The context of their lives

Abstract

This paper explores the Ecology of Human Development Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) as applied to the lives of students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at James Madison University (Virginia). This model provided insights into who our students are, their experiences, beliefs and values and how they define themselves; secondly, the process of reflection provided an opportunity for students to examine their lives as part of a larger social context; and thirdly, by valuing the process, it is hoped that students would recognize the importance of coming to know the children they teach. It is imperative that students are well prepared for teaching an increasingly diverse population (NCATE Standard I.E.2). Our belief is that in order for prospective teachers to appreciate diversity in classrooms, they need first to examine the context of their own lives. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.     

JUNIOR FACULTY AS LIAISONS: THE REALITIES OF PDS COLLABORATION

Conflicting perspectives on the parent’s role in the infant/toddler classroom can play a significant role in early educational settings. A recent ethnographic study of an Early Head Start program in New York City focused on conflict of this nature and raised the following set of questions: What sort of power and privilege should parents be given in decisions about classroom practice? Who or what should have the final say in these decisions: parents, teachers, administrators, or early childhood research literature? Should teachers unhesitatingly instruct parents as to what constitutes “best practice” or should the parents’ position be given primary consideration? How much weight should culturally based beliefs about child-rearing and early education carry in these decisions? The theoretical framework for this study, following Lubeck (1994) Lubeck, S. 1994. “The politics of developmentally appropriate practice: Exploring issues of culture, class and curriculum”. In Diversity and developmentally appropriate practices: Challenges for early childhood education, Edited by: Mallory, B. and New, R. 17–43. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.  [Google Scholar], challenges the notion that “disadvantaged” parents should be categorically dismissed as deficient in their thinking about what is educationally best for their children. The corollary notion that “disadvantaged” parents should be forced to defer to the assumptions of educators—most of whom are white and middle class—is similarly questioned. Greenman (1989) Greenman, J. 1989. Living in the real world: Diversity and Conflict. Exchange, 11 [Google Scholar] and Greenberg’s (1969 Greenberg, P. 1969. The devil has slippery shoes: A biased biography of the child development group of Mississippi (CDGM): A story of maximum feasible poor parent participation, Washington, DC: Youth Policy Institute.  [Google Scholar]/1991) assertions that conflicts that arise over teachers’, administrators’ and parents’ differing ideas about children, child-rearing, and early educational practice can be resolved in ways that are acceptable to all parties also inform this theoretical framework. An analysis of teacher interview data, coupled with classroom observational data, revealed four varying “theme perspectives.”     

Distinguishing technologies for social interaction: The perceived social affordances of communication channels scale

The concept of affordances in communication technology research has proven to be heuristically provocative, yet perceived affordances are rarely measured. After extracting commonly cited social affordances from the literature, we developed a measure to assess participants’ perceptions of these affordances. The scale was tested across eight communication channels in two studies (face-to-face; texting; phone; email; posts on social networking sites, specifically Facebook; instant messaging; Skype videoconferencing; and mobile app Snapchat). A factor structure was developed in Study 1 and confirmed in Study 2. The resultant Perceived Social Affordances of Communication Channels Scale includes 41 items measuring 10 communicative affordances: accessibility, bandwidth, social presence, privacy, network association, personalization, persistence, editability, conversation control, and anonymity. Potential methodological and theoretical applications are discussed.     

Metacognition and Self-Regulation in James,Piaget, and Vygotsky

This article investigates the intertwined constructs of metacognition and self-regulation as they emerge in the works and theories of James, Piaget, and Vygotsky. To coordinate this exploration, we use an interpretive framework based on the relation of subject and object. In this framework, James’s perspective on metacognition and self-regulation is aligned with the Self, Piaget’s with the other and object, and Vygotsky’s with the medium or agency of language. We explore how metacognition and self-regulation function within the realm of human behavior and development as described in the works of each of these theorists. Key questions or issues that emerge for current research are outlined, and the limitations and benefits of each theorist’s perspective vis-à-vis metacognition and self-regulation are discussed.     

What emotional-centred challenges do children attending special schools face over primary–secondary school transition?

Primary–secondary school transition encompasses multiple social, academic and environmental changes which can negatively impact children’s emotional well-being. Children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH) are believed to be especially vulnerable during this time. However, the voices of children with SEMH are heavily underrepresented in this field within practice and research. The present case study examined how children with SEMH difficulties within one special school experience primary–secondary school transition and how they are supported, in order to make recommendations to improve this period. The case study was qualitative and longitudinal, conducted over 18-months and methodologies included ethnographic observations, child photo-elicitation focus groups (with 11 Year 6 children) and three adult interviews. Findings demonstrated that over primary–secondary school transition children with SEMH difficulties (a) negotiate significant structural changes in support (often unanticipated) and (b) need to feel a sense of safety and belonging. To manage this effectively, transition provision for children with SEMH difficulties needs to consider their short-term emotional well-being whilst still in primary school, in addition to their long-term well-being looking ahead to secondary school. Greater collaboration and communication across schools and stakeholders can help ensure children receive continuity in standards and support.     

Memory and Executive Functioning in 12‐Year‐Old Children With a History of Institutional Rearing

We examined visual recognition memory and executive functioning (spatial working memory [SWM], spatial planning, rule learning, and attention shifting) in 12‐year‐olds (n = 150) who participated in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care for institutionally reared children. Similar to prior reports at 8 years of age, institutionally reared children showed significant deficits in visual recognition memory and SWM. Deficits in attention shifting and rule learning were also apparent at this time point. These data suggest that early experiences continue to shape the development of memory, learning, and executive functioning processes in preadolescence, which may explain broader cognitive and learning difficulties commonly associated with severe early life neglect.