International Research Projects in Early Childhood Development in Australia,Malaysia and Singapore: Pertinent Issues from Three Studies

The field of early childhood education has been the focus of increased research and public concern in recent years. This paper highlights three research projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation in the eighties in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. It focuses on four research issues raised from these three studies which span three diverse communities and cultures. In particular, the question of a single integrative approach towards early childhood development programmes, the intersecting needs of children and women, the range of training and dissemination systems to be made available, the role of the different forms of fundamental partnerships in early childhood research and the strengthening of the research-to-policy link will be discussed.     

Moral philosophy,Te Whāriki and gender

Abstract

Early childhood practice in Aotearoa New Zealand is guided by Te Whāriki, a curriculum which is rich in moral concepts. While there are opportunities for early childhood educators in Aotearoa New Zealand to reflect upon moral concepts in their educational settings, it is the position of this paper that critical engagement with these concepts is hindered by two major factors: lack of exposition on the moral concepts maintained within the English version of the early childhood curriculum document, and a historical gendered divide between theory and practice in early childhood education Aotearoa New Zealand. To address these concerns, the author draws from the philosophical writings of Iris Murdoch with particular focus upon her concept of attention. The theoretical plurality in Te Whāriki and the maternal image of the early childhood teacher are discussed. The author articulates the opportunities offered by Murdoch’s vision to view the curriculum and the early childhood teacher anew.     

Early career teacher peer support through private groups in social media

This paper describes the support that Australian early career teachers are accessing through private groups within social media. It presents findings from 22 interviews with teachers who indicated that Facebook was a source of support. Participants describe using private online groups for: (a) support during casual employment; (b) accessing collegial support from pre-existing connections, in particular those formed during initial teacher education; and (c) support to deal with challenging situations such as a hostile work environment. The paper suggests that further research needs to be conducted into how private media groups might support the needs of early career teachers.     

Benefits of Playing Numerical Card Games on Head Start Children’s Mathematical Skills

Abstract

Low-income preschoolers have lower average performance on measures of early numerical skills than middle-income children. The present study examined the effectiveness of numerical card games in improving children’s numerical and executive functioning skills. Low-income preschoolers (N?=?76) were randomly assigned to play a numerical magnitude comparison card game, a numerical memory and matching card game, or a shape and color matching card game across four 15-minute sessions. Children who played either of the numerical games improved their numeral identification skills, while only children who played the numerical magnitude comparison game improved their symbolic magnitude comparison skills. These improvements were maintained eight weeks later. The results suggest that a brief, low-cost intervention can successfully improve the numerical skills of low-income children.     

西周青铜器"邢侯簋"通释

“邢侯簋”为西周青铜器邢器之一 ,铭文内容涉及到周王对邢侯的“迁封” ,是研究西周邢国封建的重要材料。本文除对“邢侯簋”进行通释外 ,结合有关金文资料和文献记载 ,就邢国“迁封”有争议的若干历史问题进行了考述。     

清代前期抑商问题新探

大约从 2 0世纪 70年代开始 ,清政府是否推行了抑商政策成为学者们讨论的热点问题。但是包括笔者在内 ,绝大多数学者都是用现代经济学理论来解释“抑商”所指内容的 ,忽略了当时决策者对抑商的认识 ,所以有必要对此进行重新探讨。历史事实是 ,明清时期人们把抑末、抑商看成是对商人收税 ,这是抑末、抑商内容的唯一所指 ,并不包含其他内容。     

The Early Development Index and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher‐completed checklist, intended to be a population‐level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the areas for improvement and modifications. The paper aims: (1) to identify the limitations of the EDI as a universal screening tool, particularly with regard to children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD); (2) to alert readers to the potential negative implications of the current EDI for communities and society, and (3) to recommend ways for improvement so that the EDI will become a valid and culturally appropriate screening tool for monitoring early development in CALD children. The ultimate aim is to help build an education system and a society that can respect cultural and individual differences.     

试论古罗马的保民官

古罗马共和国时期的保民官，以其独特的否决权，维护了广大平民的利益，缓和了平民与贵族的矛盾，维护了国家的稳定，极大地推进了罗马共和国的民主进程，为罗马共和国成功地抗击外敌侵略以及对外扩张，成为横跨欧亚非三洲的古代史上的大帝国准备了条件。然而，保民官并非十全十美，同样有其局限性。     

US and Turkish preschoolers’ observational knowledge of astronomy

The purpose of this cross-cultural study was to describe and compare US and Turkish children's observational knowledge of the day and night cycle and to identify similarities predicted by framework theory. Fifty-six (27 US and 29 Turkish) young children (ages 48–60 months) participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were individually conducted, digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. The results demonstrate that preschoolers from the two cultures are able to make comparable informal observations of the sky, and their observational knowledge includes many similarities, with one exception, as predicted by framework theory. US children were more likely to perform better than the Turkish children on the question about the time of observation for the moon. Although science concepts and skills are better represented in US early childhood education programs than the Turkish program, the results suggest that this advantage did not translate into performance differences between US and Turkish children.     

Experiencing the real context between families,schools, and community relationships: transforming preservice teachers’ perceptions

ABSTRACT

This Reflection on Practice is based upon a change in the undergraduate course Family and Community Relations. Historically, this course has been taught on campus in a lecture format, as well as small and large group activities. However, during a spring semester at a midsized Midwestern University, it was altered to provide more direct experiences for preservice teachers (PSTs) with families in a local child care program. This change was grounded in the belief that PSTS need “authentic experiences with families”(Pedro, Miller, & Bray, 2012, p.13). In addition to being in classrooms at the end of the child care day to interact with parents and participating in parent/teacher conferences, the PSTs planned and implemented two family events as well as created a space for families in the child care program’s entry area. Reflections from the instructor’s journal and feedback from parents and administrators following the events indicated a change in the PSTs behavior resulting in increased professionalism and a desire to do their best for the families of the early childhood program. This outcome suggests that providing PSTs opportunities to work directly with families as part of their educational program holds promise for the possibility of transformative learning to occur.