Teachers' ratings of children's competencies may in part reflect characteristics and perspectives of teachers who assigned the ratings, which compromises their validity as a measure of child attributes. The purposes of this study were to use multilevel modeling to (a) estimate between-rater variance in teachers' ratings of children's social…

Helping young children see themselves as learners and movers requires mutual cooperation and support among teachers, families, and children. Physical educators at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, in collaboration with pre-K teachers at two local schools, created the Tots in Action program for that purpose. The authors tell how the…

Western investigators assume that caregiver sensitivity takes similar forms and has similar outcomes in all cultures. However, cultural research suggests that sensitivity in the West has more to do with responsiveness to children's explicit expression of need, and that sensitivity in non-Western communities has more to do with anticipation of…

This study was conducted to identify and validate the work-related problems of public school teachers in Florida's Prekindergarten Early Intervention Program which targets economically at-risk 3- and 4-year olds. The study was designed to answer three questions: (1) What problems are perceived to be most bothersome and occur most frequently? (2)…

A study was conducted to develop reliable measures of parents' perceptions or concerns about their children's progress in the domain of peer relations, and to assess the relationship between perceptions of progress and concerns. The study sample consisted of 62 white, preschool children (34 girls and 28 boys) and their mothers and teachers.…

A study was conducted to investigate issues related to the development of preschool children's self-definitions of attractiveness. Research questions were (1) At what ages can children state a self-definition of attractiveness? (2) Are self-definitions temporally stable? (3) To what degree are children's self-judgments similar to judgments made of…

This study examined the relationship between teachers' beliefs and intentions about the importance of teacher-child interactions. The participants were 71 early childhood teachers who had worked with children ages 35 for an average of 9 years (range 0-29). Roughly 35% of the teachers had majored in early childhood education, and 63% held at least…

Attentional processes are said to be central to children's academic learning, yet theories of attention may not be useful in defining and measuring such learning. A formal survey of 35 preschool teachers indicated that teacher definitions were either vague and intuitive, based on many observable child behaviors (like eye orientation and being…

This document describes several outreach projects in Hull, England, developed by a head teacher of a state nursery school who believed that parents would feel more comfortable with preschool staff and activities if facilities were provided for very young children. The first section describes the innovation of a mother-toddler club in North Hull.…

Written in Spanish and focusing on art activities for early childhood education, this manual provides guidelines for Spanish-speaking teachers of preschool and primary school children. The content of the manual is oriented to the learning styles and special interests of Spanish-speaking children. Part One defines artistic activity in the preschool…

The report is in three parts. Part A is entitled "What Helps Teachers Teach - An Experimental Analysis" and covers the topics: What Do Teachers Do? Single Procedures That Train Teachers and Those That Don't. A Three Procedure Training Package. When the Package Fails...Who Records the Behaviors? Do Training Results Maintain? This section…

The seven Barber Scales of Self-Regard for Preschool Children were developed to provide instruments for assessing levels of development for individual children. The purpose of this study was to probe into the question of whether or not raters (mothers, fathers, teachers) had difficulties rating children on the scales. Two sources of evidence were…

Analyzes the uses and abuses of the Gesell School Readiness Screening Tests and similar tests. First, discusses developmental screening and readiness tests, then focuses on the Gesell tests, specifically addressing their validity and questioning their current uses. Discusses implications of using readiness tests for assigning children to…

Describes some of the training opportunities available to adults working or wanting to work with preschool children in Hong Kong. Describes courses which prepare staff for two main forms of existing preprimary child care: day-care centers and kindergartens. Government proposals in the White Paper "Primary Education and Pre-Primary…

Discusses a demonstration program which uses a puppet show followed by a coloring page activity as an aid in teaching children about the prevention and early detection of child sexual abuse. The program was well received by preschoolers in nursery schools and day care centers and by their parents and teachers. (Author/BB)