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Early Childhood Education

Faculty Publications

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Where The Action Is: Positioning Matters In Interaction, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore Jan 2023

Where The Action Is: Positioning Matters In Interaction, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Faculty Publications

Position matters. As a conversation analyst examining any form of recorded synchronous human interaction – be it casual or institutional – I constantly monitor for, and organize my collections of target phenomena around structural position: Where on a transcript and when in an unfolding real-time encounter does a participant enact some form of conduct? Because conversation analysis (CA) is primarily focused upon action sequences, I use CA methods to examine the ways in which participants’ audible utterances and visible body-behaviors accomplish particular social actions due at least in part to their positioning within a sequence of interaction – …


Music, Our Human Superpower, Kristin Lems Feb 2021

Music, Our Human Superpower, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

Research about music pervades every discipline because music touches every area of life. Studies revealing the salutary effects of music can be found not only in music educator research, but in research in psychology, speech and hearing, child development, neuroscience, and increasingly, health and wellness, aging, rehabilitation and recovery. Since my focus is especially in the areas of language and literacy, I research the positive effects of music on reading, writing, and learning languages - and of this, there is no shortage. In this brief Academia article, I share what I’d like to call an “homage-with-references” to our great Superpower, …


Language Nests On The Move: The Case Of Võro Pre-Primary Education In Estonia, Kara D. Brown, Mariko Faster Oct 2019

Language Nests On The Move: The Case Of Võro Pre-Primary Education In Estonia, Kara D. Brown, Mariko Faster

Faculty Publications

This article considers the circuitous route of knowledge exchange from South (New Zealand)-to North (Finland)-to regional South (Estonia) by examining the development of Võro language nests (keelepesä) in Estonia. Language nests reflect the global nature of educational knowledge exchange as well as the importance of networks of languageresearchers and activists in this policy inspiration. Estonia is a fascinating case for understanding the international spread and local development of the language-nest approach in a post-Socialist context. The authors draw on concepts of policy borrowing and diffusion and the “grammar of schooling” to explore the spread of the language nest approach and …


Ethnic-Racial Socialization In Early Childhood: The Implications Of Color-Consciousness And Colorblindness For Prejudice Development, Flora Farago, Kimberly Leah Davidson, Christy M. Byrd May 2019

Ethnic-Racial Socialization In Early Childhood: The Implications Of Color-Consciousness And Colorblindness For Prejudice Development, Flora Farago, Kimberly Leah Davidson, Christy M. Byrd

Faculty Publications

This chapter outlines how early childhood teachers can bring children into conversations surrounding race and racism by drawing on literature on how parents of color discuss these topics. Although educators’ practices surrounding race and racism remain largely unexplored, decades of developmental psychological research indicate that parents of color engage in ethnic-racial socialization practices that are beneficial for children (Hughes et al., 2006). The established dimensions of parental ethnic-racial socialization include (1) cultural socialization, or teaching children about their ethnic heritage and instilling ethnic pride; (2) preparation for bias, or teaching children about racism and preparing them to face discrimination; (3) …


Self-Report Qris: Challenges With Validation, Jacob A. Esplin, Brionne G. Neilson, Ann M. Berghout Austin, Alexander Fronk Mar 2019

Self-Report Qris: Challenges With Validation, Jacob A. Esplin, Brionne G. Neilson, Ann M. Berghout Austin, Alexander Fronk

Faculty Publications

Research Findings: The current study looks at the validity of a voluntary self-report Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and the characteristics of participating childcare centers. The self-reported quality indicators are compared to external ratings of quality Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised ([ECERS-R]) and correlated with variables such as size of center and number of state subsidy clients. ECERS-R scores were unrelated to capacity but significantly lower for centers with a large percentage of state-supported clients. Regarding self-reported quality, centers frequently under-reported their quality and what was claimed was not always externally validated, suggesting a self-report QRIS may not be …


Developmentally Appropriate Practice In The 21st Century, Kay Sanders, Flora Farago Jan 2018

Developmentally Appropriate Practice In The 21st Century, Kay Sanders, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a set of early childhood curricular recommendations published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). DAP was introduced in the United States in the late 1980s through Bredekamp’s (1987) seminal work, “Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8.” Since the initial publication, DAP has been widely accepted as the standard for early childhood educational practice in the United States and in Westernized countries around the world. Whereas proponents of DAP assert its positive influence on children, those more critical of DAP question whether it …


Confronting And Countering Bias And Oppression Through Early Childhood Policy And Practice: An Introduction. [Special Issue], Flora Farago, Colette Murray, Beth Blue Swadener Jan 2017

Confronting And Countering Bias And Oppression Through Early Childhood Policy And Practice: An Introduction. [Special Issue], Flora Farago, Colette Murray, Beth Blue Swadener

Faculty Publications

Across the globe, there has been sustained anti-bias and anti-oppressive scholarship and policywork addressing social inclusion in early childhood and teacher education, grounded in the work of Louise Derman-Sparks and the ABC Task Force, 1989 (Kumishiro, 2000; Murray & Urban, 2012; Swadener, Aquino-Sterling, Nagasawa, & Bartlett, 2009). In this special issue, contributors address a range of social inclusion focused policies and practices across continents, including the challenges and opportunities of implementing anti-bias education. This kind of research takes a principled stance as it works to ameliorate, and eventually eliminate, exclusionary practices impacting young children and their families. The primary goal …


Anti-Bias Or Not: A Case Study Of Two Early Childhood Educators, Flora Farago Jan 2017

