This research traces the development of symbol-infused joint engagement during mother–child interactions into the preschool years. Forty-nine children, who had been previously observed as toddlers ...(L. B. Adamson, R. Bakeman, & D. F. Deckner, 2004), were systematically observed during interactions with their mothers at ages 3½, 4½, and 5½ during activities related to the past and future, internal states, and graphic systems. Although the amount of symbol-infused joint engagement reached a ceiling by 3½, its focus continued to become more complex and its form more balanced. Individual differences in children's symbol-infused joint engagement were stable across 4 years. These findings highlight both how joint engagement is transformed as conversational skills develop and how it remains rooted in earlier interactions and supported by caregiver's actions.
Head Start (HS) is the largest federally funded preschool program for disadvantaged children. Research has shown relatively small impacts on cognitive and social skills; therefore, some have ...questioned its effectiveness. Using data from the Head Start Impact Study (3-year-old cohort; N = 2,449), latent class analysis was used to (a) identify subgroups of children defined by baseline characteristics of their home environment and caregiver and (b) test whether the effects of HS on cognitive, and behavioral and relationship skills over 2 years differed across subgroups. The results suggest that the effectiveness of HS varies quite substantially. For some children there appears to be a significant, and in some cases, long-term, positive impact. For others there is little to no effect.
This study focuses on three main goals: First, 3-year-olds' spatial assembly skills are probed using interlocking block constructions (N = 102). A detailed scoring scheme provides insight into early ...spatial processing and offers information beyond a basic accuracy score. Second, the relation of spatial assembly to early mathematical skills was evaluated. Spatial skill independently predicted a significant amount of the variability in concurrent mathematical performance. Finally, the relation between spatial assembly skill and socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and parent-reported spatial language was examined. While children's performance did not differ by gender, lower SES children were already lagging behind higher SES children in block assembly. Furthermore, lower SES parents reported using significantly fewer spatial words with their children.
Data were analyzed from a population-based, longitudinal sample of 8,650 U.S. children to (a) identify factors associated with or predictive of oral vocabulary size at 24 months of age and (b) ...evaluate whether oral vocabulary size is uniquely predictive of academic and behavioral functioning at kindergarten entry. Children from higher socioeconomic status households, females, and those experiencing higher quality parenting had larger oral vocabularies. Children born with very low birth weight or from households where the mother had health problems had smaller oral vocabularies. Even after extensive covariate adjustment, 24-month-old children with larger oral vocabularies displayed greater reading and mathematics achievement, increased behavioral self-regulation, and fewer externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors at kindergarten entry.
This research synthesis examines whether the association between print exposure and components of reading grows stronger across development. We meta-analyzed 99 studies (N = 7,669) that focused on ...leisure time reading of (a) preschoolers and kindergartners, (b) children attending Grades 1-12, and (c) college and university students. For all measures in the outcome domains of reading comprehension and technical reading and spelling, moderate to strong correlations with print exposure were found. The outcomes support an upward spiral of causality: Children who are more proficient in comprehension and technical reading and spelling skills read more; because of more print exposure, their comprehension and technical reading and spelling skills improved more with each year of education. For example, in preschool and kindergarten print exposure explained 12% of the variance in oral language skills, in primary school 13%, in middle school 19%, in high school 30%, and in college and university 34%. Moderate associations of print exposure with academic achievement indicate that frequent readers are more successful students. Interestingly, poor readers also appear to benefit from independent leisure time reading. We conclude that shared book reading to preconventional readers may be part of a continuum of out-of-school reading experiences that facilitate children's language, reading, and spelling achievement throughout their development.
