Reported Research Funding in Four Early Childhood Journals

Funding for research in the area of early childhood is an ongoing challenge. The present research objective was to identify the frequency of acknowledgment of federal funding in articles published by four leading early childhood journals from 1999 to 2008. We conducted a content analysis of 1,338 publications found in Early Child Development and Care, Early Childhood Education Journal, Early Childhood Research and Practice, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Approximately 28% of the sample (368 articles in the target journals) reported funding in general. More specifically, 43% of the sample (160 articles of the 368 articles funded) reported federal funding. It is concluded that external funding, particularly federal funding for early childhood research may be the exception rather than the rule.     

Implementing a play‐based and developmentally appropriate curriculum in Northern Ireland primary schools: what lessons have we learned?

In the United Kingdom tensions have existed for many years between the pedagogical traditions of pre‐school, which tend to adopt developmentally oriented practices, and the more formal or subject‐oriented curriculum framework of primary school. These tensions have been particularly acute in the context of Northern Ireland, which has the earliest school starting age throughout Europe. In response to international research evidence and practice, a play‐based and developmentally appropriate curriculum, known as the Enriched Curriculum (EC), was introduced as a pilot in Year 1 and 2 classes in over 100 primary schools in Northern Ireland between 2000 and 2002 and continued until the Foundation Stage became statutory for all primary schools in 2007. This paper outlines four key lessons that have been learned from the first four years of the evaluation of this experience. These include the value and the meaning of a play‐based curriculum; the importance of teachers’ confidence and knowledge; teaching reading in a play‐based curriculum; and easing transitions in a play‐based curriculum.     

‘Necessary Cessation from Toil and Work’: Young Christian Workers and the Question of Sport on Sundays in Post-War Melbourne

Abstract

The Young Christian Workers (YCW) is an international movement for young Catholics, engaged through a method of education called ‘See, Judge, and Act’. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Australian YCW became known for running campaigns on a range of social issues and the provision of services – including sporting events and competitions. In this paper, the development of the Australian YCW Football Association during the 1950s is explored, and the history of YCW members’ participation in public debates about the morality of Sunday sport, which culminated in a local referendum in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell in 1959, is traced. Drawing on archival materials and interviews conducted with former young workers, the paper explores tensions within Christianity around the meaning of ‘leisure’, ‘idleness’, and Sunday as a day of observance and rest. This examination of the Melbourne debate of 1959 will show how religious tensions around Sunday sport were shaped by class, youth, and masculine identities.     

Memory for Preselected and Constrained Short Movements

Abstract

The present experiment investigated the recall of terminal location and distance of both preselected and constrained short movements (12 cm ± 4 cm approximately) following 5 second and 30 second unfilled retention intervals. Systematic alteration of the magnitude and direction of the starting position for recall movements revealed that the distance moved markedly interfered with the recall of the terminal location, but distance was essentially recalled independently of terminal location. Recall of distance was superior to terminal location for both the unfilled retention intervals, and there was a decrease in location recall performances following the longer 30 second delay when compared to recall attempts after the shorter 5 second delay. The Findings are discussed in terms of recent proposals to account for the memory for, and control of, discrete limb movements.     

Section II - Quality from the Perspective of Stakeholders: Quality in Early Childhood Programs? Underlying Values

Quality is a value-laden and context-bound concept. Drawing on cultural psychology, this study examines the nature of cultural values underlying definitions of quality in American early childhood programs. From semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers and 15 administrators in center-based early childhood programs, three themes emerged: (a) safety and health first, (b) raising independent children, and (c) developmental appropriateness. Although participants' definitions of quality wove together diverse beliefs about childhood and learning, the view that young children learn best by self-exploration of their world was salient. The ability to explore was believed to become more elaborate as children move through developmental stages. We analyze practitioners' views of young children's abilities and of their learning and development by examining how they are shaped by Western values of independence and individualism. We suggest that these values restrict educators' vision of how to scaffold children's learning in the social and cultural milieu.     

Consistent occupational preferences and academic adjustment

This study explored the differences in academic adjustment variables between students who made congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choices. The academic adjustment variables were operationally defined by the College Inventory of Academic Adjustment. Congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choice groups were defined operationally using the Vocational Preference Inventory. The analysis of variance revealed the main effect of groups (congruent, incongruent, and undecided) to be significant for two academic adjustment variables. The test for the main effect of sex was found to be significant for one adjustment variable. The test for interaction was found to be significant for one variable. The findings suggest that students in the congruent female and male groups tend to be more academically adjusted than students in the undecided male group.     

A new approach to evaluating the well-being of PhD research students

This study describes the development of an assessment to evaluate the well-being of PhD researchers using a clinically approved methodology that places the perceptions and experiences of the subject population at the heart of its construction. It identifies and assesses the range and relative importance of seven distinct dimensions which are shown to impact adversely on the perceived well-being of student researchers across all stages of their studies. According to the findings, the well-being of doctoral students comprises needs relating to development, facilities, home and health, research, social, supervisor and university. The instrument was found to demonstrate good content validity and internal reliability. Its use offers new insights into the experiences of early career researchers and may inform efforts to better support them. This, in turn, may have a positive impact upon retention levels and future career choices for this research population.