Faculty Publications from CYFS Copyright (c) 2013 University of Nebraska - Lincoln All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub Recent documents in Faculty Publications from CYFS en-us Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:56:46 PST 3600 Two Approaches to Teaching Young Children Science Concepts, Vocabulary, and Scientific Problem-Solving Skills http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/27 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/27 Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:51:16 PDT The present study examined the efficacy of two different approaches to teaching designed to facilitate children’s learning about science concepts and vocabulary related to objects’ floating and sinking and scientific problem-solving skills: responsive teaching (RT) and the combination of responsive teaching and explicit instruction (RT + EI). Participants included 104 children (51 boys) aged four to five years.Small groups of children were randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups (RT, RT + EI) or to a control group. Responsive teaching (RT) reflects a common approach to teaching young children, and the combination approach (RT + EI) includes explicit instruction as well as responsive teaching. The two planned interventions were implemented with preschool children and provided evidence that (1) young children learned science concepts and vocabulary better when either responsive teaching or the combination of responsive teaching and explict instruction was used; (2) children in the combined intervention group learned more science concepts and vocabulary and more content-specific scientific problem-solving skills than children in either the responsive teaching or control groups. Limitations, future directions, and implications for practice are also discussed.

]]> Soo-Young Hong et al. Young Children’s Decisions to Include Peers with Physical Disabilities in Play http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/26 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/26 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:32:50 PDT The authors examined factors related to preschool children’s reasoning about including a hypothetical peer with a physical disability in different play activities. They hypothesized that children’s inclusion decisions would be influenced by features of the physical environment, attention to issues of fairness and equity, and individual child characteristics. Participants comprised 72 children enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms. Children’s ideas about inclusion and their inclusion decisions were gathered in response to vignettes reflecting experiences that children are likely to encounter in preschool. The authors found that children were significantly more likely to say that they would include a child with a physical disability in an activity requiring few motor skills. Children’s inclusion decisions were also significantly associated with their developing theory-of-mind skills and with prompts that encouraged them to consider issues of fairness and equity when making a decision. These results suggest that adaptations of planned activities that promote participation by reducing motor demands for all children, along with attention to issues of fairness and equity of opportunity, may be effective classroomwide interventions to support inclusion of children with disabilities in play activities with peers.

]]> Karen E. Diamond et al. Child Care for Working Poor Families: Child Development and Parent Employment Outcomes: Community Child Care Research Project, Final Report http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/25 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/25 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:55:15 PDT The results of the Community Child Care Research Project provide new data describing the child care experiences of low income working families in 4 communities in Indiana. Because the study participants were volunteers rather than randomly selected, and because the research design was correlational rather than experimental, conclusions drawn from these fi ndings necessarily have limitations. The fi ndings cannot be confi dently generalized to other low income working families and child care providers, nor can the links between child care quality and children’s development be assumed to be causal. For example, while it is quite possible that higher quality child care does support better child development outcomes, it is also plausible that families whose children have more advanced levels of development found and used higher quality child care. Despite these limitations, the research results do represent the recent experiences of more than 300 low income working families, their children, and their child care providers. The results suggest a number of key issues that need further investigation by policy makers and researchers.

]]> James Elicker et al. Context Influences Preschool Children's Decisions to Include a Peer with a Physical Disability in Play http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/24 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/24 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:44:25 PDT Understanding children’s decisions to include a child with a disability in activities is an important component of the social environment of children with disabilities. We examined preschool children’s understanding of the motor and social competence of hypothetical children with a physical disability, children’s decisions to include or exclude a peer with a physical disability in play activities, and children’s justifications of their inclusion/exclusion decisions. Children understood that a peer with a physical disability would have more difficulty with activities requiring motor skills than social skills and were more likely to include a peer with a physical disability when the activities required minimal motor skills. The role of typically developing children’s understanding of social contexts in peer relationships is discussed.

]]> Karen E. Diamond et al. Teacher education, motivation, compensation, workplace support, and links to quality of center-based child care and teachers’ intention to stay in the early childhood profession http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/23 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/23 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:01:00 PST The purposes of this study were to present a conceptual model for selection into the early childhood profession and to test the model using contemporaneous assessments. A stratified random sample of center-based child care providers in 4 Midwestern states (n = 964) participated in a telephone interview, and 223 were also assessed with the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale—Revised or the Infant–Toddler Environment Rating Scale to rate global observed quality, and the Caregiver Interaction Scale to rate interactional quality. When the model was tested with infant–toddler and preschool teachers combined, having a Child Development Associate (CDA) predicted global observed quality, education years and child development coursework predicted compensation, and compensation predicted observed quality. When the model was tested separately for infant–toddler teachers, years of education and child development coursework predicted compensation, but none of the education variables predicted observed quality and compensation did not predict observed quality. For preschool teachers, years of education predicted compensation and having a CDA predicted observed quality, but compensation did not predict observed quality. For all of the models, only motivations for child care work predicted intention to stay in the profession. No variables in the structural equation models predicted interactional quality.

