Focal Children Research Articles

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Stay-Play-Talk Interventions for Improving Social Behaviors of Young Children

Stay-play-talk (SPT) is a peer-mediated intervention that involves training peer implementers to stay in proximity to, play with, and talk to a focal child who has disabilities or lower social competence. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the contexts in which SPT interventions have been conducted, the methodological adequacy of the research assessing its effects, and the outcomes for both peer implementers and focal children. Studies have primarily occurred in inclusive preschool settings during free play activities, with researchers serving as facilitators. Average effects were positive and substantial for both peer implementers and focal children, although considerable heterogeneity across studies was observed. Additional research is needed to determine what peer implementer and focal child characteristics moderate intervention success, what modifications are needed for children who have complex communication needs, and optimal procedural variations (e.g., group size, training time).

Can family language policy predict linguistic, socio-emotional and cognitive child and family outcomes? A systematic review

ABSTRACTMultilingual families face decisions about the linguistic upbringing of their children. These decisions shape their family language policy (FLP) which potentially impacts the children and their family. Departing from this hypothesis we conducted a systematic literature review applying the PRISMA guidelines, screening three databases, using search terms related to FLP (building on Spolsky’s framework). After a title- and abstract-based initial screening, 191 retained articles were scanned for a connection between FLP (components) and outcomes. We classify forty-two studies that describe such a link in multilingual families with focal children under the age of thirteen. Based on our results, we argue that studies exploring the socio-emotional (9) and cognitive outcomes (13) are underrepresented, especially because all but one of these studies also largely focus on linguistic outcomes (41). When it comes to the separate components of FLP, practices are found to have the most impact (41 studies), either exclusively (16) or combined with management (12), beliefs (6) or both (7). Based on this review, we recommend future studies to further explore the socio-emotional and cognitive spheres and all their aspects, preferably in families with young children, including families from various language groups or communities, and adopting a longitudinal design.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and School Readiness Among Preschool-Aged Children

To examine the association between preschool-aged children's exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and multiple, intersecting domains of school readiness using a nationally representative sample. A sample of 15 402 preschool-aged children (3-5years) in the US from the 3 most recent cohorts (2016-2018) of the National Survey of Children's Health were employed. Primary caregivers were asked survey questions about the adversities experienced by focal children. Four distinct domains of school readiness among the children were also derived from the survey: early learning skills, self-regulation, social-emotional development, and physical health and motor development. Although nearly one-half of children who had not been exposed to ACEs were on-track across all domains, only 1 in 5 children exposed to 3 or more ACEs were on-track across all domains. Follow-up analyses identified parenting stress and reduced positive parenting practices as significant mediators of this association. Multivariate results also indicated that, regardless of the school readiness domain examined, an accumulation of ACEs increased the rate of items on which a child needs support or is at-risk. An accumulation of ACEs among preschool-aged children elevates risk within and across school readiness domains. These findings highlight the urgent need to identify best practices to reduce ACE exposure, as well as improve school readiness during early childhood.

“This Is a Pit of Fire”: Associations of Play Materials With Children’s Creativity During Play and Internal State Language

ABSTRACT This study investigated how specific characteristics of multipiece, miniature, realistic play props (thematically open-ended village set versus thematically closed-ended train set) designed to enhance children’s pretense influenced their scenario creativity, object transformations, and the frequency and use of specific internal-state language. The sample consisted of 7-year-olds (n = 52) focal children playing with a sibling and a friend and focused on associations of play scenarios (i.e., set-up/organization, expected scenarios, creative scenarios), object use (i.e., set-up/organization, expected use, creative use, and no object), and internal-state language (i.e., references to cognitions, goals, emotions, preferences). Children engaged in more expected scenarios and object use with the closed-ended train set than with the open-ended village set. Play set differentially impacted the use of internal-state language: More references to goals were evident during train play, whereas a trend indicated that children employed more references to cognitions with the village. The pattern of findings indicates that children’s play communications may be associated with specific types of play props; thus, different play props may enhance pretense in different ways.

