Various studies have found differences in males’ and females’ mathematical achievement, with boys’ achievement scores higher than girls’. However, the difference in mathematical achievement does not appear to exist yet when children are younger (e.g., in preschool or kindergarten), but rather we begin to observe this gender achievement gap in middle school and high school. These findings raise the question about what is happening in pre- and elementary school that may cause this achievement gap to appear. Research suggests that there is a relationship between the amount of teachers’ math talk and preschool children’s conventional mathematical knowledge. Studies suggest that teachers’ math talk is significantly related to the growth of mathematical knowledge. The amount of input boys and girls receive from preschool teachers’ can be one of the causes of the gap in their math achievement in later years. Various studies measured the amount of teachers’ math talk in the classroom however there are very few research that investigated the influence of gender on the amount of preschool teachers’ math talk. The current study investigated the effects of children’s gender on preschool teachers’ math talk. The purpose of the study was to investigate the amount of preschool teachers’ math talk with children as well as the effect of children’s gender on the amount and type of preschool teachers’ math talk. The data was collected as part of another study which aimed to create a database of quality early childhood practices. The participants of the current study were 2 teachers (1 teacher and 1 assistant teacher) in a preschool classroom and the 16 (7 girls. 9 boys) children in their classroom. Permissions were obtained from teachers and children’s families. The teachers were videotaped during the free play time and the videos were coded for the amount and type of math talk using Observational Coding Matrix which is a checklist of 8 different math categories. The results showed a statistically significant difference for the amount of total math talk that boys received comparing to girls, in favor of the boys. Although, boys received more math talk in most of the math categories, the operation was the type in which the gender difference was statistically significant. Although the sample size was small the gender difference was statistically significant, which shows the importance of studies that investigate the gender differences in teachers’ math talk.

Children playing on playgrounds is a common sight, one most people have witnessed and participated in. While playground spaces are scattered throughout the United States as places for children to explore, they often reflect adult notions of childhood and come in standardized forms, which often neglect the interests of children. Situated at the nexus of critical childhoods and spatial theories, this study argues that children’s playground spaces are valuable sites of study, as are the experiences of children utilizing them. While easy to ignore the desires of very young children, or brush them off as unimportant or uninformed, this study emphasizes the value of seeing, hearing, and prioritizing the experiences of two-year old’s as they navigate playground spaces. Utilizing researcher and child-driven methods, children’s verbal and nonverbal modes of communication were valued and reflected in the findings. Children’s movements through playground spaces were reflective of their sensory and embodied ways of being, as well as their connection with the material world. This work proposes that more attention be paid to children’s actual lived experiences in playground spaces and that this be considered when designing and constructing these spaces.

This study is the result of an examination student social skills conducted at two elementary schools to determine kindergarten necessity.

Research indicates that early childhood professionals gather assessment information to monitor child development and learning, to guide curriculum planning and decision making, to identify children who may have special needs, to report and communicate with others, and to evaluate programmes. A review of literature indicates that immigrant children have low achievement assessment scores as compared with mainstream American children, also immigrant children enter kindergarten already behind their mainstream American peers. The current study explored early childhood teachers' perceptions of assessment measures used with immigrant children and the challenges faced when assessing immigrant children. Findings of the study reveal that there are several factors that make early childhood teachers fail to gather effective assessment information from immigrant children. Unless the factors are addressed, planning for effective curriculum for immigrant children using assessment data will continue to be a challenge for early childhood teachers. Factors that continue to affect gathering effective assessment data from immigrant children include language barriers, cultural clashes, socio-economic factors, and culturally and linguistically biased assessment measures.

No description available.

