Development Of Preschool Children Research Articles

Helping mothers in the Dominican Republic to become facilitators of their own preschoolers’ development

This paper describes and discusses an early intervention program being offered in an economically depressed area of the Dominican Republic. The main goal of the program is to empower mothers to become facilitators of their preschool children's development. Twenty‐six mothers and their 4‐5 year old children are currently enrolled in a year long program. In addition to helping the mothers learn about child development and care, emphasis is placed upon their own development. The methods of popular education are used in helping the mothers become facilitators. An examination of the preliminary results indicates that significant progress has been made toward reaching the goal of the program.

Evolving issues in early childhood education: A personal perspective

This article describes the issues in early childhood education that were most pressing during the past two decades. It indicates whether each issue has been settled and outlines urgent new issues for today. In 1967 the most salient issues were the importance of early childhood for education, when early education should begin, whether it could compensate for childhood experience at home, and whether the effects of early education were permanent. In 1972 the central issue was the best kind of early educational program. By 1977 attention had shifted to ways that early education could be done most efficiently and cheaply, whether parent education was the answer, and how it worked. By 1982 a new issue had arisen: the effects of full-time day care on preschool children's development. Today's most pressing issues seem to be finding ways to maximize the fit between programs and participants, the implications of the superbaby trend, and the effects of day care on infants' development.

Promoting Preschoolers’ Moral Reasoning

Young children's moral development and socialization have been of increasing interest to parents, teachers, and researchers as children's social experiences in the preschool years have expanded to include many nonfamilial adults and peers. A Piagetian or structural approach to understanding heteronomous and autonomous moral reasoning in young children is discussed. The roles of cognitive maturation and social interaction with peers and adults are considered. Implications from theory and research are offered to early childhood educators for facilitating preschool children's moral reasoning and development through curriculum activities, classroom policies, and behavior management strategies.

Articulation development in preschool children: consistency of productions.

The purpose of this study was to describe the consistency of productions of /theta, r, l, s, t, f, t, k/ in releasing and arresting position for 2 1/2- to 5-year-old children. The Coarticulation Assessment in Meaningful Language (Kenney & Prather, 1984) was given to 360 children, 60 at each of six age levels. A four-way multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures on the last two factors was used to test for main effects and interactions among age, sex, phoneme, and position. These children produced /theta, t, l, f/with greater accuracy in the releasing position, but articulated /k, s, t/ at similar levels of accuracy in both positions. They produced /r/ with greater accuracy as a vocalic allophone. Further patterns and interactions are discussed.

Developing Social Competence in Gifted Preschool Children

Social skills development is an important component of a young child's educational program. Gifted preschool children may require special guidance to help them understand and cope with their unusual abilities. Uneven development, social isolation, and inappropriate educational environments can be particular problems for gifted children. A sensitive understanding of gifted preschool children's social and emotional development can provide the foundation for fostering the development of social competence both informally, through classroom interactions, and formally, through structured group lessons.

Parents' Perceptions of Actual and Ideal Child-Rearing Practices

ABSTRACT A Q-sort of statements of parenting behaviors was used to examine 22 male and 40 female middle-class parents' perceptions of actual and ideal parenting behaviors with respect to their preschool child's cognitive, physical, and social development. Parents' perceptions of actual vs ideal parenting did not differ significantly with respect to highly endorsed and least endorsed statements. Parents appeared more certain of their actual parenting and its relation to their children's social development, followed by intellectual development, and least certain of its relation to children's physical development. A cluster analysis revealed that parents distinguished between aspects of development, but also that they perceived important interrelationships among them, especially between social and intellectual development. Parents gave little attention to child-rearing practices associated with physical development, perhaps because of their belief that preschool-aged children spontaneously engage in a wide v...

Sources of social support related to single‐parent functioning

Factors related to successful functioning of single parents have not been identified. In this study, relationships among sources of social support and criterion measures of functioning were examined. To isolate the role of social support, a population was selected that was relatively homogeneous on variables considered important in coping with single parenthood: economic status, educational or vocational opportunities, access to day-care, and length of time as a single parent. A check list and structured interview were administered to 30 unmarried women to determine their sources of social support. Ratings of parenting adequacy and of the preschool child's emotional development and behavior by three professional staff members at the day-care centers were used as criterion measures of functioning. Based on the staff ratings, the adequately functioning group was distinquished from the inadequate one. Significant correlations were found between these staff ratings and one social support variable: support from talking with network the members. Key sources of social support were identified through discriminant analyses.

