A study examined whether a field placement in a preschool program enhanced preservice teachers' understanding of the emerging literacy process. The study was conducted in two preschool classrooms in an urban school district in central New Jersey during the spring semester of 1996. Subjects were 26 graduate and undergraduate preservice teachers who…

This bibliography presents a representative selection of books and periodical articles (most published since 1979) for parents concerned with guiding the development of their preschool handicapped children. The first section lists 29 books and articles addressing major parental issues and concerns such as parenting skills, coping, advocacy, family…

SINCE SYMBOLS ARE SEEN AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THINGS, ACTION, RELATIONSHIPS, AND FEELINGS, YOUNG CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN TO PROCESS SYMBOLS. THE QUALITY OF A CHILD'S EDUCATION IN MANAGING AND UTILIZING SYMBOLS WILL AFFECT HIS ABILITY TO WORK, LOVE, AND GROW. SOME MAJOR IDEAS IN OUR CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MAN AND HIS DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN UPROOTED IN…

Two problems related to early childhood are studied: the specification of goals and the problem of measurement. Methods used to study these problems are to define objectives in the affective domain and to develop instruments to measure the attainment of these objectives. It is pointed out that the interrelationship between what the child is able…

This study investigated incidental learning in middle and lower class black and white preschool children. The study questioned whether (a) preschool children acquire learning incidentally; (b) there was a difference in the quantity of such learning between black and white children; (c) differences in learning was influenced by socioeconomic…

Many theorists have proposed formulations to explain the development of concepts in children. One of the most seminal theories for explaining concept development as it pertains to school achievement has come from the work of Piaget. Piaget posits three stages of development. The sensorimotor stage exists from birth to about two years. In this…

This study examined the effects of a pediatric clinic-based intervention program, Reach Out and Read (ROR), on the literacy beliefs and behaviors of caretakers of children ages 9 months to 5 years. Doctors' beliefs about literacy and parent behavior were also examined. Data were collected through structured interviews conducted with 22 caregivers…

This framework is designed to assist early care and education providers in planning and implementing early learning opportunities that will help prepare young children in Washington State for later success in meeting the essential academic learning requirements in reading, writing, and communication. The framework identifies characteristics of…

Effects of instructional level, teacher's knowledge of children's ability, amount of teacher-initiated activity, and age on language ability were investigated. The subjects were 597 three- to six-and-a-half- year old Head Start children--40 percent White, 38 percent Black, and 20 percent Hispanic. All variables assessed had a direct effect on…

This article provides information for early childhood educators so that they will understand what goes into the task of building positive relationships with children. Having a warm and open relationship with his or her teacher or child care provider is identified as an important protective factor for young children. Empirical evidence for the…

Social epistemology is a broad set of approaches to the study of knowledge and to gain information about the social dimensions. This intellectual movement of wide cross-disciplinary sources reconstructs the problems of epistemology when knowledge is considered to be intrinsically social. In the first chapter, "Social Epistemology and Social…

Focusing on one aspect of a study examining the child-staff ratio in California state-subsidized day care centers, this paper explores the relationship between indicators of quality and the behavior of children in day care centers. In fall 1990, trained observers spent a week in 122 day care classrooms throughout California. During this time they…

Written in Swedish with an English-language summary, this report describes a study which examined the interaction between mothers or caregivers and their children with profound mental retardation and multiple disabilities, particularly looking at the function of play in communicative interaction. The six children all had five or six handicaps in…

The approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for preschool children at Instituto Crandon, a private elementary-secondary school in Uruguay is described. First, characteristics of Uruguay and its educational system are outlined, stressing the advantages of temperate physical environment and high literacy rate. Then background…

This final report describes the outcome of a program designed to affect the quality of early childhood special education services in participating states though the replication and dissemination of a validated Model for Early Childhood Special Education Program Development. The Model for Program Development (MPD) was designed to enable early…