bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neural network architectures and overtopping predictions
Authors: Wedge D. C. , Ingram D. M. , Mingham C. G. , McLean D. A. , Bandar Z. A.
Published: November 2005

Overtopping of seawalls presents a considerable hazard to people and property near the coast and accurate predictions of overtopping volumes are essential in informing seawall construction. The methods most commonly used for the prediction of time-averaged overtopping volumes are parametric regression and numerical modelling. In this paper overtopping volumes are predicted using artificial neural networks. This approach is inherently non-parametric and accepts data from a variety of structural configurations and sea-states. Two different types of neural network are considered: multi-layer perceptron networks and radial basis function networks. It was found that the radial basis function networks considerably outperform both the multi-layer perceptron networks and the curve-fitting (parametric regression) regime, and approach bespoke numerical simulations in accuracy. Unlike numerical simulation, the neural network approach gives generic prediction across a range of structures and sea-states and therefore incurs considerably less computational cost.
Structure and Functions of State Public Health Agencies
Authors: Beitsch Leslie M. , Brooks Robert G. , Grigg Meade , Menachemi Nir
Published: November 2005

Objectives. We assessed the structure and functions of state health departments throughout the United States and compared our findings with those from a previous national assessment conducted in 1990.

Methods. In 2001, we sent a survey to the state health officers of all 50 states. The survey asked about the structure and functions of the state health agency.

Results. The survey was completed by state health officers from 47 states (a 94% response rate). More than half of the states responding had a freestanding state public health agency and a state board or council of health. Forty-four percent had a regional or district structure. Although some traditional public health functions have been curtailed, important new public health functions have emerged since 1990.

Conclusions. Our current findings confirm core changes in the structure and functions of state public health systems over the past decade and emphasize the need for more research into these systems to maximize their organizational performance.
FIDELIS—Innovative Approaches to Increasing Global Case Detection of Tuberculosis
Authors: Rusen I. D. , Enarson Donald A.
Published: November 2005

Tuberculosis was declared a global public health emergency in 1993. In 2003, only 45% of the world’s estimated new smear-positive tuberculosis cases were detected—well below the 70% global case detection target set by the World Health Organization.

The FIDELIS (Fund for Innovative DOTS Expansion Through Local Initiatives to Stop TB) initiative is a new global disease control initiative that has been developed to rapidly assess and implement innovative approaches to increase tuberculosis case detection. To date, 32 projects have been approved—covering approximately 378 million people in 13 countries—24 (75%) of which are in the world’s 6 highest-burden countries. A wide range of target populations and interventions have been incorporated into successful FIDELIS projects. The FIDELIS initiative may serve as a model to discover best practices to address other urgent global public health problems.
Contextual Influences on the Use of Health Facilities for Childbirth in Africa
Authors: Stephenson Rob , Baschieri Angela , Clements Steve , Hennink Monique , Madise Nyovani
Published: November 2005

Objectives. Previous studies of maternal health-seeking behavior focused on individual- and household-level factors. We examined community-level influences on the decision to deliver a child in a health facility across 6 African countries.

Methods. Demographic and Health Survey data were linked with contextual data, and multilevel models were fitted to identify the determinants of childbirth in a health facility in the 6 countries.

Results. We found strong community-level influences on a woman’s decision to deliver her child in a health facility. Several pathways of influence between the community and individual were identified.

Conclusions. Community economic development, the climate of female autonomy, service provision, and fertility preferences all exert an influence on a woman’s decision to seek care during labor, but significant community variation remains unexplained.
The Ethics of Industry Experimentation Using Employees: The Case of Taste-Testing Pesticide-Treated Tobacco
Authors: McDaniel Patricia A. , Solomon Gina , Malone Ruth E.
Published: November 2005

In the United States, companies that use their own funds to test consumer products on their employees are subject to few regulations. Using previously undisclosed tobacco industry documents, we reviewed the history of that industry’s efforts to create internal guidelines on the conditions to be met before employee taste testers could evaluate cigarettes made from tobacco treated with experimental pesticides.

This history highlights 2 potential ethical issues raised by unregulated industrial research: conflict of interest and lack of informed consent. To ensure compliance with accepted ethical standards, an independent federal office should be established to oversee industrial research involving humans exposed to experimental or increased quantities of ingested, inhaled, or absorbed chemical agents.
‘Concrete’ Manipulatives, Concrete Ideas
Authors: Clements Douglas H.
Published: November 2005

The notion of ‘concrete,’ from concrete manipulatives to pedagogical sequences such as ‘concrete to abstract,’ is embedded in educational theories, research, and practice, especially in mathematics education. In this article, the author considers research on the use of manipulatives and offers a critique of common perspectives on the notions of concrete manipulatives and concrete ideas. He offers a reformulation of the definition of ‘concrete’ as used in psychology and education and provides illustrations of how, accepting that reformulation, computer manipulatives may be pedagogically efficacious.
Pre-School Teachers in Primary Schools: Stories from the Field
Authors: Sawyer Abigail
Published: November 2005