Corollary child outcomes from the Pyramid Model professional development intervention efficacy trial

Professional development (PD) focused on social, emotional, and behavioral teaching practices has been identified as a critical need for preschool teachers. The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence is a multi-tiered framework of evidence-informed teaching practices. Previous studies have shown that PD, which includes workshops, implementation supports, and controlled doses of Practice-Based Coaching, is associated with teachers’ improved fidelity of implementation of Pyramid Model practices. Some studies have shown corollary improvements in child outcomes. The present study reports corollary child outcomes from a cluster randomized efficacy trial examining effects of a PD intervention versus business-as-usual (BAU) PD. Ninety-two teachers and 997 children in these teachers’ classrooms, including 250 focal children at elevated risk for poor social, emotional, or behavioral outcomes, participated. Data on social, emotional, behavioral, and other developmental outcomes were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention for all children via teacher-completed rating scales. Data for focal children were collected on social interactions and challenging behavior using an observational coding system and for other developmental outcomes through direct child assessment. Results showed statistically significant and noteworthy effects for children whose teachers were in the PD intervention versus BAU PD for both non-focal and focal children's social skills and challenging behavior. By post-intervention, focal children whose teachers were in the PD intervention condition showed greater rates of social interaction than their peers in BAU teachers’ classrooms. No statistically significant or noteworthy differences were found for other child development outcomes. Mediation of treatment effects based on teachers’ Pyramid Model practice implementation was evidenced for social and behavioral child outcomes. Moderator analyses for select teacher and classroom variables showed differential treatment effects for non-focal children’s challenging behavior in classrooms with higher child-to-adult ratios. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Intercultural learning in the home environment: children’s experiences as part of a homestay host family

ABSTRACT This paper explores how immersion and engagement with different cultures in the home environment impacts Korean children’s intercultural learning. More specific attention is given to the experience of nine Korean children whose families have voluntarily served as homestay host families and hosted foreign guests for more than seven years. This qualitative inquiry is drawn from data including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with children and their parents, and the collection of artefacts and documents. Four themes were identified regarding the impact of homestay hosting experiences on the focal children: (1) experiencing intercultural encounters in the home environment; (2) building close, long-lasting intercultural relationships; (3) recognising preconceived prejudices and undoing cultural stereotypes; and (4) challenging a singular and oversimplified representation of cultures. Given the modern, global context in which children engage in frequent contacts with individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, the findings demonstrate the necessity of fostering intercultural learning among school-aged children and suggest homestay programmes are a potential means for developing students’ intercultural learning in a local context.

Freedom to aspire: Black children’s career dreams, perceived aspirational supports, and Africentric values

ABSTRACT Black children today fight to define their own futurity beyond the myth of low aspirations – a dominant societal ideology which limits Black success to careers in professional sports and entertainment and blames Black families and communities for devaluing education. Informed by career aspiration research and qualitative methodologies, this study illuminates the career dreams and aspirations of Black children ages 8 to 14 years old enrolled in a summer reading program. Analyses of drawings and interviews from 12 focal children demonstrate how Black youth: 1) articulated career aspirations through Africentric values related to Black self-determination, collective uplift and personal interests; and 2) perceived familial and community support for career aspirations as nurturing relationships, specialized career knowledge, and academic support. The article concludes with a discussion of community-based and education-oriented strategies that honor and expand the career aspirations of Black children.

A longitudinal examination of power in sibling and friend conflict

AbstractThis study examined use of power resources and power effectiveness during the process and outcome of focal children's disputes with their sibling and friend across early and middle childhood. Participants included 35/46 families; focal children (15 males, 20 females) were observed at the age of four (T1) and 3 years later at the age of seven (T2) at home. Sibling and friend conflict sequences were coded for power resources (coercive physical, coercive verbal, simple information, elaborated information, legitimate), immediate power effectiveness (attempt, success), and conflict outcome. Relationship effects indicated focal children employed coercive physical and legitimate power more with siblings whereas they used simple information power more with friends during the conflict process. Focal children were more effective using legitimate power with siblings than friends in the conflict process whereas information power was used more when focal children won conflicts with friends. Regarding developmental effects, focal children employed more coercive physical power at T1 than T2 and elaborated information power at T2 than T1. In contrast, focal children were more effective using information power and coercion when winning conflicts with friends at T2 than T1. Results highlight variability in children's use of power based on relationship partner and development.

