Background: A causal relationship between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and occurrence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been claimed, based on an increase in ASD in the USA and the UK after introduction of the MMR vaccine. However, the possibility that this increase is coincidental has not been eliminated. The unique…

The purpose of the study was to explore how young children express their perception of gender dynamics (e.g., gender-bending and gender-doing) in their play. A total of 84 children (52 boys and 32 girls) and 4 teachers from the U.S. and South Korea participated in the study. To capture perspectives from the children, qualitative data were…

This study explores how teacher quality matters in improving early childhood performance in US kindergartens. We find that it is what teachers do rather than the credentials they hold that matters. Different from previous research on the effect of teacher quality on student achievement, this paper first rejected the common practice of using…

Identifying gifted and talented children and providing appropriate educational experiences for them has been firmly placed on the educational agenda in England by the Labour government since 1999. In the U.S.A., gifted education has received a high profile for several decades. In both countries, however, the needs of the younger gifted child have…

This qualitative study presents findings from initial exploratory work that examined how father development workers (FDWs) supported fathers to become involved in their children's learning, within the context of father groups. The study found that there were two main purposes behind the father groups and the subsequent role of FDWs in supporting…

Focuses on whether developmental trends observed within groups are different between groups (cultures) in three- to six-year-old children in a battery of tests derived from a theoretical model relating to attention, learning, and memory processes. Subjects were selected from Cambridge, Massachusetts and from two lowland villages in Guatemala.…

This document consists of the single 2002 issue of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters," a periodical addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education and including information on projects funded by the Foundation. Articles in this issue focus on early childhood development tracer studies of…

Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established to ensure that infants and toddlers with disabilities, from birth to age 3, and their families receive appropriate early intervention services. Within the Department of Education (Education), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is responsible for awarding…

This study examined the adult body shape preferences of 6- and 10-year-olds from the United States, Mainland China, and Turkey. Findings indicated that even the youngest children preferred thin, male and female figures and least preferred the very obese figures. Heavier female figures were chosen by Turkish children more than by other children.…

Three studies involving 4-year olds and 5-year olds from Hong Kong (samples of 36, 10, and 12) and the United States show that Chinese children surpass their English and American counterparts in rote counting and place value numeration as well as embedded ten-cardinal understanding. Implications are discussed. (SLD)

The types of non-maternal child care received by more than 1000 U.S. children were examined from birth to 54 months and related to family selection factors and to child outcomes. Individual children tended to experience a variety of different types of care and not to fit into clear patterns of either stable care types or progressive patterns of…

In a world shaped by global competition, preschool education programs play an increasingly vital role in child development and school readiness. There is growing awareness that early learning's impacts persist across children's life spans, affecting educational achievement, adult earning and even crime and delinquency. Preschool education is…

This discussion of issues that merit investigation in British primary schools focuses on those issues that concern the links between pedagogic positions, the practices these involve, the media education issues that are thus addressed, the consequences for the activities of the learner, and the critical understandings these practices facilitate. It…

State policymakers should ensure learning standards for kindergarten are created and aligned both with early learning standards and standards for 1st grade and beyond. Learning standards for kindergarten should be implemented comprehensively across five key domains: physical and motor development, social/emotional development, approaches toward…

To examine beliefs and practices regarding developmentally appropriate practices in early education, administrators, teachers, and parents from four countries completed surveys based on National Association for the Education of Young Children standards. Results illustrate the countries' different views and highlight the need for more parent…