RELATIONAL MEMORY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: DOES UNITIZATION HELP?

Young children often experience relational memory failures, which are thought to be due to underdeveloped recollection processes. Manipulations with adults, however, have suggested that relational memory tasks can be accomplished with familiarity, a processes that is fully developed during early childhood. The goal of the present study was to determine if relational memory performance could be improved in early childhood by teaching children a memory strategy (i.e., unitization) shown to increase familiarity in adults. Six- and 8-year old children were taught to use visualization strategies that either unitized or did not unitize pictures and colored borders. Analysis revealed inconclusive results regarding differences in familiarity between the two conditions, suggesting that the unitization memory strategy did not improve the contribution of familiarity as it has been shown to do in adults. Based on these findings, it cannot be concluded that unitization strategies increase the contribution of familiarity in childhood.

The Effects of the Project Approach on Children in Inclusive Early Childhood Classrooms

Research on the impact of the Project Approach on young children with disabilities or children who are at-risk is limited. Mixed methods were used to study the impact of the Project Approach on the social interactions, challenging behaviors, and language development of eight focal children in two inclusive classrooms. Child participants were two children with IEPs and two children identified as at-risk from each class. Adult participants were six professionals who received high quality supports to implement the Project Approach. Adults were interviewed prior to the beginning of the study and again mid-, and post-implementation. Choice time observations were videotaped twice per week over 14 weeks to assess the impact of the Project Approach on play levels and MLUm. Results revealed that social interactions, challenging behaviors, vocabulary, MLUm, were positively impacted following implementation of the Project Approach. Limitations of the study and suggestions for research and practice are discussed.

Social engagement and adaptive functioning during early childhood: Identifying and distinguishing among subgroups differing with regard to social engagement

This study tested the hypothesis that social engagement (SE) with peers is a fundamental aspect of social competence during early childhood. Relations between SE and a set of previously validated social competence indicators, as well as additional variables derived from observation and sociometric interviews were assessed using both variable-centered and person-centered approaches (N = 1453, 696 girls) in 4 samples (3 U.S.A., 1 Portuguese). Directly observed SE was positively associated with broad-band measures of socially competent behavior, peer acceptance, being a target of peers' attention, and also with broad-band personality dimensions. Using individual Q-items significantly associated with SE in 3 of our 4 samples, a hierarchical cluster analysis yielded a 5-cluster solution that grouped cases efficiently. Tests on relations between cluster membership and the set of social competence and other variables revealed significant main effects of cluster membership in the full sample and within each individual sample, separately. With the exception of tests for peer negative preference, children in the lowest SE cluster also had significantly lower overall social competence, personality functioning scores than did children in higher SE clusters.

Promotion of literacy skills in early childhood: a follow-up study from kindergarten to grade 1

Several researchers have shown that invented spelling activities in kindergarten foster preschool children’s early literacy skills. However, few studies have assessed its impact on learning to read and write in the first year of primary school. Our goal was to analyse the impact of an invented spelling programme with kindergarteners on their literacy skills until the end of Grade 1. A follow-up study was conducted with 45 five-year-old Portuguese children attending two classes of two schools in Lisbon. The teaching effect was controlled as children from each class were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental/control) — equivalent on letter knowledge, cognitive abilities and phonological awareness. The participants were assessed in kindergarten with a pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test (spelling; reading; phonemic awareness) and at the end of Grade 1 (spelling; reading). The experimental group participated in invented spelling sessions, while control children participated in storytelling activities. Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. The experimental group scored higher, not only in kindergarten but also in the follow-up year for all literacy measures.

Social engagement and adaptive functioning during early childhood: Identifying and distinguishing among subgroups differing with regard to social engagement

Materia Suplementar disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000142.supp

Feasibility of conducting a randomized trial to promote healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula

We sought to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a preschool/kindergarten curriculum intervention designed to increase 4-year-old children's knowledge of healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy choices. Ninety intervention and 65 control parent/child dyads were recruited. We assessed the study feasibility by examining recruitment and participation, completion of data collection, realization of the intervention and early childhood educators’ experiences of implementing the study protocol; our findings suggest the intervention was feasible to deliver. In addition, children's sustainability awareness of non-compostable and recyclable items increased. Children in the intervention group significantly reduced their sugary drink consumption and increased their vegetable intake at follow-up compared to control. We conclude with recommendations for revisions to the child interview and parent questionnaire delivery to ensure the roll out of the randomized trial is conducted efficiently and rigorously.

