The successful development of children in the early childhood years is facilitated by positive interrelationships within the child's ecosystem. This ecosystem is composed of the family and home environment, and the schools, child care centers, and teachers involved with the child's education and care. However, the educational literature reports conflicts between teachers and parents over the education and guidance of children in the United States throughout this century. The misunderstanding and confusion surrounding the different perspectives of teachers and parents can be problematic for the child's growth and development, and can jeopardize communication between the school and the home. Clarification of the similarities and differences between the teacher and parent roles will add to our understanding of these multiple perspectives, as they influence the child, and will suggest ways to improve teacher preparation with regard to parent and family communication. One direct way of getting data on the complementary and conflicting aspects of the parenting and teaching roles is to study women who experience them simultaneously, that is who teach their own child in an early childhood classroom. This study uses phenomenological interview data and a developmental assessment of self-knowledge to gather more information concerning the complex dynamics of the teacher and mother roles. The data collection proceeded in three parts. First, a written questionnaire designed to assess self-knowledge level of teacher/mothers was administered. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten of the survey respondents, all of whom taught their own child in an early childhood group setting. The interview protocol focused on each participant's personal background as a teacher and a mother, her experience as a 'teacher called mommy', and the importance and meaning of that experience to her as a teacher and as a mother. The interviews were transcribed and edited into a profile of each participant. Profiles were coded for common themes and issues across participants. The third phase involved sharing the themes in a Focus Group session with the interview participants. They considered the relevance and salience of the themes in light of their own experiences and made recommendations for teachers, parents, administrators, and future 'teachers called mommy'. The findings point to common themes within the experience of the 'teacher called mommy', and indicate a range of experiences within each theme. Developmental analysis of the self-knowledge levels of the participants is used to group the responses within each of the themes, and provides a helpful model for understanding the variations within each theme. Recommendations suggest strategies to facilitate parent and teacher communication in general, and more specifically to supporting the simultaneous dual role situation of 'teacher called mommy'.

Constructivist educators are concerned with methods that will help teachers understand young children's thinking in order to facilitate their learning along a developmental continuum in the acquisition of knowledge. This study focuses on the development and testing of the Broderick Notation System. The BNS is a format and system for teachers to map observable interactions of children's play over time in relation to teachers developing inferences about what children know and hypothesize about friendship, leadership, roles, and rules. The intention of this concept mapping system is to help teachers gain a deeper understanding of what children are thinking so they can more accurately assess appropriate entry points for facilitating learning with children. ^ Four preschool teachers were trained to use the BNS in six 2-hour trainings while viewing 2 short (under 10 minutes) videotapes of children at play. They were asked to use the BNS to identify the conceptual thinking underlying children's spontaneous play in the areas of friendship, leadership, roles, and rules. ^ Following the 6-week period each subject was tested individually. The test consisted of viewing two unseen videotapes (under 10 minutes each) that are similar but different from the original training videos. Subject's were allowed to take as long as they liked to complete the process of observing and coding with the BNS, and the video footage as seen on a computer that they could easily pause, forward, and reverse the footage in order to complete the notation to their satisfaction. Following the test each teacher was interviewed to obtain his/her record of the beginning and ending of each coded concept on the computer's time display. Teachers were interviewed to obtain more detailed information about the conceptual meaning they attached to each coded symbol and the behavior each coded symbol relates to. ^ The testing of interrater reliability among teacher subjects is a first step in a research program to be carried out over the next three to four years, in which the BNS will be tested for validity and use among trained educators.* ^ *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation).^

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The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective teachers' conceptions of science instruction prior to the commencement of their early childhood education methods courses. A sample of 100 prospective teachers' drawings and narratives were analyzed using the STLP3 instrument and inductive analysis respectively. Merging findings from the aforementioned analyses resulted in 10 distinct conceptions and these included: (a) science instruction (1) as a demonstration, (2) as engagement, (3) as doing experiments, (4) as inquiry, and (5) as observation all underscored by active learning and social, implementation and cognitive dimensions; (b) science instruction (6) as implementing safety, and (7) as an interaction both underscored by active learning and a social dimension; and (c) science instruction (8) as a demonstration, and (9) as engagement both underscored by passive learning and an affective dimension; and (d) science instruction (10) as enjoyment underscored by social and affective dimensions. These findings reflected the complexity and multidimensionality of the prospective teachers' conceptions of science instruction. Implications include the need for teacher educators to situate their prospective teachers' prior and new knowledge of early childhood science instruction within theoretical frames rather than simply relying on prospective teachers' knowledge of science instruction from K-12 experiences. Implications for future research include the need to study prospective teachers' conceptions prior to and at the end of early childhood methods courses.

Early childhood environments can offer valuable opportunities for student collaboration. Social interactions allow students to practice listening to each other and learn how to work together. This study focused on the roles and perspectives of early childhood educators related to student collaboration in the classroom. Six educators from one elementary school in New Hampshire participated in two focus group discussions, the first of which included a presentation on student collaboration with first graders. Participants also completed four concept maps highlighting their perspectives about student collaboration and one written reflection comparing their perspectives before and after engaging in the focus group discussions. Participants’ awareness of strategies for student collaboration grew through these discussions among peers. Implications of the study include providing opportunities for educators to engage in discussions that examine their approaches for planning, preparing, and offering a variety of collaborative activities throughout the day.

Professional development of early childhood teachers is a topic with tangible meaning for children birth through five and their families who are served through early care and education services. This study was conducted to assess the availability and accessibility of formal professional development programs that offer college credit and to identify strengths and weaknesses in faculty dynamics, the provision of curricula, and articulation of credit among institutions of higher education in Florida. The education of early childhood teachers has been identified in previous research as having positive effects on child outcomes, particularly for children who are from low-income families. Research on professional development was necessary to determine if quality educational opportunities are available and accessible for early childhood teachers seeking higher education. Research included examination of formal systems of early childhood education. Faculty representatives from 34 of 38 institutions of higher education in Florida that offer early childhood or child development degrees comprised the sample members for assessment. This was accomplished through replication of research, first conducted by Early and Winton (2001) with a national sample. The purpose of the current research was to provide accurate baseline data about the number of programs in Florida offering early childhood degrees, the characteristics of faculty in those programs and the kinds of coursework and practica experiences provided to students; and to describe the challenges faced by faculty members in meeting the professional development needs of the early childhood workforce. Findings included descriptive information on curricular content and coverage for early childhood or child development programs in Florida, comparisons of 2-year versus 4-year programs, and comparisons to findings in the national sample. Results are presented in terms of the early childhood student and implications for accessibility, availability, and comprehensibility of the early childhood or child development programs within Florida IHEs. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2004. / November 1, 2004. / Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Professional Development, Teacher Preparation / Includes bibliographical references. / Ann K. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sande D. Milton, Outside Committee Member; Ronald L. Mullis, Committee Member; Christine A. Readdick, Committee Member.