The elementary school library: Tensions between access and censorship

Children’s news media offers access points for students to learn about the complex and evolving world around them, and school libraries are spaces where students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to interact with media. Yet despite the potential of children’s news media, school libraries often become regulatory spaces where children are directed away from texts (both digital and printed) that are deemed inappropriate due to sophisticated content (Heins, 2007) or in some cases, are encouraged to read on their “level” (Kontovourki, 2012). This constructs children as vulnerable and in need of protection (Robinson, 2013). Instead, I seek to position the focal children as active, critical agents at the center of their own lives. In this article, I analyze conceptions of childhood innocence (James and Prout, 1997), arguing that both childhood and literacy are fluid and permeable constructions. I ask: What are the ways in which texts and literacy practices are censored in one elementary school library? To investigate this, I followed one school librarian, Deborah, and three first-grade students in their school library at City Partnership School as they navigated texts, learned about the world around them through multimedia platforms, and constructed their own identities as readers in a system with clear expectations for what a “readerly” identity looks like.

Metal-containing Particulate Matter and Associated Reduced Olfactory Identification Ability in Children from an Area of High Atmospheric Exposure in Mexico City.

Air pollution has been linked to poor olfactory function in human adults. Among pollutants, particulate matter (PM) is especially relevant, as it may contain toxic metal ions that can reach the brain via olfactory pathways. Our purpose was to investigate the relation between atmospheric PM and olfactory identification performance in children. Using a validated method, we tested the olfactory identification performance of 120 children, 6-12 years old, from two locations in Mexico City: a focal group (n = 60) from a region with high PM levels and a control group of equal size and similar socioeconomic level from a region with markedly lower PM concentrations. Groups were matched for age and sex. Concentrations of manganese and lead in the hair of participants were determined as biomarkers of exposure. Daily outdoor PM levels were obtained from official records, and indoor PM levels were measured in the children's classrooms. Official records confirmed higher levels of outdoor PM in the focal region during the days of testing. We also found higher classroom PM concentrations at the focal site. Children from the focal site had on average significantly lower olfactory identification scores than controls, and hair analysis showed significantly higher levels of manganese for the focal children but no difference in lead. Children appear to be vulnerable to the effects of air pollution on olfactory identification performance, and metal-containing particles likely play a role in this. Olfactory tests provide a sensitive, noninvasive means to assess central nervous function in populations facing poor air quality.

Centering Children in Mathematics Education Classroom Research

Drawing on a 3-year interpretive study that followed a cohort of children from prekindergarten to Grade 1, this article presents results of a multiple case study, which demonstrated that although two children had the same teachers, classmates, and curricula over 3 years, their experiences in the three successive mathematics classrooms were quite different from each other (although consistent for each child). The two focal children did not have equitable access to their teachers’ pedagogical moves, and this lack of access was easy to overlook in transcripts of whole-class discussions. The study suggests that more research needs to represent mathematics lessons from the perspectives of children and youth, particularly those students who engage with teachers infrequently or in atypical ways.

Older sibling contribution to younger children's working memory and cognitive flexibility

AbstractWe used structural equation modeling in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort (N = 17,020) to explore the influence of having an older sibling on kindergarten‐age focal children's cognitive self‐regulation. In model 1, we tested how having a sibling who is generally older than the focal child contributes to the focal child's working memory (WM) and cognitive flexibility (CF) upon entering kindergarten. In model 2, we assessed the contribution to the focal child's kindergarten WM and CF of having an older sibling in a non‐proximal age range (age 12–18) or not having siblings relative to having an older sibling in a proximal age range to the focal child (up to age 11). In model 3, we considered the contribution of having an older sister, an older brother, or both an older sister and an older brother of any age. Having an older sibling in general was associated with increased kindergarten WM, whereas having an older sister was related to increased WM and CF. Compared to having a proximal older sibling, having no siblings and having a non‐proximal older sibling were related to decreased WM and CF. Findings have implications for involving siblings in family interventions in early childhood.

Learning prosociality: insights from young forager and subsistence farmer children’s food sharing with mothers and others

This paper examines the ecosocial basis of prosociality as reflected in early food-sharing behaviors of children in traditional hunter-gatherer and subsistence farming communities. The body of work on children’s prosociality focuses predominantly on processes investigated in families with Western lifestyles (e.g., urban, middle-class), who are overrepresented in developmental research and theory but underrepresented globally. From this perspective, mothers are singularly influential in young children’s prosocial acts. We critique this view and use the ecocultural model of Keller and Kartner (2013) to illustrate that mothers’ role relative to others varies in systematic ways across communities related to environmental, ecosocial, and cultural contexts. We describe work on the social experiences of Efe forager infants and young children where Efe mothers share children’s care and a broad set of early child relationships is typical. We then compare the critical prosocial act of food sharing with one- to three-year-old Efe foragers and Lese subsistence farmers of DR Congo. These neighboring tropical communities address the shared threat of high nutritional uncertainty in distinct ways. Efe and Lese children’s food sharing includes many others besides mothers. However, food-sharing frequency and social partners involved differ. Notable is that Efe focal children received more offers of food from more different adults and children whereas Lese focal children did so from more different siblings. Ecosocial (e.g., subsistence, residence patterns) and cultural contexts are considered in accounting for Efe and Lese children’s food-sharing experiences. Current views substantially underestimate the social networks of children’s prosocial learning.

