Contemporary scientific cognizance on the development of children and the possibilities of their education has altered the image of the child to such an extent that the majority of scholars speak of a New Paradigm. This paradigm defines the child as a unique, singular, complete and complex being who realizes his personality through…

The research deals with the analysis of efficiency of teaching techniques with the use of the social dimension of Web 2.0 within the English for Specific Purposes course in pre-school and primary teacher education that would help students to become more cognizant and more responsive to the emerging needs of the market for educational services and…

The appropriate approaches about "death education in early childhood" are addressed in this paper. It is recommended for early childhood teachers to take an advantage of children's daily lives to talk about death and dying of living things such as finding dead insects, corpses of small animals found outside, or plants that turn brown. By seizing…

Within the context of research called "Changing the culture of educational institutions--a way to qualitative changes in preschool education", implemented within a three year period and, because of the needs of this work, this paper reports the results of the research performed in the first year. The work was carried out with emphases on…

The construct of validity has received considerable attention in qualitative methods literature (Denzin, 1989; Erickson, 1986; Geertz, 1973; Goetz & LeCompte, 1984; Howe & Eisenhart, 1990; Maxwell, 1992; Smith & Glass, 1987). Much of the attention has been focused upon the issue of whether qualitative results and interpretations accurately reflect…

A wide variety of kindergarten teacher training programs existed in America during the 50-year period between 1920 and 1970 after Froebel's system was introduced. The most significant reasons for this variety were the sources of knowledge about the system, the ability of its advocates to read idiomatic German, and the basic personality…

The life and activities of every man in the period of transition from the second into the third millennium have been marked by epochal changes which appear as the consequence of scientific and technological revolution dominated by highly developed information and communication technology. Informatics and information education based on information…

The United States has invested in educational technology and nourished the enthusiasm to infuse computers in K-12 classrooms since the early 90s through various technology policy initiatives. However, the Digital Divide and differences between the expected and actual technology use in schools are still in existence. In line with this problematic,…

A qualitative study of the perceptions of mentoring by early childhood teachers provides evidence for the concept of transformation for both mentor and protege in their personal and professional development. The concept of mentoring in early childhood education is presented as a viable strategy in the effort to professionalize early childhood…

Research on staff development suggests that teachers are more likely to benefit from training if they are able to learn on their own. This paper examines staff development for early childhood professionals, focusing on the need for an individualized approach and applying the findings to preschool education in Singapore. The paper considers the…

Preschool personnel (61 teachers and 34 administrators) from six locations throughout Texas were surveyed in order to describe the types of materials purchased and desired for preschool settings. A survey questionnaire was designed to address the following major questions: (1) who selects and buys materials? (2) how much money is spent on…

To determine whether consensus existed among teachers about the complexity of common classroom materials, a survey was administered to 66 pre-service and in-service kindergarten and prekindergarten teachers. Participants were asked to rate 14 common classroom materials as simple, complex, or super-complex. Simple materials have one obvious part,…

This study used a Vygotskian theoretical perspective in an ethnographic examination of how early childhood teachers and directors in Taiwan learn through mentoring within their school context. The study focused on mentoring relationships between a preschool director and five teachers in Taiwan. Primary data sources included interviews of the…

Early childhood professional organizations in Canada and the United States have evolved since leaders of the Kindergarten Department of the National Educational Association (NEA) met in Toronto in 1891. This meeting led to the creation of the International Kindergarten Union (IKU), now known as the Association for Childhood Education International…

Discusses identity as the development of functional and intellectual independence and as an involvement in such aspects of life as intimacy, sexuality, and vocation that give one a sense of belonging to the world. Suggests that establishing identity is an on-going process. Describes the Montessori professional's identity as director or directress,…