]]> Julia Torquati et al. Family income, parent education, and perceived constraints as predictors of observed program quality and parent rated program quality http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/22 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/22 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:05:41 PDT Observed child care quality and parent perceptions of child care quality received by children in poor (below Federal Poverty Line, FPL), low-income (between FPL and 200% of FPL), and non-low-income families were examined. Observations were completed in 359 center- and home-based child care programs in four Midwestern states and surveys were received from 1313 parents whose children were enrolled in these programs. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that programs with higher proportions of low-income families tend to have lower observed quality than programs with a higher proportion of non-low-income families. Programs with more educated parents tended to have better observed quality, however, more educated parents tended to have lower perceptions of quality.

]]> Julia Torquati et al. Attitudes and Beliefs of Marriage and Family Therapists Regarding Psychotropic Drugs and Therapy http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/21 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/21 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:55:56 PDT Clinical members of AAMFT were solicited by means of a randomized multi-staged clustering technique to identify their attitudes and beliefs regarding psychotropic drugs. All participants were blind to the overall purpose of the study (n = 322) and were directed to read a clinical vignette and then identify what course of action they would take with the client. They were then asked to complete a small questionnaire regarding their attitudes and beliefs regarding psychotropic drugs. Results of the study showed that 35.7% of the clinicians identified medication and a medication referral as a viable treatment option they might pursue with a client meeting criteria for major depressive episode. Clinicians who reported having a dedicated university class (17.2%) in psychopharmacology were more likely to identify medication referral as a treatment option. However, 80% of the AAMFT clinicians we surveyed reported that they were not adequately trained about psychotropic medications in their graduate programs. Further implications regarding diagnostic practices are also discussed, as 26% of clinicians failed to explicitly diagnose the client in the case vignette with depression.

]]> Paul Springer et al. Timing of Initial Sexual Intercourse as a Mediating Factor Between White and Black Adolescent’s Sexual Attitudes and Sense of Self http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/20 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/20 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:45:05 PDT Based on the Normative Hypothesis, theorists have believed that differences in sexuality among black and white males would affect each group differently due to the disparate cultural norms. The current study evaluates the relationship between adolescent sexual attitudes and timing of first sexual intercourse as factors affecting problem behaviors, suicidal thoughts, and sense of security among black and white adolescents. The sample size comprised of 847 black and white adolescent males from rural Alabama. Results discovered that earlier sexual expression was dealt with differently for white and black adolescents, depending on timing of first intercourse. Most interestingly, it appears that the decision process for having sex is different for white and black adolescents. The model fits better for white adolescents.

]]> Paul Springer et al. Review of <i>Forming ethical identities in early childhood play</i> by Brian Edmiston http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/19 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/19 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:31:59 PDT What do parents and educators do when a child pretends to be a roaring T. Rex who devours his victims or becomes a dragon that burns fields and houses? Does allowing young children to engage in violence during pretend play negatively influence their moral and ethical development? In Edmiston’s book Forming ethical identities in early childhood play (2008), he boldly addresses this question using both experiential as well as scholarly evidence to support his proposition that children can develop an ethical identity through violent or what he describes as mythical adult–child play. The foundation of his proposition stems from a long-term case study in which he engages in mythical play with his son Michael (from 18 months to seven years of age). He continues his discussions with Michael to age 17. Edmiston presents Michael in discontinuous snapshots; in one section he may be three and another 13. Therefore, by the end of the book, we long to know more about the process of transformation Michael goes through in his development as a moral being. Although the methodological procedures of this case study are described only briefly, the author provides multiple examples of Michael as both villain and hero to demonstrate how adults can engage children in a reconceputalised version of play as ethical pedagogy and the long-term effects of such engagement.

One of the strengths of a case-study approach is the context it provides for understanding the findings. We argue that the context we live in today provides urgency for considering how we become answerable for our actions. Because terrorism, war and violent acts are prevalent in our global societies, we find that his argument for more scholarly conversations on this matter is timely and socially relevant for parents and early childhood educators.

]]> Tonia Renee Durden et al. Teacher-involved conversations with young children during small group activity http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/18 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/18 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:29:18 PDT This qualitative study examines the conversations of two preschool teachers with two- and three-year-old children during small-group activity settings in two high-quality child development centers. Using interviews, observations and videotaping of small-group activities, the conversations are characterized in terms of the kind and function of language, the usage of cognitive demands and the reciprocal nature of these conversations. The findings indicate that teachers use declarative statements primarily to manage instruction and encourage language development. While teachers control most conversations, teacher–child reciprocity is evident and more genuine in authentic, teacher-guided activities. In both classrooms, the language during small-group activities is characterized as having low cognitive demands. Teachers and teacher educators need to be more cognizant of their language, including its purpose and opportunities to facilitate cognitively challenging conversations with young children. Recommendations for practice are provided.

