This study, undertaken in Nicosia, Cyprus, explored the impact of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) by studying how the attitudes and practices of Greek/Cypriot parents (n = 142) and teachers (n= 16) regarding the developmental importance of academics and play vary, and in particular, how classroom practices are related to the social, emotional and cognitive development of Greek/Cypriot children (n = 142) between 4.10 and 7.0 years of age. Results indicated that observed and reported classroom practices were related systematically to parental attitudes and practices, thereby providing evidence of selection that needed to be statistically controlled. Children exposed to fewer art activities in the classroom were rated as being more playful by their teachers, and younger (i.e., preschool) children in more developmentally inappropriate classrooms scored higher on teacher-rated social skills. Grade-I children in more developmentally appropriate classrooms manifested greater anxiety in the testing situation. Children who were in classrooms in which teaching practices and values regarding play proved inconsistent with the those of their families scored higher on teacher-rated behaviour problems; however, children in classrooms in which family- classroom consistency was the norm scored higher on parent-rated behavioural problems. Because some of the results were inconsistent with previously-reported findings, and hence contradict the claims that inappropriate classroom practices are harmful to young children, the question arises as to why this proved to be the case in Cyprus. Implications for future research are therefore discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:582643 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Shiakou, Monica |
| Publisher | Birkbeck (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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