A normative study of 230 children (aged three to seven years) from Sydney preschools and primary schools was carried out to study the development of sustained attention (vigilance) and inhibition in children. (MP)

Outlined are preliminary findings from a study of computer use by Australian preschool children. Subjects were 90 children of 4 years who were enrolled in four Sydney preschool classes. A computer was set up in a learning center and was available to the children during free play sessions. Children's behaviors were observed and recorded as the…

This report presents the results of a survey questionnaire of beginning teachers who started duty in Queensland preschools or kindergartens in 1987. A brief summary is given of the literature on induction and beginning teachers, and a description provided of the organization of early childhood education in Queensland. At the beginning of the year,…

To meet the educational and health needs of isolated families in Australia, unique methods have been devised to overcome the problems of distance and isolation. Among these are the radio school of the air, the preschool correspondence course, and the flying doctor service. (SE)

Discusses the Australian "Share the Joy" project which promotes art appreciation experiences for young children and adults in a gallery setting. Describes and reflects on the reactions of children to original art works in museums and examines the responses of children and parents to a prepared studio environment. (GEA)

Reports a survey on South Australian parents' perceptions of their involvement in preschool education. (MP)

Describes the implementation of a brief behavioral intervention, based on the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, by 13 pre-school practitioners with 39 parents. The results point to the role of primary care practitioners in providing services in settings that are easily accessed by parents, thus increasing the availability of support to parents…

Examined whether preschool children focus on a small number of attributes or attend to whole exemplars in learning basic categories for fictitious animals. Found little evidence that children employed rules, but found strong evidence that children encoded exemplars as integrated wholes during category training. Discusses implications for theories…

Details 40 music programs in Australia that serve children from birth to 5 years, including aims, methodologies, equipment and materials, and assessment procedures of each program. Encourages providers to critically reflect on the quality of the music education they provide and how well it builds on children's natural positive relationship with…

A parent-child dialogic reading program was implemented across four preschools, involving 62 caregivers/parents in a low socioeconomic status, disadvantaged community where English was not the first language in 54 per cent of the homes. This socioculturally sensitive program aimed to enhance children's language and emergent literacy development,…

Described is an Australian early intervention program for intellectually and emotionally handicapped preschoolers. (CL)

This conference proceedings compiles papers presented at the Institute of Early Childhood in September 1999, the fourth in a series examining the challenges which the schools of Reggio Emilia present the early childhood profession in Australia. The conference focused on the practices of observing children and documenting their thinking, the…

This paper documents the background of a curriculum framework, the Foundation Areas of Learning, for children from birth to age 3 in South Australia. The paper examines some of the dilemmas in creating such a framework and some of the rewards as the system coped with the challenge of including its youngest learners in a clearly articulated…

Briefly compares the actual practice of five Melbourne Montessori preschools with the practice of four Melbourne traditional kindergartens, in an effort to identify discrete and common philosophical and applied elements of the two kinds of programs. (Author/CM)