Where is all the pressure coming from? Messages from mothers and teachers about preschool children's appearance, diet and exercise

This study used interviews and qualitative analyses to investigate the nature of the messages that preschool children receive from mothers and teachers about their bodies, general appearance, exercise and eating practices. Participants were 10 female teachers and 53 mothers. The behaviours of the 53 children (24 boys, 29 girls) were also observed to determine the nature of their eating and exercise behaviours. The results demonstrated that both mothers and teachers expressed concerns about their own bodies. Mothers also communicated messages to their daughters about losing weight and messages to their sons about increasing their muscles. Both girls and boys were concerned about their appearance, particularly their clothes and hair. Girls also demonstrated some concerns about losing weight, and boys with increasing muscles. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of designing education programs for mothers, teachers and children to prevent the development of body image concerns and disordered eating among children. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Constructing emergent literacy : negotiating literacy technologies in preschool-school transition

Examines conflicting views about early literacy in homes, Preschools and schools as interactive technologies challenge traditional print-based literacies. The research found that significant differences between children's multimodal literacies and versions of emergent policies, may threaten successful literacy acquisition.

Influence of gender and pair-type on preschool children's learning in computing context

The thesis examined early differences between girls and boys in their attitudes and social behaviour which might help explain why girls and women continue to reject computing. The behaviour of preschool children playing freely for three supervised sessions in either same-gender or mixed-gender pairs with a computerised robot was studied, and then their individual programming performance was measured. Conclusions were that social interaction and computer programming performance were not differentiated by gender. Mixed-gender pairs had a significant effect on both children's style of social interaction and their performance, an impact that was particularly negative for girls.

When do children begin to learn mathematics? Views of preschool practitioners in regional and rural Australia

Preschool directors, teachers, and assistants from regional and rural eastern Australia were interviewed in the autumn of 2008 to discover their knowledge and beliefs concerning whether young children had the capacity to solve mathematical problems, when young children begin to think mathematically, and their observations of children’s mathematics learning. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that preschool children were capable of mathematical activity and thought. Fifty eight (88%) respondents believed that children had begun to exhibit mathematical thinking by age 3; 30 (46%) by their first birthday. Practitioners interviewed were able to provide examples of both incidental and planned mathematical activities across a breadth of content, including number and operations, measurement, geometry, and fundamental classifying and ordering activities. The practitioners also demonstrated a creditable awareness of children who seemed to have a good grasp of mathematics. Many practitioners realized that mathematical proclivity could be shown in the processes children use as they engaged in mathematical activity and solved mathematical problems.

Assessment of mathematical development in early childhood : some views of preschool practitioners in regional and rural Australia

As part of the project Mathematical Thinking of Preschool Children in Rural and Regional Australia: Research and Practice directors, teachers, and assistants in prior-to-school settings from regional and rural eastern Australia were interviewed to ascertain their beliefs and practices concerning early childhood mathematics. This paper reports the responses to  uestions about their assessment of children’s mathematical activity and development. The practitioners provided examples of both incidental and planned assessment activities, the different forms these took, methods of recording, and how the results were used.

Correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children : a review

Background: Sedentary behaviour has been linked with a number of health outcomes. Preschool-aged children spend significant proportions of their day engaged in sedentary behaviours. Research into the correlates of sedentary behaviours in the preschool population is an emerging field, with most research being published since 2002. Reviews on correlates of sedentary behaviours which include preschool children have previously been published; however, none have reported results specific to the preschool population. This paper reviews articles reporting on correlates of sedentary behaviour in preschool children published between 1993 and 2009.
Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify articles which examined correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children. Articles were retrieved and evaluated in 2008 and 2009.
Results: Twenty-nine studies were identified which met the inclusion criteria. From those studies, 63 potential correlates were identified. Television viewing was the most commonly examined sedentary behaviour. Findings from the review suggest that child’s sex was not associated with television viewing and had an indeterminate association with sedentary behaviour as measured by accelerometry. Age, body mass index, parental education and race had an indeterminate association with television viewing, and outdoor playtime had no association with television viewing. The remaining 57 potential correlates had been investigated too infrequently to be able to draw robust conclusions about associations.
Conclusions: The correlates of preschool children’s sedentary behaviours are multi-dimensional and not well established. Further research is required to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influences on preschool children’s sedentary behaviours to better inform the development of interventions.

Locating child protection in preservice teacher education

A recent report delivered by the Australian Centre for Child Protection has highlighted the need for empirical evidence of effective pedagogies for supporting teaching and learning of child protection content in Australian teacher education programs (Arnold & Maio-Taddeo, 2007). This paper advances this call by presenting case study accounts of different approaches to teaching child protection content in University-based teacher education programs across three Australian States. These different cases provide a basis for understanding existing strategies as an important precursor to improving practice. Although preschool, primary and secondary schools have been involved in efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect since the 1970s, teacher education programs, including preservice and inservice programs, have been slow to align their work with child protection agendas. This paper opens a long-overdue discussion about the extent and nature of child protection content in teacher education and proposes strategies for translating research into practice.

Evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of an active play intervention for disadvantaged preschool children : a pilot study

Australian children from disadvantaged families are at increased risk of delays in acquiring fundamental movement skills, with physical inactivity and increased risk of the potential consequences of obesity. The aims of this pilot study were to: 1) assess the fundamental movement skills of disadvantaged children; 2) evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of adapting an existing parenting and child development program to incorporate additional weekly play activities (the intervention); and 3) examine the acceptability of the intervention. Children aged 1.5-5 years were assessed pre-intervention (n = 26) and postintervention (n = 16) over a period of 22 weeks using the gross motor component of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - 2nd Edition (PDMS-2) (Folio & Fewell, 2000). Parents completed a demographic and environmental survey and those implementing the intervention were interviewed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Pre-intervention the children from disadvantaged families had locomotion, object manipulation and Gross Motor Quotient (GMQ) scores significantly below the norm-referenced standards of the PDMS-2 (p < 0.05). The intervention was associated with improvements in the locomotion (8.35 to 9.5; p = 0.009), and object manipulation (8.6 to 9.6; p = 0.04) subtest scores and the GMQ scores (92.6 to 99.3; p < 0.01). The intervention was deemed feasible and acceptable by those implementing the program. Low levels of physical activity in disadvantaged communities may be related to delayed acquisition of fundamental movement skills in childhood. This pilot study raises the possibility of correcting this deficit in early childhood, and improving the potential for all children to lead an active life.

A study of rural preschool practitioners’ views on young children’s mathematical thinking

The project Mathematical Thinking of Preschool Children in Rural and Regional Australia: Research and Practice aimed to investigate views of preschool practitioners about young children’s mathematical thinking and development. Structured individual interviews were conducted with 64 preschool practitioners from rural areas of three Australian states. The questions focused on five broad themes: children’s mathematics learning, support for mathematics teaching, technology and computers, attitudes and feelings, and assessment and record keeping. We review results from the interview data for each of these themes, discuss their importance, and outline recommendations related to teacher education as well as resource development and research.

Mathematical thinking of preschool children in rural and regional Australia : research and practice

At what age do young children begin thinking mathematically? Can young children work on mathematical problems? How do early childhood educators ensure young children feel good about mathematics? Where do early childhood educators learn about suitable mathematics activities?

A good early childhood start in mathematics is critical for later mathematics success. Parents, carers and early childhood educators are teaching mathematics, either consciously or unconsciously, in any social interaction with a child.

Mathematical Thinking of Preschool Children in Rural and Regional Australia is an extension of a conference of Australian and New Zealand researchers that identified a number of important problems related to the mathematical learning of children prior to formal schooling. A project team of 11 researchers from top Australian universities sought to investigate how early childhood education can best have a positive influence on early mathematics learning.

The investigation complements and extends the work of Project Good Start by focusing attention on critical aspects of parents, carers and early childhood educators who care for young children. Early childhood educators from regional and rural New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria were interviewed, following a set of structured questions. The questions focused on: children’s mathematics learning; support for mathematics teaching; use of technology; attitudes to mathematics; and assessment and record keeping.

The researchers also reviewed research focusing on the mathematical capacities and potential foundations for further mathematical development in young children (0–5 years) published in the last decade and produced an annotated bibliography. This should provide a good basis for further research and reading.

Based upon the results of this investigation, the researchers make 11 recommendations for improving the practices of early childhood education centres in relation to young children’s mathematical thinking and development. The implications for policy and decision makers are outlined for teacher education, the provision of resources and further research.

Obesity prevention interventions in early childhood education and care settings with parental involvement: a systematic review

Partnering early childhood education and care (ECEC) and the home together may be more effective in combating obesogenic risk factors in preschool children. Thus, an evaluation of ECEC obesity prevention interventions with a parental component was conducted, exploring parental engagement and its effect on obesity and healthy lifestyle outcomes. A search revealed 15 peer-reviewed papers. Some studies demonstrated positive weight changes, and secondary outcomes of changes in physical activity and healthy eating were reported in most studies; study quality ranged from fair to good. Four findings were linked to weight changes: (1) when educational material is consistent across settings; (2) capacity building of parents; (3) parents encouraging their children to drink water and (4) parental satisfaction and participation. A partnership between parents and ECEC may be a powerful force in the prevention of paediatric obesity. A better understanding of collaborative parental engagement is needed.