Young Children’s Social Networks in an Informal Urban Settlement in Kenya: Examining Network Characteristics Among Kamba, Kikuyu, Luo, and Maasai Children

Children’s social networks comprise a variety of social partners who interact with the child in unique ways and contribute distinctly to her social and emotional development. This study examines the structure of children’s social networks from four different ethnic groups (Kamba, Kikuyu, Luo, and Maasai) residing in an informal urban settlement in Kenya. Twenty boys and 24 girls ( M = 40 months) were observed on three different weekdays for 2 hr each day, to assess children’s experiences across daylight hours. Children’s social networks predominantly consisted of nonrelative children and nonrelative adults. However, larger social networks did not necessarily mean more highly involved members. Peers were observed to be in close proximity and to engage in play and conversation with the focal children more often than did adult social partners. The findings have implications for intervention programs that focus predominantly on nuclear family members, as they may overlook important roles that other social network members play in children’s lives. The low occurrence of play between adults and children in this study is consistent with studies in other non-Western contexts, where play is generally not considered part of parents’ role nor a fundamental characteristic of parent–child interactions.

Examining the longitudinal effects of paternal incarceration and coparenting relationships on sons' educational outcomes: A mediation analysis

Over 50% of the 1.5 million people in federal and state correctional facilities have children under age 18. Many of these incarcerated parents are fathers of color. Infrequent physical contact and engagement of fathers triggered by incarceration may present a great degree of disadvantage among their children. Therefore this study examined the literacy trajectory of African American boys whose fathers experience incarceration and to what extent does co-parenting between fathers and mothers intervene or moderate the effects of incarceration. The study analyzed five waves of the Fragile Families study, which provided measures of paternal incarceration and vocabulary of focal children in the study. The findings provided that paternal incarceration consistently had a negative effect on focal sons' educational outcomes across four waves of data. There was general agreement across fathers' and mothers' reports assessing the co-parenting relationship, in which fathers tended to assess the co-parenting relationships slightly stronger than did mothers. The study findings suggest that mothers and fathers co-parenting relationship did not have a sizable or significant direct influence on sons' educational outcomes across waves. However, the co-parenting construct did decrease the effect of incarceration on sons' outcomes. The study informs intervention policy and practice, which should promote enhanced co-parenting strategies that will minimize parental conflict and build parenting consensus and agreement during early and primary education engagement.

‘My school is a big school’: imagined communities, inclusion, and ideology in Indian textbooks

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the portrayals of schools in various textbooks used by the focal children at an anathashram (orphanage) in suburban New Delhi, India. It draws on data collected in the course of ethnographic inquiry on the language and literacy socialization of focal boys over the past decade. The texts selected for this study related to the topic of ‘school’ and were drawn from textbooks assigned to the focal children at their village school. I conduct a close analysis of the descriptions of schools that circulate in the children’s textbooks, focusing specifically on the imagined community of readers of these texts. The analysis highlights the marked differences between the schools depicted in the books and the actual schooling worlds of the children. Furthermore, I show how the use of person deixis in these texts implicates socioeconomically marginalized readers of these textbooks in profoundly problematic ways. Beyond pushing us to question the politics of representation within textbooks, this investigation contributes to the inter-disciplinary scholarship challenging the penetration of dominant ideologies through the school curriculum.

'H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, PEE! Get it? Pee!': Siblings' shared humour in childhood.

