This report examines aspects of the kindergarten experience through a national profile of teachers of the kindergarten class of 1998-99 in the United States. It presents data collected from questionnaires completed by 3,102 kindergarten teachers participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). It…

Presents a questionnaire which can be used by teachers to assess individual differences in the social behavior of nursery school children. Evidence for the instrument's reliability and validity is included. (CM)

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…

Survey and assessment instruments used in the Child Development Associate (CDA) Training Provider Improvement System are offered in this document. Included are a self-assessment tool for CDA training providers and an update of the National Program Survey. The survey was designed to address the need for a national database on the CDA program and…

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…

Twenty-two family day care providers and twelve home visitors from seven Massachusetts agency-sponsored family day care systems completed two-part questionnaires investigating their perceptions of their own and each other's ideal and actual "on the job" behavior. Provider-questionnaire items focused on (1) physical environment of home,…

In 2000, IBM invited the Australian National Schools Network to assist in the implementation of the international KidSmart Early Learning Program in Australia. By the end of 2003, more than 300 Young Explorer Units will have been donated to designated early childhood settings serving low socio-economic communities across Australia. This paper will…

The relationship between less than optimal parenting styles, child transgressions and maternal depression were examined. It was predicted that variations in parenting styles would predict maternal depression over and above child transgressions. The present study involved approximately 68 children, their mothers and their preschool teachers.…

Three blocks of factors were considered as predictors of four year old children's (N = 286) personality, non-verbal intelligence and social behaviour in preschool: (a) personality characteristics at time 1 (T1) when the participants were three years old; (b) parental education and parenting practices measured at T1; and (c) age of child's entry to…

This study examined the views of parents and educators from kindergarten programs in Canada on ideal kindergarten practice. Data sources included focus groups of parents and educators, surveys of educators in three Canadian provinces, surveys of teachers nominated as having exemplary programs, surveys of parents from these programs, and in-depth…

This study examined the relationship between day care center size and child care workers' level of job commitment and job satisfaction. Surveys were completed by 128 teachers and aides who worked full-time in non-profit child care centers in the Chicago metropolitan area. The results of the data analysis revealed that there was not a statistically…

A 44-item questionnare was sent to 11,000 Child Development Associates in the fall of 1988 in an effort to provide an updated view of the constituency served by the Child Development Association (CDA) National Credentialing Program. The questionnaire covered four categories: (1) background information; (2) education and experience; (3) training…

This survey of American kindergarten programs and practices was conducted in April 1985 on a random sample of 2,965 schools nationwide. Survey instruments were mailed to one kindergarten teacher and to the principal in each of these schools, with a response rate of 36 percent for teachers (1,082) and 41 percent for principals (1,228). The teacher…

After brief historical and demographic information on Australia's changing societal patterns, this paper discusses some recent research in South Australia related to the expectations of parents and early childhood teachers concerning the purposes of preschooling and early schooling. A questionnaire, designed for both parents and teachers, was sent…

The Preschool Parent's Questionnaire (PPQ) was administered, in English and Spanish, to 120 parents (95 Black, 25 Mexican) of preschool children enrolled in child care programs, to ascertain the parents' attitudes regarding four basic issues: (1) parent's relationship to the child care program, (2) parent's attitudes toward teachers, (3) parent's…