Screening Growth and Development of Preschool Children:

Screening Growth and Development of Preschool Children:

Screening Growth and Development of Preschool Children: A Guide for Test Selection

Screening Growth and Development of Preschool Children: A Guide for Test Selection

IES Arrow-Dot longitudinal study of personality development in preschool children.

Preschool children were administered the IES Arrow-Dot at the beginning and end of the school year and scores compared with those based on a prior study in a Montessori preschool. Developmental trends of declining Impulsivity and rising Ego scores were corroborated. Superego development remained almost stable in contrast to a significant rise for the Montessori sample. Results support effective use of the test with preschoolers to assess baselines and developmental patterns of personality integration.

A Self-Instructional Program for Musical Concept Development in Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to devise and evaluate a self-instructional program for the development of three musical concepts—pitch, duration, and loudness—in preschool children. Programed materials that included cassette tapes and illustrated books were developed. The response modes required of the children included drawing circles and lines, playing various musical instruments, and turning a page when a castanet was heard. Sixty-two preschool children participated in the study. The results indicated that: (1) the subjects in the experimental groups were able to learn the concepts of pitch, duration, and loudness as measured by a preschool musical concepts test; (2) preschool children easily acquired the concept of loudness, but pitch and duration seemed more difficult for them to perceive; and (3) the subjects' reactions to the program, especially their desire to return each day, indicated that self-instructional materials can be developed that will hold the attention of preschool children.

Effects of Systematic Conceptual Learning on the Intellectual Development of Preschool Children from Poverty Backgrounds: A Follow-Up Study

Effects of Systematic Conceptual Learning on the Intellectual Development of Preschool Children from Poverty Backgrounds: A Follow-Up Study

Effects of Age, Sex, Systematic Conceptual Learning, Acquisition of Learning Sets, and Programmed Social Interaction on the Intellectual and Conceptual Development of Preschool Children from Poverty Backgrounds

Effects of Age, Sex, Systematic Conceptual Learning, Acquisition of Learning Sets, and Programmed Social Interaction on the Intellectual and Conceptual Development of Preschool Children from Poverty Backgrounds

Longitudinal Corroboration of a Cross-Sectional Study of Development of Preschool Children with the Arrow-dot Test

Children in a Montessori preschool were administered a series of tests at the beginning of the school year and retested on the same battery 8 mo. later, at the end of the school year. The children exhibited a mean gain of about 11 points on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test IQ. They also exhibited a decline in Impuisivity and an increase in Superego scores, on the average, as measured by the Arrow-Dot Test. These longitudinal results corroborate an earlier cross-sectional analysis; and, as these results follow a prediction from Freudian theory, give indication of construct validity for the test.

CORRECTION

Three lines were transposed in the article, "Cumulative Effect of Perinatal Complications and Deprived Environment on Physical, Intellectual, and Social Development of Preschool Children," in the April issue of Pediatrics (39: 490, 1967). The paragraphs in the left hand column on page 493 should read as follows: Apgar12 in 1955 used the oxygen content of heel blood during the first .3 hours after birth as an index of asphyxia in the neonatal period. She found no relationship between this index and the Stanford-Binet I.Q. of 243 randomly selected Children at approximately 5 years. Graham13 subsequently demonstrated that the rapid change in blood oxygen during the first day of life limits its usefulness as a predictive criterion. Four years later Schachter and Apgar14 reported significant relationships between a multiple clinical criterion of perinatal complications (prolonged labor, difficult delivery, neonatal complications, and maternal illness during pregnancy) and 8-year WISC I.Q., as well as with special tests of brain damage (Bender-Gesta1t, Sorting-Test, Critical Flicker Fusion). In summary, the majority of the investigators in the foregoing prospective studies have found, among preschool children with histories of perinatal complications, significantly more impairment on infant mental and motor tests (Bayley, Cattell, and Gesell), individual intelligence tests, tests of concept-formation, vocabulary, perceptual-motor functions, neurological examinations, and behavior ratings. Realizing the possible effect of early environment some of the investigators controlled for socioeconomic status. However, the cumulative effect of both perinatal complications and environment were not analyzed. Also, with studies limited to selected hospital populations previous investigators were not able to estimate the proportion of live births with perinatal complications in an entire community.

A Brief Guide to the Mental Development of Preschool Children

Mental retardation affects twice as many children as any other chronic disorder. Since the general physician treats the majority of the children in the United States, he should be able to detect signs of subnormal mental development.A series of simple tests is suggested to aid in evaluating mental development. These procedures will not provide a complete psychologic assessment, but they will indicate whether a more comprehensive evaluation is necessary.

Development in Preschool Children of the Ability to Copy Forms

Development in Preschool Children of the Ability to Copy Forms