child development field. In this monograph, early members of the Caucus describe its history through the first 25 years, in 15 chapters distributed among sections on Caucus history, teaching and mentoring, publications and research-related issues, and supportive academic institutions. Among the topics explored are the formation and goals of the Caucus, its structure and membership, Caucus members' achieving stature and influence within SRCD, mentoring through the Toddler and Infant Experiences Study (TIES), response to the Atlanta child murders,the successful Pre-Conferences, SRCD Monographs and milestone developmental publications by Caucus members, the role of African American scholars in research on African American children (including the use of an ecological approach to study family processes), linkages between theory,research, and practice in Project Head Start, the contributions of the University of Michigan and Howard University, and looking to the future for students. Appendices trace Caucus chronological history and identify early sustaining members. This volume celebrates the accomplishments of the Caucus while also revisiting challenges that have arisen both internally and through membership in the SRCD parent organization. Key thematic issues include: cultural deficit versus cultural difference; linkages between poverty, race, and empowerment; advocacy versus objectivity in scientific research; and how the cultural or racial identity of the researcher informs scientific knowledge. The collaborations of Caucus members and others in SRCD modified the lens through which children of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds are portrayed in the scientific literature.     

Child Development And The Curriculum

Seventy-five years of research in the area of teacher effectiveness have failed to yield sound predictive information about teaching success. Several explanations are offered in this paper for observed discrepant and null findings. Commonly employed predictor variables may be unrelated to teacher effectiveness: consideration is given to the appropriate choice of predictor variables and concern expressed regarding the emphasis of research on the affective as opposed to the cognitive domain. Nevertheless, it is stressed that this explanation remains untested because of the following points: (1) The criterion variable may be unstable, invalid or inappropriate; in particular, it is argued that, while presage and process variables may be appropriately employed as predictors of teacher effectiveness, if tautologies are to be avoided, only product variables are valid as direct criteria for the assessment of effective teaching. (2) The influence of a particular variable may differ according to situation, for instance, according to grade level or subject matter taught. Arising from discussion of these points, some recommendations regarding future research are offered.     

学习型社会:以学习求发展

20世纪60年代末到70年代早期,西方社会进入一个比较大的结构转型时期,人口、资源、发展和环境的矛盾日益突出。“学习型社会”概念的提出,是解决传统发展危机的一个选项,孕育着新的发展观。20世纪80年代末以来,“学习型社会”及其相关概念构成“新增长理论”的重要组成部分,逐步进入到各国政府和国际组织的政策文件中去,是为了应对新的挑战和发展危机。21世纪初,“学习型社会”在中国的提出和实践,也是为了应对经济社会发展遇到的新形势、新挑战、新问题。所以,学习型社会的实质就是“以学习求发展”,其具体内涵包括:以个体的学习来追求个体的发展,以组织的学习来追求组织的发展,以国家的学习来促进国家的发展;以终身的学习来追求终身的发展,以灵活的学习来追求多样的发展,以自主的学习来追求内在的发展。学习型社会建设的基本目的在于满足全体人民基本学习需求,促进全民学习、终身学习,以实践科学发展观,全面建设小康社会。     

新中国成立70年甘肃人口发展：成就回顾与议题展望

新中国成立70年来,甘肃人口发展取得历史性成就。回望过去70年,甘肃人口发展主要成就体现在人口规模、人口再生产、人口结构、人口受教育水平、人口健康素质、人口城镇化、人口流动和重点人群等八个方面。文章分析了当前甘肃人口研究的重要议题,认为保持人口适度生育水平、人口红利、人口迁移流动和城镇化、人口受教育水平与人力资本、人口老龄化、人口性别失衡等问题应该受到重点关注。     

儿童学:学际综合研究与课程开发的主题——以日本奈良女子大学“儿童学项目”与“儿童临床学”专业为例

世界范围内儿童学的研究与学科构建正在深入发展。这样的发展对我国教师教育课程的改革有着很大的借鉴意义。本文在纵观了儿童学研究与学科构建的基点及我国教师教育培养模式面临的挑战与问题的基础上,综合评述了日本奈良女子大学的"儿童学项目"与"儿童临床学"专业的课程。     