In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of using Web 2.0 tools in environmental education on the attitudes of preschool children towards the environment. The research used a combination of ...quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected through the “Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale: Children's Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale-Preschool Version (CATES-PV)”, and the qualitative data were collected through the "Interview Form" created by the researcher. A total of 38 children, 18 of them in the experimental group and 20 of them in the control group, aged between 60-72 month old attending a public day care center, participated in the study group of the research. One of the parents (mother or father) of the experimental group, which is the group where qualitative data were collected, participated in the research with 18 participants. Attitude towards the environment constitute dependent variable in the research. Independent variable is environments with and without Web 2.0 tools are used. In this research, two-factor ANOVA analysis for repeated measurements used for independent samples of the quantitative data obtained, descriptive analysis was applied to qualitative data. As a result of the research, a significant difference was determined between the average scores of children's attitudes towards the environment after the experimental procedure in the environment where Web 2.0 tools were used in environmental education. It was determined that the changes in the mean scores of attitudes towards the environment of the two groups before the experimental procedure were significantly higher in favor of the group in the environment where Web 2.0 tools were used in environmental education. In this study, it was concluded that the environment in which Web 2.0 tools are used in environmental education is effective in developing children's attitudes towards the environment. According to the qualitative findings, the parents in the experimental group stated that these tools made learning interesting, memorable and facilitating, provided continuity and permanence in learning, and were effective in developing correct attitudes.
Introduction: Psychomotricity has taken on an important role in the educational field, since motor development is closely related to learning (Berruezo & Adelantado, 2000). A good internalization ...corporal scheme will allow an adequate construction of later development milestones and the improvement of an emotional and personal balance (Cremades, 2015). This study aims to demonstrate that Bernard Aucouturier's (2004) Psychomotor Practice methodology allows an improvement in motor development backwardness in 4-year-old children. METHOD: A quasi-experimental intervention was carried out with a pre-test phase, an intervention phase and a post-test phase with a group of 18 children of 4-year-old. For this, qualitative and quantitative instruments were used: qualitative pre-assessment (Hernández, 2015), Preschool Psychomotricity Assessment Scale (De la Cruz & Mazaira, 1998) (quantitative) and field notebook (qualitative), used by researchers. RESULTS: the Experienced Psychomotricity model seeks a significant improvement in motor development in the analyzed sample, especially in balance, arm and leg coordination, and body schema (in themselves and with respect to others). DISCUSSION: the improvements obtained in motor development converge with the affective and attitudinal improvements that we have observed individually in children, favoring and impregnating the rest of the group.
Introducción: La psicomotricidad ha tomado un papel relevante en el ámbito educativo, pues el desarrollo motor está estrechamente relacionado con el aprendizaje (Berruezo y Adelantado, 2000). Una buena interiorización del esquema corporal permitirá una adecuada construcción de hitos posteriores del desarrollo y la mejora de un equilibrio emocional y personal (Cremades, 2015). Este estudio pretende demostrar que la metodología de Psicomotricidad Vivenciada de Bernard Aucouturier (2004), permite una mejora del retraso madurativo motor en niños de 4 años. MÉTODO: se realizó una intervención cuasi experimental con una fase de pretest, fase de intervención y fase postest con un grupo de 18 niños de 4 años de edad. Para ello, se utilizaron varios instrumentos de carácter cualitativo y cuantitativo: pre-evaluación cualitativa (Hernández, 2015), Escala de Evaluación de la Psicomotricidad en Preescolar (De la Cruz y Mazaira, 1998) (cuantitativa) y cuaderno de campo (cualitativo), utilizado por los investigadores. RESULTADOS: el modelo de Psicomotricidad Vivenciada procura una mejora significativa del desarrollo motor en la muestra analizada, sobre todo, en el equilibrio, la coordinación de brazos y piernas y el esquema corporal (en sí mismos y respecto a los demás). DISCUSIÓN: las mejoras obtenidas en el desarrollo motor convergen con las mejoras afectivas y actitudinales que hemos observado de manera individual en los niños, favoreciendo e impregnando al resto del grupo.
This study investigated the nature of parent involvement and parent-educator communication in prior-to-school early childhood settings and school, to explore relations to social capital variables and ...consistencies and changes in practices over time. Parent interview and teacher questionnaire data from two waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analysed. Results indicated that parental involvement and communication decreased as children moved from prior-to-school settings to school. Educators in both settings reported using similar strategies to promote parent involvement and communication, but there were setting differences for parents' ratings of communication effectiveness. Using regression analyses, family socio-economic position (SEP), home language (English versus other), Indigenous status and home educational activities were examined as predictors of parent involvement and communication strategies, and effectiveness. Results showed that parents who were more engaged in education activities at home were more involved in their child's early childhood and school settings, had more frequent communication with educators and rated educator communication effectiveness more highly. SEP and home language were less consistent predictors, and Indigenous status was not associated with any of the measures.
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