Anti-Bias Or Not: A Case Study Of Two Early Childhood Educators, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

This work examines anti-bias teaching practices through a case study of two early childhood educators working in classrooms with 4- to 5-year-old children. The educators self-identified that they intentionally addressed diversity in their classrooms using the anti-bias curricular approach (Derman-Sparks & the ABC Task Force, 1989). Specifically, the study explored how early childhood educators used anti-bias practices, and how educators discussed race and gender with young children. The methodology involved semi-structured interviews, naturalistic observations of educator-child interactions, and a survey of educators’ beliefs and classroom practices regarding race and gender. Findings indicated that educators felt more comfortable and skilled at …


The Montessori Experiment In Rhode Island (1913–1940): Tracing Theory To Implementation Over 25 Years, Susan Zoll Jan 2017

The Montessori Experiment In Rhode Island (1913–1940): Tracing Theory To Implementation Over 25 Years, Susan Zoll

Faculty Publications

This article highlights archived documents pertaining to a 25-year experimental classroom implemented by Clara Craig, then supervisor of training at the Rhode Island Normal School. Craig is notable as she was the only participant in the first International Montessori Training Course in Rome, Italy, in 1913, to gain approval from the Rhode Island Board of Education to study the Montessori Method. Her administrative position at the Rhode Island Normal School provided her with a rare opportunity to influence both teacher preparation and classroom curriculumupon her return. The article traces implementation of the Montessori Method and its Americanized revision, serving as …


The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #2, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago Jan 2016

The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #2, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

Latina family, friend, and neighbor provider characteristics and features of care they provide. Indigo Cultural Center, for the Association for Supportive Child Care, with support from First Things First.


The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #1, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago Jan 2016

The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #1, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

Improving quality in family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care settings. Indigo Cultural Center, for the Association for Supportive Child Care, with support from First Things First.


The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #4, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago Jan 2016

The Arizona Kith And Kin Project Evaluation, Brief #4, Eva Marie Shivers, Charles Yang, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

Despite the prevalence of family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care (NSECE, 2015), relatively little is known about the characteristics of this type of care, quality of care, and the features of effective quality improvement initiatives for FFN care providers. In general, the early childhood field has remained relatively silent about FFN child care in policy and research discourses surrounding child well-being and quality initiatives (Shivers, 2012; Whitebook et al., 2004). The overall goal of the analyses described in this brief, Brief #4 in a series of four, was to explore and analyze FFN providers’ awareness and use of community …


Chapter 2: Where The Children Are: Exploring Quality, Community, And Support For Family, Friend And Neighbor Child Care, Eva M. Shivers, Flora Farago Jan 2016

Chapter 2: Where The Children Are: Exploring Quality, Community, And Support For Family, Friend And Neighbor Child Care, Eva M. Shivers, Flora Farago

Faculty Publications

This chapter describes two studies examining quality of care in Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) child care settings in two separate communities. The findings from two studies are shared and discussed through the use of a socio-cultural theoretical lens that necessitates an exploration of specific communities’ histories as well as current political context. We explicitly list and describe implications for designing successful and culturally responsive professional development initiatives and policies that are responsive to this hard-to-reach group of providers and the families they serve.


Language Stimulation Techniques For Three-Year-Old And Four-Year-Old Children: Patterns Of Language Development, Hope Elisabeth Wilson, Jannah Walters Nerren, Carolyn D. Abel Jan 2015

Language Stimulation Techniques For Three-Year-Old And Four-Year-Old Children: Patterns Of Language Development, Hope Elisabeth Wilson, Jannah Walters Nerren, Carolyn D. Abel

Faculty Publications

One in 4 children in America ages 0-5 live in poverty (Federal Statistics, 2012); this group is far more likely to enter school as linguistically disadvantaged and the gap increases as they progress through school. This study investigates the effect of indirect language stimulation techniques on preschool children enrolled in Head Start programs in rural east Texas. The results from this study indicate differing patterns of language development between 3- and 4-year-old children, in response to their teacher’s use of indirect language stimulation techniques in normal day-to-day teaching. Specifically, the intervention using SPEAK techniques had a positive effect on the …


Addressing Race And Racism In Early Childhood: Challenges And Opportunities, Flora Farago, Kay Sanders, Larissa Gaias Jan 2015

Addressing Race And Racism In Early Childhood: Challenges And Opportunities, Flora Farago, Kay Sanders, Larissa Gaias

Faculty Publications

This chapter draws on developmental intergroup theory, parental ethnic-racial socialization literature, anti-bias curricula, and prejudice intervention studies to address the appropriateness of discussing race and racism in early childhood settings. Existing literature about teacher discussions surrounding race and racism is reviewed, best practices are shared, and the need for more research in this area is highlighted. The construct of parental ethnic-racial socialization is mapped onto early childhood anti-bias classroom practices. The chapter also outlines racial ideologies of teachers, specifically anti-bias and colorblind attitudes, and discusses how these ideologies may manifest in classroom practices surrounding race and racism. Colorblind ideology is …


Top 10 Stories You Probably Missed: Respect Brings Out The Best In Kids And Parents, Douglas E. Abrams Nov 2007

Top 10 Stories You Probably Missed: Respect Brings Out The Best In Kids And Parents, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


When Teaching Sports, Teach Citizenship As Well, Douglas E. Abrams Dec 2006

When Teaching Sports, Teach Citizenship As Well, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.