Early childhood science exploration: a vehicle for inclusive practices

Social justice and equity are important elements of all educational services and particularly in early childhood where there is an emphasis on including all children in the everyday life of early childhood settings. This emphasis has targeted both the policies and practices in early childhood to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners. An outcome of policy reform is the emphasis on inclusive education that is based on the right of all children to access and participate in general education. A critical pedagogy approach counters discrimination by promoting positive attitudes towards diversity. Science learning is important for all children as it is an approach to thinking and behaving that incorporates aspects of motor, behavioural, sensory, communication and mental functioning. Children from diverse situations can contribute at their own level to the opportunities involved in exploration and investigations. This paper discusses inclusive pedagogy and planning in early childhood centres with a particular focus on science learning through play and child-instigated explorations.

Nurturing the next generation of early childhood teachers in Victoria, Australia: the role of mentoring

The research literature points to the fact that making the transition from preservice teacher to beginning teacher is a challenging experience. New to the profession teachers can experience self-doubt and feelings of anxiety about meeting expectations, inadequacy and disillusionment. What is valued at the start of their career is support, especially if it is ongoing and tailored to meet their needs. This chapter presents data from the first mentoring program for new to the profession early childhood teachers in Victoria, Australia - the State-wide Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Teachers (SWMP) (2011-2014). The chapter provides an overview of this mentoring program highlighting aspects considered most effective in supporting beginning early childhood teachers. It proposes that developing a mentoring program incorporating respectful, responsive, reciprocal and reflective elements, can enhance both mentor's and mentee's professional growth and professional identity. The impact of this program is evidenced by the voices of those involved - the mentors and mentees.

‘Out of the loop’: early childhood educators gaining confidence with unfamiliar policy discourse

It has been seven years since the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) was introduced in Australia and four years since the National Quality Standard (NQS) was implemented. To gain insight into how educators are understanding practice in the Australian early childhood and care context, the study draws on a praxeological frame where educators have the opportunity to inquire and critically reflect on practice in a supported research environment. Data were analysed using critical discourse analysis, enabling a close examination of participant reflections and understandings about practice. Findings reveal that educators are confident when describing their teaching using familiar educational discourse, whereas educators were apprehensive when confronted with new and unfamiliar concepts. The third finding illustrates the ways educators gain confidence with unfamiliar policy discourse. The study’s findings add to limited empirical evidence about how early childhood educators understand key concepts introduced by the EYLF and NQS.

The intensification of performativity in early childhood education

Operating within a neoliberal education reform context, performativity and teaching in schools has been a focus of study for a number of years. However, less is known about the effects of performativity on teaching and curriculum in the early childhood (preschool) context. Making a case for the intensification of performativity in Australian early childhood education, this paper reports on findings from a doctoral study and draws on research literature from the past fourteen years to illustrate how performative measures have increasingly affected teaching and curriculum. The way that performativity has intensified is discussed in three chronological phases, performativity emerging, consolidating and normalised. Teacher interview transcripts and curricular related policies were analysed using critical discourse analysis and Ranson’s typology of accountability regimes. Findings reveal that early childhood teachers have different ways of responding to performativity, with the teacher featured in this paper displaying three types of performative accountability: anxiety, confidence, and disregard. An implication arising from this paper’s findings illustrates how the effects of performativity on teaching and curriculum can be complex, contradictory and at times, unintended.

Play therapy in early childhood

In a group of children, there is often a child that has trouble fitting in - a child who cannot experience, regulate or express their emotions, who doesn't form close and secure interpersonal relationships or peer friendships, and who had difficulty learning or exploring the environment. Early childhood educators are ideally placed to understand the typical play and development behaviors of children, and notice when they show difficulties or delays in childhood development. The challenging aspect is knowing what to do to help that child.

Systematic review of physical activity and cognitive development in early childhood

OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively review all observational and experimental studies examining the relationship between physical activity and cognitive development during early childhood (birth to 5 years). DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched in July, 2014. No study design, date, or language limits were imposed on the search. Included studies had to be published, peer reviewed articles that satisfied the a priori determined population (apparently healthy children aged birth to 5 years), intervention (duration, intensity, frequency, or patterns of physical activity), comparator (various durations, intensity, or patterns of physical activity), and outcome (cognitive development) study criteria. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed in December 2014. RESULTS: A total of seven studies, representing 414 participants from five different countries met the inclusion criteria, including two observational and five experimental studies. Six studies found increased or higher duration/frequency of physical activity had statistically significant (p<0.05) beneficial effects on at least one cognitive development outcome, including 67% of the outcomes assessed in the executive function domain and 60% in the language domain. No study found that increased or higher duration/frequency of physical activity had statistically significant detrimental effects on cognitive development. Six of the seven studies were rated weak quality with a high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides some preliminary evidence that physical activity may have beneficial effects on cognitive development during early childhood. Given the shortage of the information and the weak quality of available evidence, future research is needed to strengthen the evidence base in this area.