Humour is a central feature of social interactions in childhood that has received little attention. In a sample of 86 7-year-old children (M age=7.82years, SD=0.80), we investigated patterns and individual differences in spontaneous humour observed during free play with their older (M age=9.55years, SD=0.88) or their younger sibling (M age=5.87years, SD=0.96). We coded children's instances, categories, and responses to humour. We investigated the nature of children's humour on the dyadic and individual level. Humour was common, and siblings' production of humour was highly interdependent between play partners. Dyadic humour differed according to structural features of the sibling relationship (age, gender composition), and 7-year-old focal children's humour varied according to gender. This study contributes to knowledge regarding the dyadic nature of children's humour and individual patterns of humour beyond the preschool years. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Humour is an integral part of children's close and intimate interactions. Children produce humour from an early age and increasingly produce more complex humour as they develop. Few studies examine children's humour with siblings and beyond the fourth year of life. What does this study add? Children's humour during free play with siblings was common and highly dyadic. Sibling dyads' humour differed according to age and gender composition. Seven-year-old boys produced more humour than girls.

Household Food Insecurity in Early Adolescence and Risk of Subsequent Behavior Problems: Does a Connection Persist Over Time?

Household food insecurity is common among U.S. families, and adolescents are almost twice as likely as school-aged children to be food insecure. However, little is known about how household food insecurity relates to adolescent behavioral outcomes over time. The purpose of this study was to examine whether food security status in early adolescence is associated with behavioral problems over a 6-year period in an ethnically diverse sample of teenagers from low-income households. The study examined longitudinal data from the Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study. A total of 1,049 primary caregivers completed measures of child/adolescent behavioral problems and household food insecurity during the past year. Data were collected across three waves, when focal children were between 10 and 14 years old, 11 and 16 years old, and 16 and 18 years old, respectively. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess initial household food insecurity as a time-invariant effect on adolescent behavioral problems over time. Baseline household food insecurity in pre- or early adolescence was significantly associated with greater internalizing problems and total behavioral problems over time. These findings indicate that household food insecurity is associated with behavioral problems throughout adolescence. This suggests the need for health providers to screen for household food insecurity during scheduled health visits and highlight the need for integration of psychosocial services into pediatric care and expansions in current federal assistance programs.

Maternal Perceived Work Schedule Flexibility Predicts Child Sleep Mediated by Bedtime Routines

Rigid work schedules are negatively associated with adults’ sleep. Less is known about whether parents’ work schedule flexibility influences their children’s sleep. We examined associations of mothers’ perceived work schedule flexibility with their children’s sleep over time and whether these associations were mediated by bedtime routine adherence. Two-waves of data were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged households in large US cities (N = 1040). When the focal children were ages 5 and 9, mothers reported their work schedule flexibility and their child’s bedtime adherence, sleep duration, and difficulty getting to sleep. Cross-sectionally, higher levels of maternal perceived work schedule flexibility were associated with longer child sleep duration and a lower likelihood of having difficulty getting to sleep; these associations were mediated by greater child bedtime adherence. Longitudinally, increases in mothers’ perceived work schedule flexibility from child ages 5 to 9 predicted increases in child bedtime adherence at age 9, which, in turn, predicted increases in child sleep duration at age 9. Increases in perceived work schedule flexibility also predicted a decreased likelihood of children having difficulty getting to sleep, but this association was not mediated by changes in child bedtime adherence. These results suggest that mothers’ perceived work schedule flexibility may be a social determinant of child sleep health, largely through influencing bedtime adherence. Future interventions could consider how to improve bedtime practices in families with working mothers, including by increasing work schedule flexibility perceived by working parents to promote child sleep health.

Lower Body Mass Index Z-Score Trajectory During Early Childhood After the Birth of a Younger Sibling

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to examine differences in body mass index z-score (BMIZ) trajectory during early childhood among children with a younger sibling compared with those without and to test potential mediators. MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study included 6050 participants of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Focal children's weight, height, sibship status, screen time, active play time, family dinner frequency, and diet quality were assessed at 9 months, 24 months, preschool, and kindergarten when available. A piecewise linear regression model was used to examine the association between sibling birth and focal child's subsequent BMIZ trajectory to kindergarten. Mediation by screen time, active play time, family dinner frequency, and diet quality was tested. ResultsBMIZ trajectory was lower among children who had a new sibling join the family before kindergarten compared to children who did not have a new sibling join the family by kindergarten. The association was strongest when new sibship occurred when the focal child was 48 to 66 months (b = –0.026, P = .044). The association was not mediated by screen time, active play time, family dinner frequency, or diet quality. ConclusionAmong a nationally representative cohort of US children, new sibship before kindergarten was associated with a lower BMIZ trajectory. Several common obesogenic risk factors did not explain the association.