The aim of this research was to identify continuities/discontinuities in the values of Portuguese mothers with kindergarten children belonging to high and low socio-cultural backgrounds, mothers from different cultures and kindergarten teachers. The sample was composed of sixty-five mothers (fourteen Roma, fifteen Indian, twelve African, and ten…

Research literature has long indicated that action research may stimulate practitioners themselves to actively evaluate the quality of their practice. This study is designed to report the use of action research for the development of early years professional practice by analyzing the pre-project and the post-project video-filmed teaching events.…

Early identification of social-emotional behavioral problems in infants and preschoolers is critical. Nine parent-report and caregiver/teacher-report instruments measuring preschool social-emotional behavioral problems and strengths are reviewed. Advantages to the use of parent-report and caregiver/teacher-report instruments are that they are easy…

Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for…

This narrative study examined teachers' perceptions of their inclusive classrooms. Eight early childhood teachers responded to open-ended interview questions about their experiences teaching children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. The social constructivist view of teaching and learning is highlighted as the…

Comparisons of temperament ratings of preschool and kindergarten children to determine level of agreement among observers showed that teacher and parent ratings were in no greater agreement than student and parent ratings. Teachers and students displayed highest number of significant correlations. Agreement did not increase with age of children.…

Based on observations of children ages 21-25 months in play groups, investigates reactions of both peers and teachers to behaviors that could be identified and coded as male, female, or neutral. (Author/NH)

Two studies concerned with agreement in ratings of temperament are reported. Ratings of the mothers of toddlers versus daycare workers were compared on the Toddler Temperament Scale (Study 1), and on ratings of a videotape of a 2-year-old child for responses relevant to six dimensions of temperament (Study 2). (Author/BN)

This study attempted to (1) examine differences in the curiosity behavior of abused preschool children in situations with their mothers, a teacher, and a stranger; (2) determine whether the children exhibited more curiosity when exposed to novel versus familiar objects; and (3) examine adult behaviors theoretically related to children's curiosity.…

Reports on a study of preschool teachers' interactions with mainstreamed handicapped children and children designated as being at risk for academic problems. The high level of teacher-initiated interactions with special children could not be explained by the children's bids for attention; gender differences were found to be less apparent than…

Investigated the relationship between children's temperaments, in interaction with situational factors, and their helping behavior. Twenty-four preschool children were presented with four opportunities for helping a female adult. Mothers rated children's helpfulness at home. Multiple measures of sociablity were gathered from mothers and preschool…

Finds the acoustical environment of kindergartens to be a compound product of teacher-pupil-object activity with a thrust that may undermine educators' intentions. Observes that teachers working with an integrated pedagogical code must make their perceptions visible and hearable. Finds that uncontrolled sound does not foster teacher-student…

Forty-four judges evaluated the speech and intelligence of six African American preschoolers on a videotape. Judges who were Head Start teaching staff and pediatricians were likely to perceive that speech and intelligence were related. The judges who were speech-language pathologists tended to perceive speech as being relatively independent of…

Studies the effects of multiple staffing in an early childhood classroom through the use of participant and classroom observation. Interpersonal relationships, territorial ownership, and differential status characteristics contributed to differential behavior of an educator. (RJC)

Relationships among social cognition, social interaction, and general cognition were studied in 109 three-year-old children. Social cognition was assessed by seven frequently used tests; general cognition was gauged by the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. Social interaction was observed while each child played with a friend in a laboratory…