Early Childhood Education Journal最新文献

This study analyzed the fit of data collected with the Measure of Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships for 3- to 5-year-olds (MEISR 3-to-5-years-old) to a proposed theoretical model based on the cross-walk of MEISR 3-to-5-years-old items and codes from 7 chapters of the Activities and Participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY). Participant children (N = 599) were recruited from 44 early childhood intervention programs across 9 autonomous communities (i.e., states) in Spain. Children’s ages ranged from 36 to 72 months (M = 49.22; SD = 9.77). Parents of children completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and a MEISR 3-to-5-years-old scale. Reliability and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results supported the internal consistency of the MEISR 3-to-5-years-old items and its content validity for assessing child participation based on the ICF-CY framework. Statistically significant differences on the mean percentage of children who presented difficulties and learning opportunities when participating in home routines by the Activities and Participation ICF-CY chapters were found. No differences were found on children’s strengths for participation across chapters. Implications for practice are discussed. Such implications highlight the use of the MEISR 3-to-5-years-old in early childhood intervention programs to assess child functioning, plan interventions and follow-up child progress to promote learning and development of children.

The quality of teacher-child discourse affects children’s development and learning. Our study aims to explore teacher-child discourse during planned science activities (PSAs) in Vietnamese preschools. This research is essential to understanding the reasons behind Vietnamese children’s low level of scientific skills and to exploring the dynamics of discourse in an Asian context. We conducted a case study to describe and understand the teacher-child discourse during PSAs. The study involved eight PSA sessions in four classes of three to four-year-old in Da Nang, Vietnam. We found that teachers tended to make statements more often than ask questions. When they did ask, they preferred using closed questions that did not require much of a response from children. Open questions were used sparingly, even though they are crucial for promoting children’s cognitive thinking and literacy. Teachers also made use of rhetorical questions that did not require any answer. This has led to mostly non-interactive classes where students remain passive learners. To improve the quality of teacher-child discourse, we suggest providing teacher training on encouraging children to participate and asking more engaging questions.

Young children’s self-regulation (SR) skills are linked to many important outcomes across the lifespan and school stakeholders widely agree that these skills should be prioritized in schools. Despite broad agreement about the importance of these skills, the diverse field of SR research is rife with a lack of clarity in both conceptual definitions and measurement with many different terms and definitions used interchangeably. With a systematic review of early childhood SR research in schools, we aimed to add to these efforts by cataloguing which SR variables researchers measure and the specific methodological choices made to capture such variables. Coders identified 319 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010–2020 that included a school-based measurement of self-regulation related constructs among children between 3- and 8-years. This revealed 11 distinct variable terms used widely in the literature to refer to SR related skills or characteristics and behavior problems was overwhelmingly the most frequent. Studies of many of these variables relied heavily on adult reports, usually teachers, and the use of multiple informants to measure variables was uncommon. Findings further highlight the conceptual clutter in SR research, point to possible points of empirical weaknesses in the measurement of these skills, and identify some methodological overlap in how variables are being operationalized in the literature.

This study evaluates the effects of a weekly home-visiting parenting program designed to enhance parent-child engagement with educationally-enriching activities and its potential interaction with children’s participation in state-funded preschool. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset linked across various administrative sources, we employed a quasi-experimental approach featuring inverse probability weighting regression adjustment and nearest neighbor matching to assess outcomes as measured at or leading up to kindergarten entry. We focused on a cohort of 2,000 diverse children born between 2012 and 2016, aged three and four at the intervention’s onset. Participation in the home-visiting program was associated with significant positive effects on children’s cognitive skills, IDEA Part B service uptake, and the likelihood of reported child maltreatment, which persisted after adjusting for state-funded preschool participation. We found no statistical evidence of interactions between the program and preschool, underscoring the program’s additive contributions to early childhood development and family well-being.

Despite the importance of classroom language interactions for children’s school readiness skills and the school readiness gaps faced by Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals (EBs), the field knows little about their classroom language interactions in early childhood education (ECE) classrooms. Expanding upon traditional approaches of observing classroom interactions, this study applies a child-centered analytic method to identify profiles of EBs classroom language interactions, characterized by their vocalizations and conversational turn-taking with teachers and peers, based on audio recordings. Data were drawn from 20 ECE classrooms and 171 EB children (ages 3 to 4) during the 2020–2021 school year. Latent profile analysis using variables from all-day recordings of EB children’s language environment identified three profiles: (1) limited classroom language interactions (58%); (2) engaging in conversations with teachers (14%); and (3) vocalizing and engaging conversations with peers (28%). EB children categorized to the second profile were less likely to speak Spanish and have teachers who spoke Spanish but were more likely to hear more words than EBs in profile 1. EBs children in profile 3 were likelier to be older than EBs in profile 1. Given that most EBs were in a profile of limited language interactions, the findings suggest the importance of improving opportunities and providing more support for EBs to engage in conversational turn-taking with their teachers and peers.