]]> Tonia Renee Durden et al. Do Your Homework! Investigating the Role of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Comprehensive School Reform Models Serving Diverse Student Populations http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/17 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/17 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:26:52 PDT Like the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” many educational researchers charge that it takes a comprehensive school reform to raise student achievement. With the passing of the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2002, national officials authorized the Comprehensive School Reform program to support low performing schools as they struggled to improve student achievement. As a result of this national effort, an increase in implementation of comprehensive school reforms is occurring in schools serving predominantly diverse student populations in urban areas. Therefore, this article explores the framework of comprehensive school reforms and challenges stakeholders to do their homework by investigating whether the school reform allows for the implementation of culturally responsive educational experiences for students.

]]> Tonia Renee Durden African Centered Schooling: Facilitating Holistic Excellence for Black Children http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/16 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/16 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:25:26 PDT During the early 1970s, scholars, parents, and educators began a campaign for schooling experiences that were culturally affirming for Black children. This community of concerned individuals vested their energy and support in schools that subscribed to a worldview and ideology of education that focused on enriching the holistic development of children. The product of these efforts is known as the African centered school movement. To capture how African centered schooling has striven to awaken and invoke the natural genius of Black students, I focus my discussion on the history as well as the ideology and pedagogy of the African centered school movement. Additionally, I provide examples of exemplary African centered schools and present some challenges and threats to these types of schools.

]]> Tonia Renee Durden The Nature of Teacher Talk during Small Group Activities http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/15 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/15 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:13:47 PDT This article examines teacher talk and its elements--kinds of language, functions of language, promoting children's thinking, and power--during small group activities with 2- and 3-year-olds. After observing and videotaping activities in two early childhood classrooms, we are convinced that teachers can promote children's thinking and encourage their participation in authentic conversations (Durden & Rainer Dangel 2008). We examine how two teachers (in toddler and preschool classrooms) talk to children and facilitate small group activities to encourage children's thinking.

]]> Julie Rainer Dangel et al. Professional Development to Support Parent Engagement: A Case Study of Early Childhood Practitioners http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/14 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/14 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 08:12:41 PST Research Findings: This qualitative case study describes early childhood practitioners’ (ECPs) perspectives on their professional development as part of a large federally funded school readiness intervention project as they experienced the processes of professional growth and change in learning skills related to promoting parental engagement in children’s learning and development. A total of 28 ECPs participated in this study over 2 assessment periods across 2 academic years; 12 ECPs were interviewed twice, for a total of 40 interviews conducted and analyzed. Practitioners worked within the context of Early Head Start, Head Start, and Student Parent Programs in local high schools, all located in a midwestern state. The study intended to (a) discover practitioners’ understanding of a parent engagement intervention, including their perspectives on the professional development and supports received; (b) assess how the parent engagement intervention was experienced by ECPs; and (c) discern how self-reported attitudes and behaviors of practitioners toward work with families changed as a function of the professional supports they received. Qualitative analyses of interview transcripts revealed 3 primary themes contributing to ECPs’ experience with and understanding of the professional development model to support parent engagement: Self-Perceived Changes in Confidence and Competence in Enhancing Parental Engagement, Relationships as Supports for Change, and Practice: Time Pressure and Paperwork Woes. Practice or Policy: Lessons learned and implications for the implementation of future professional development models are provided. Findings inform other early childhood professional development efforts being implemented in the context of rigorous, research-based programming, particularly those intending to support parent engagement.

]]> Jill R. Brown et al. Professional Development in Early Childhood Programs: Process Issues and Research Needs http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/13 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/13 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:54:43 PST In light of the current policy context, early childhood educators are being asked to have a complex understanding of child development and early education issues and provide rich, meaningful educational experiences for all children and families in their care. Accountability for outcomes is high, and resources for professional support are limited. Therefore, the early education field needs well-conducted empirical studies on which to base professional development practices. In this article, we offer research directions associated with the processes underlying professional development, including areas in need of investigation that can inform the early childhood education field in terms of how professional development efforts exert their influence and produce meaningful change in practitioners’ skills, behaviors, and dispositions. The article highlights representative research from the professional development literature on its various forms/approaches and offers an agenda for research on the professional development process. Broad issues associated with the conduct of research on professional development, including considerations of professional development processes, participant characteristics, relationships, and sustainability, are discussed.