我国特殊教育教师发展战略70年:回顾与展望

特殊教育教师发展战略是有关特殊教育教师队伍发展的顶层设计与规划。我国特殊教育教师发展战略经历了萌芽期(1949-1989年)、探索期(1990-2011年)与成熟期(2012年至今)三个阶段,实现从"局部构思"到"整体布局"、从"量足"到"质优"、从"师范教育"到"教师教育"、从"经济支持"到"社会认同"突破。然而仍存在理念滞后、内容宏观笼统、督导不够、保障支持不足等局限。我国未来特殊教育教师发展战略需进一步更新设计理念、完善政策内容、强化督导实施、增强社会支持,增强前瞻性、可行性、执行力、内驱力。     

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.     

Teaching the Immigrant Child: Application of Child Development Theories

Immigrant children are an under-researched yet a steadily growing group. It is therefore compelling for practitioners to understand challenges these children are likely to encounter in the classroom so as to effectively meet their needs. In this article various theoretical perspectives of prominent child development theories are analyzed in an attempt to understand immigrant children in the classroom. Theories of Maslow, Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner are explicitly discussed. Some suggestions for practice are also provided.     

Child Care and Children's Peer Interaction at 24 and 36 Months: The NICHD Study of Early Child Care

Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care were examined to determine how children's experiences in child care were related to peer competence at 24 and 36 months of age, after controlling for the effects of family and child characteristics. Peer competence was assessed using mother and caregiver ratings as well as observations of children with their peers in child care, and at 36 months from observations of dyadic play with a familiar peer. Consistent, albeit modest, relations were found between child-care experiences in the first 3 years of life and children's peer competencies. Positive, responsive caregiver behavior was the feature of child care most consistently associated with positive, skilled peer interaction in child care. Children with more experience in child-care settings with other children present were observed to be more positive and skilled in their peer play in child care, although their caregivers rated them as more negative with playmates. Children who spent more hours in child care were rated by their caregivers as more negative in peer play, but their observed peer play was not related to the quantity of care. Child-care experiences were not associated with peer competence as rated by mothers or as observed in dyadic play with a friend. Maternal sensitivity and children's cognitive and language competence predicted peer competence across all settings and informants, suggesting that family and child-care contexts may play different, but complementary roles in the development of early emerging individual differences in peer interaction.     

Child Development and Neuroscience

Although developmental psychology and developmental neuroscience share interests in common problems (e.g., the nature of thought, emotion, consciousness), there has been little cross-fertilization between these disciplines. To facilitate such communication, we discuss 2 major advances in the developmental brain sciences that have potentially profound implications for under standing behavioral development. The first concerns neuroimaging, and the second concerns the molecular and cellular events that give rise to the developing brain and the myriad ways in which the brain is modified by both positive and negative life experiences. Recurring themes are that (1) critical, new knowledge of behavioral development can be achieved by considering the neurobiological mechanisms that guide and influence child development, and (2) these neurobiological mechanisms are in turn influenced by behavior.     

加拿大营利性学前教育发展与管理模式变革研究

二战以来,加拿大营利性学前教育经历了兴盛、衰退、分化和复兴四个发展阶段.依据地方政府对营利性机构的投入和监管力度,加拿大各省对营利性学前教育的管理分为促进模式、包容模式和抑制模式三种类型.随着改革的推进,加拿大各省逐渐加大对营利性学前教育的干预力度,重视发挥第三部门在学前教育管理中的作用,营利性学前教育管理逐渐转向包容模式.     

宏观调控中的临沂经济与社会发展研究

针对我国经济领域中的深层次问题和矛盾,国家采取了加强宏观调控的政策措施。在这样的政策背景下,作为地市一级的区域经济,如何把握国家宏观调控的机遇,解决经济运行中的各种矛盾和问题,树立科学的发展观,加快临沂的经济发展,必须对此问题进行深入研究,并提出一些具有参政性的对策。     

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.