Self-determination refers to skills used to experience a quality of life consistent with one’s preferences, strengths, and needs. Theoretical and empirical literature has identified contextual opportunities for children to learn and use these skills in their everyday activities and routines. The present study used an investigator-developed observational coding system to describe and quantify preschool teachers’ use of teaching practices that could promote young children’s foundational self-determination skills. Twenty-one preschool teachers who had children with and without identified disabilities or developmental delays enrolled in their classrooms were observed for 15 min during two types of preschool classroom activities: child-initiated and teacher-directed. Teachers’ use of practices ranged from 6 to 60 occurrences across five self-determination skill categories, with an average of 24.43 occurrences in 30 min. Self-regard, self-direction, and self-advocacy practices were more frequently used than self-regulation and social problem-solving practices. Exploratory analyses of the observational data suggested differences in teachers’ use of self-determination teaching practices across the two types of activities and positive correlations between teachers’ use of self-determination teaching practices and the observed quality of teacher-child interactions. Implications of the study findings for teaching practices teachers can use to promote young children’s self-determination skills during classroom activities are discussed in the context of inclusive and high-quality early childhood education.

The aim of the study is to comprehensively analyze the interrelationships between teacher efficacy, the sources of self-efficacy, and implementation of early childhood education (ECE). The assumption is that according to socio-cognitive theory, source categories predict the self-efficacy of educational staff. According to a few previous research results, knowledge of theories and research in the field of education also contributes to a professional’s self-efficacy. In this study, 202 Finnish ECE teachers evaluated their self-efficacy and its sources (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal) as well as their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. A path analysis was conducted to estimate the sources of self-efficacy and active and reactive use of educational research as predictors of teacher self-efficacy, and further, of self-efficacy as a predictor of teachers’ pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The findings showed that mastery experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement. Intentional use of educational theory and research was positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, the quality of pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership were predicted by high self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, but implementation also by social persuasion and active use of theory and research.

Using a national database, this study examined the relationship between the language of instruction models and the frequency of peer-mediated learning activity on English learners’ reading achievement (N = 1,004). Results from the Multilevel Modeling (MLM) analyses revealed an interaction between the language of instruction and the frequency of peer-mediated learning in EL’s second-grade reading. Specifically, ELs enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs who worked weekly with monolingual English speaker peers had greater reading scores than those who worked daily or monthly. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Temperament is a widely researched trait that significantly influences children’s lives. Still, theorists differ in their perspectives on the construct. With their nine dimensions of temperament and three “categories” of children—easy, difficult, or slow to warm up—Thomas and colleagues (1968) laid the foundation for future temperament research. Subsequent researchers have identified temperament profiles that are similar to but not completely consistent with Thomas and colleagues’ model. Still, most conceptualizations exist primarily for researchers and may be challenging to translate for educators who work directly with children and their caregivers. Therefore, this study had two aims. First, we used cluster analysis to corroborate and extend research that categorized children into temperament groups. We identified four groups that converge and one group that diverges from previous findings. Our second, more important purpose was to strengthen the link between research and practice by conceptualizing our results in a way that is understandable to educators and caregivers. The challenging task of capturing the nature of each cluster in one or even a few words led us to adopt a zoomorphic approach in which we assigned nonhuman animal names to each group: koalas, penguins, dogs, bobcats, and giraffes. Our findings support previous groupings of children by temperament and provide a consumer-friendly model that facilitates communication between caregivers and educators.

This article explores integrating a STEM equity framework in analyzing primary picture books, focusing on providing equitable access to high-quality STEM learning experiences for all students. It delves into the multifaceted nature of STEM literacy, emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, utility, applicability, empathy, STEM dispositions, identity development, and empowerment. The article explicitly addresses the historical exclusion of minoritized students from STEM learning and careers and proposes an Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework. The study examines the criteria for selecting children’s picture books published between 2011 and 2021 that contribute to early STEM literacy and representation. The overarching goal is to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity in STEM education, fostering a dynamic and accessible learning environment for all students.