]]> Susan M. Sheridan et al. Parent Engagement and School Readiness: Effects of the Getting Ready Intervention on Preschool Children’s Social-Emotional Competencies http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/12 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/12 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:26:05 PST Research Findings: Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschool children, and relationships between families and professionals are an important contributor to school readiness. Furthermore, social-emotional competence is a key component of young children’s school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (Getting Ready) designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on social-emotional outcomes. Two hundred and twenty children were involved over the 4-year study period. Statistically significant differences were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over a 2-year period on teacher reports for certain interpersonal competencies (i.e., attachment, initiative, and anxiety/withdrawal). In contrast, no statistically significant differences between groups over a 2-year period were noted for behavioral concerns (anger/aggression, self-control, or behavioral problems) as a function of the Getting Ready intervention.

Practice or Policy: The intervention appears to be particularly effective at building social-emotional competencies beyond the effects experienced as a function of participation in Head Start programming alone. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.

]]> Susan M. Sheridan Dr. et al. Food insecurity and maternal depression in rural, low-income families: A longitudinal investigation http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/11 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/11 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:41:52 PDT Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and maternal depression in a rural sample to determine whether food insecurity predicted mothers’ depression over time or vice versa.

Design: The study employed a prospective design using three waves of data from ‘Rural Families Speak’, a multi-state study of low-income rural families in the USA. Food insecurity was measured using the Core Food Security Module and depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale. A structural equation model was fit to the data using the AMOS software package.

Setting: Sixteen states in the USA (California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming) between 2000 and 2002.

Subjects: Subjects included 413 women with at least one child under the age of 13 years living in the home.

Results: Findings based on the 184 subjects with complete data indicated that the causal relationship between household food insecurity and depression is bidirectional (P = 0.034 for causation from depression to food insecurity, P = 0.003 for causation from food insecurity to depression, χ2/df = 1.835, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.068, comparative fit index = 0.989). Findings based on all 413 subjects after imputation of missing values also indicated bidirectionality.

Conclusions: The recursive relationship between food insecurity and depression has implications for US nutrition, mental health and poverty policies. The study highlights the need to integrate programs addressing food insecurity and poor mental health for the population of rural, low-income women.

]]> Catherine Huddleston-Casas et al. Conventional Morality http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/10 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/10 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:33:31 PDT conventional morality
n. In Kohlberg's theory of moral development, this is the second level of moral reasoning, characterized by an awareness and focus on societal laws, norms, and rules. Two stages comprise this level of moral reasoning. In stage 3, good-boy-good-girl orientation, individuals judge behaviors on the basis of how closely actions conform to accepted norms of behavior, and what is considered appropriate or is approved of by others. In stage 4, authority orientation, individuals judge actions on the basis of their adherence to authority and rules, and insofar as they main- tain the social order or fulfill obligations. In this stage, there is respect for rules, authority, and the social order not because of any underlying principles or the benefits that can be reaped but because of unquestioning respect for authority. Youth in the early to mid-adolescent years are typically categorized in this level of moral reasoning.

]]> Maria Rosario de Guzman Postconventional Morality http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/9 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/9 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:31:59 PDT postconventional morality
n. In Kohlberg's theory of moral development, this is the third and highest level of reasoning, characterized by a reliance on autonomous moral principles. Two stages compose this level of moral reasoning. In stage 5, social contract orientation, individuals base their moral judgments on the degree to which actions promote commonly agreed upon laws and rules. Unlike in earlier stages, rules are not obeyed simply to avoid punishment (stage 1) or to obey authority for authority's sake blindly (stage 4), but because they represent social contracts agreed upon by the larger society and are based on principles that benefit the greater majority. Rules are seen as flexible, depending on their continued utility. In stage 6, ethical principle orientation, moral reasoning is based on self-chosen ethical principles which are abstract, universal, and context free. These principles are maintained because they are ends in themselves, rather than means to an end. It has been argued that the postconventional level of morality can only be found in complex urban societies (both Western and non-Western).

]]> Maria Rosario de Guzman Preconventional Morality http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/8 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cyfsfacpub/8 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:29:53 PDT preconventional morality
n. In Kohlberg's theory of moral development, this is the first and lowest level of reasoning, characterized by egocentric concerns and a focus on concrete consequences of actions. Two stages compose this level of moral reasoning. In stage 1, obedience/ punishment orientation, children base their moral judgments on avoidance of physical punishment and unquestioning obedience to authority figures, particularly because of their ability to mete out physical punishment. In stage 2, individualism and exchange, also called instrumental relativism, children begin to understand that people hold multiple perspectives but judge morality of actions in terms of the practical benefits that can be gained by those behaviors. For instance, children will judge that actions are appropriate if concrete gains can be obtained. Children ages 4 to 10 are often considered to be in this level of moral reasoning.

]]> Maria Rosario T. de Guzman