Discursive power relations that enclose the field of early childhood have functioned to construct the idea of the “normal” child, a process of silencing that limits spaces of “being” for children in classrooms. Relatedly, constructions of the “good” early childhood teacher are shaped by dominant discourses of child development that define “best” and “appropriate” practices in accordance with children’s developmental “needs.” In this study, I take up feminist poststructural theories in self-reflexive examination of my teaching practice with toddlers to allow for alternate ways of seeing the “child,” and therefore, the “teacher.” In laying bare the child and teacher as discursively constructed, complexities of classroom subjects become visible and possibilities for new ways of doing “teacher” emerge when we work to destabilize the hegemonic “truths” of the field. Using feminist poststructural theories to shape a narrative teacher research methodology, this study employs ethnographic and narrative methods in self-reflexive analysis of my own teaching practice. Working with data produced during one semester in the classroom, I interrogate my daily practices and understandings of “toddler,” teaching, learning, development, and research in order to displace dominant ways of understanding “toddler” and “toddler teacher.” The possibilities for teaching toddlers have been constrained by intersecting discourses of development, readiness, neoliberalism, and gender as development and progress are prioritized while the widespread assumption that early childhood is “women’s work” (Grumet, 1988) shapes the roles and statuses of teachers who work with our youngest children. The discoveries and new knowledges I have constructed through this work have exposed, challenged, and reimagined positionings of the teacher. From the gendered “care” work assumed to come naturally to women, to the technical practice based on a foundation of developmental knowledge, to the policing of children in classrooms, this study offers examinations of relations of power that may enable teachers and children to position themselves differently in classrooms, within and beyond existing discourses.

Educational reforms have created a climate of accountability and high academic pressure that has resulted in a pushing down of the curriculum into early childhood education. Once a prominent pedagogical feature, play is disappearing from kindergarten. The following is a doctoral dissertation that studied administrator, teacher, and parent perceptions of play and its role within the kindergarten curriculum at a Catholic elementary school in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Using a qualitative case study method, the study noted how play was utilized in transitional kindergarten and traditional kindergarten classrooms at the school site. Interviews, classroom observations, and document review of school publications contributed to the following findings: play was used as a reward for classroom management, adults did not commonly see the connection between play and learning, and academic achievement was valued over play. These findings were placed in the larger context of kindergarten, play, and curriculum by using a theoretical framework built on Early Child Education theories and Epstein’s (2011) Parental Involvement framework. This case study highlighted factors that influenced curriculum design and implementation in kindergarten. It contributes to the effort to inform parents, teachers, administrators, and policy makers of the importance of defending play within kindergarten in light of social pressures that favor a didactic kindergarten setting.

In the United States, most of the Family, Friend, and Neighbor providers are the grandmothers of the child in care. Parental preference for Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) care for infants and toddlers is consistent across race, class, and ethnicity. Although FFN providers care for the largest number of infants and toddlers in the United States, they are not considered part of the childcare milieu. This exclusion means FFN providers are not, typically, the recipient of important childcare information and resources as formal childcare providers who provide care to the smallest number of infants and toddlers. 
The small number of studies on Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) care often refers to these providers as "invisible." It is in direct response to this sense of invisibility that this study is presented. Using a phenomenological methodology to bring forward the essence of FFN care, this study hopes to broaden the Field of Early Care and Education to include this group of diverse providers of care to young children. Instead of policy makers, funders, and early childhood professional development systems viewing "childcare" exclusively as formal and regulated this study serves to challenge this limited perspective by offering a richer perspective.

No description available.

The Foundation Phase in education is the most important learning years for the learners, since what happens during these years determines later academic success. The focus of this study is to obtain Grade 1 teachers' perspectives on the need for teaching assistants in the classroom. In South Africa, teaching assistants are normally reserved for preschools, institutes for learners with special needs, schools that practice inclusive education and some private schools. It is therefore needed to gain information from Grade 1 teachers on how they perceive and experience the presence or absence of a teaching assistant, and what effect it has on teaching and learning in their classrooms. It is also necessary to hear the statements of teaching assistants on how they experience this role in Grade 1 classrooms. Early Childhood Education (which includes the Foundation Phase) forms the basis of all other education; however, the South African education system is faced with numerous challenges which in various ways impede the teaching and learning of young children. These barriers include overcrowded classrooms, learner diversity and indiscipline which call for additional support in the classroom. By using a qualitative approach, this study attempts to collect and analyse the data obtained from teachers and teaching assistants, and interpret this information to gain insight into and explore various perspectives on the need for teaching assistants in a Grade 1 classroom. By making use of semi-structured interviews, data were collected from three groups of participants: teachers with teaching assistants, teachers without teaching assistants, and teaching assistants. These participants were selected from public, private and rural schools in order to allow for a broad spectrum of inputs. Findings indicate that all participants regard the presence of teaching assistants as non-negotiable in the Grade 1 classroom, as it allows the teacher to focus on teaching, whereas the administrative tasks may be channelled to the assistant. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted