Early retention: Are there long-term beneficial effects?

The purpose of this study was to examine whether retention of kindergarten and first-grade children is associated with long-term beneficial effects. Thirty-one children who had been retained were compared to 31 children who had similar grades but had never been retained. The dependent measures were grade point average in the second through fifth grades and four teacher-assessed areas of functioning in the fourth and fifth grade: social competence, cognitive competence, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems. The results indicated that retention was not associated with long-term beneficial effects but rather, especially for White children, appeared to be associated with poorer academic and social functioning. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Information-seeking behavior changes in community-based teaching practices.

A National Library of Medicine information access grant allowed for a collaborative project to provide computer resources in fourteen clinical practice sites that enabled health care professionals to access medical information via PubMed and the Internet. Health care professionals were taught how to access quality, cost-effective information that was user friendly and would result in improved patient care. Selected sites were located in medically underserved areas and received a computer, a printer, and, during year one, a fax machine. Participants were provided dial-up Internet service or were connected to the affiliated hospital's network. Clinicians were trained in how to search PubMed as a tool for practicing evidence-based medicine and to support clinical decision making. Health care providers were also taught how to find patient-education materials and continuing education programs and how to network with other professionals. Prior to the training, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their computer skills and familiarity with searching the Internet, MEDLINE, and other health-related databases. Responses indicated favorable changes in information-seeking behavior, including an increased frequency in conducting MEDLINE searches and Internet searches for work-related information.     

Coaching commitment and turnover: a comparison of current and former coaches

Although coaching continuity is thought to be important in developing and sustaining quality sport programs, coach turnover is not well understood. Consequently, we used a commitment model to address why some coaches maintain their involvement while others discontinue coaching. For this study, 469 USA Swimming age-group coaches completed a mail survey designed to assess commitment model constructs, including coaching satisfaction, benefits, costs, investments, alternative options, social constraints, and commitment. To test the commitment model, we first used structural equation modeling to assess whether the model provided an adequate fit to the data for current and former coaches. Overall, satisfaction and investments were significantly related to commitment. Moreover, the standardized path coefficients between benefits and costs and satisfaction were also significant. Multivariate analysis of variance andfollow-up analyses revealed that current coaches reported higher commitment as well as less attractive alternative options, higher investments, and higher social constraints compared to former coaches. In replication of past research, we compared current andformer coaches on the benefits and costs associated with coaching.     

Fostering a “head start” in math: observing teachers in early childhood mathematics engagement

ABSTRACT

Studies show that early engagement with mathematics leads to increased math achievement later in life. Yet, early childhood teachers do not regard mathematics as critical to young learners’ development and lack confidence with helping children learn mathematics. Early childhood teacher comfort and engagement with mathematics is a critical element to promoting intentional math instruction. Research was conducted to examine the effects of an innovative professional development program for Head Start preschool teachers with the goal of increasing pedagogical content knowledge and confidence in teaching mathematics. The findings in this article focus on classroom observations that concentrated on teacher engagement with mathematics.     

Untangling Teacher–Child Play Interactions: Do Teacher Education and Experience Influence “Good-Fit” Responses to Children's Play?

The purpose of this study was to determine if levels of teacher education and experience would influence how teachers respond to children's play needs in a preschool classroom. The interactions of eight teachers—three of whom were categorized as high education/high experience, three as low education/high experience, and two as low education/low experience—were videotaped and analyzed over a 6-month period. Specific levels of child play need and teacher guidance were first coded. The degree to which there was a good fit between the amount of child need and teacher support was examined. Differences in these good- (and poor-)fit interactions across the three groups of teachers were studied. Four interviews with adult participants were conducted to elucidate quantitative findings. Findings show that teachers with high levels of education and experience were more likely to perform good-fit play interactions. In interviews, teachers from this group identified specific elements of teacher education that enhanced their classroom experiences and, consequently, their ability to match their interactions to children's play needs. In contrast, low/high teachers were more likely to provide poor-fit responses to play, often giving direct support when none was needed. Teachers of the low/low group were unpredictable in their responses to children's play, often failing to interact at all when opportunities arose for meaningful play intervention. Interviews with these two groups revealed reasons for these poor-fit interactions, including a lack of knowledge about play and an inability to reflect on child outcomes. Implications of these findings for teacher education are considered.     

Exploring the Impact of Television Watching on Vocabulary Skills in Toddlers

With the rising incidence of television consumption in children, the aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of such habits on vocabulary skills in young children. Very little research has targeted a key cognitive skill—vocabulary—during the toddler years, which represent a critical developmental period. We recruited toddlers, aged two to three, from British child care centers. Parents indicated the television watching habits of their children in different genres (educational, cartoons, baby DVDs, adult entertainment) in order to investigate potential differential effects. We also included other key variables linked to vocabulary acquisition: short-term memory (verbal and visuo-spatial) and reading habits (fiction and educational books). The findings indicated that television did not impact vocabulary scores, either positively or negatively. Instead, reading educational books and short-term memory skills predicted vocabulary performance.