Continuity and collaboration between preschool and primary programmes is frequently impeded by the different approaches to teaching snd learning espoused by teachers in each setting. This article discusses a research project investigating the experiences of preschool teachers working in primary schools in order to consider the meanings of teacher practice across settings and ways in which teachers are able to accommodate alternative perspectives into their own teaching.
Distant Places, Diverse Spaces: Early Childhood Professional Development in Isolated Locations
Authors: Robert Cheryl
Published: November 2005

This article raises some questions about the appropriateness and value of the dominant models of professional development for early childhood professionals in rural areas. The issues raised in this article draw on both research conducted into the experiences of professional development of a group of early childhood professionals residing outside the main urban areas in Queensland, and the author's experiences in the conducting of these activities. The discussion raises questions about rural identity, the usefulness of professional development in a ‘one size fits all’ model and how this might position rurally located professionals as being needy, disadvantaged, deficit and to a large extent powerless in their own professional development choices. The article concludes that whilst these professionals identify themselves and are treated as ‘victims of isolation’, their capacity to take charge of their own professional development is constrained. The research findings and the issues raised suggest the need for further research, particularly into alternative models of professional development that are context sensitive and interact with issues of professional identity and rurality.
There's a Bug in My Ear: Value Adding through Authentic Interview Experience
Authors: White Jan , Gordon Chris
Published: November 2005

This article describes an effective method for training early childhood teacher education students in interview skills as a preparation for future employment interviews. The method situates learning within a near authentic experience using an interactive coaching model. Students experienced the interview situation in a simulated environment, which tried to model actual employment interviews. Students adopted the roles of interviewer, interviewee, coach and observer. As these roles were rotated, students' understanding of interview processes and interview skills were steadily developed to the point where the majority of the students demonstrated high quality interview skills. The inclusion of an interactive coaching facility and the provision of video feedback provided another facet that improved the efficiency of the training model. Outcomes in terms of student evaluations and success at subsequent employment interviews suggested that the methodology was highly effective in enhancing the skills of all students involved.
Beyond ‘Othering’: Rethinking Approaches to Teaching Young Anglo-Australian Children about Indigenous Australians
Authors: MacNaughton Glenda , Davis Karina
Published: November 2005

Current early childhood literature concerning anti-racist and multicultural education discusses the importance of adopting a curriculum framework to counter the development of prejudice and racism in young children. This article draws on two separate research projects in Victoria, Australia that explore how this might best be done. One project was concerned with exploring young children's understandings of indigenous Australians and their cultures and the other investigated teaching practices of a group of early childhood practitioners with indigenous Australians and their cultures. The results from these two projects are compared in order to explore some current issues in adopting curriculum frameworks that counter the development of prejudice and racism in young Anglo-Australian children towards Australia's indigenous peoples and cultures.
An Analysis of Turkish Pre-School Teachers' Ideas about the Concept of Creativity and the Activities That Can Foster Creativity in Young Children
Authors: Kerem Ebru Aktan , Kamaraj Isik , Yelland Nicola
Published: November 2005

The most critical period of a human being's life takes place between the years from birth to 6 years of age. It is thought that we all posses creative potential and need opportunities for it to be nurtured and displayed. Early childhood centres are one of the most important sites in which there are opportunities to expose and extend a child's creativity. In this way, the role of the pre-school teacher is critical if we desire to promote creativity in individuals so that they are able to function in new situations in dynamic ways as they progress through their school career and lives. In this research, the authors asked pre-school teachers their opinions about aspects of creativity. The teachers worked in early childhood centres in Istanbul.
Teachers' Beliefs and Understandings of Literacy in the Pre-School: Pre-School Literacy Project Stage 1
Authors: Ure Christine , Raban Bridie
Published: November 2005

The role of literacy during the pre-school years is argued from evidence found in the international research literature and provides the starting point for exploring the beliefs and understandings of staff in 38 sessional pre-schools and two long-day childcare centres that included sessional pre-school programmes in Victoria (Australia). These professionals were found to be uncertain about their role with respect to young children's early literacy development, but they were keen to increase their knowledge and develop appropriate practice within the contexts of their centres. Reasons for these findings are explored. In particular, the distinction between literacy as social practice and literacy as reading and writing skill demarcated the understandings and practical implications for these pre-school teachers.
Workplace Violence in Early Childhood Settings: A Counter-Narrative
Authors: Sumsion Jennifer
Published: November 2005

The article begins with a counter-narrative that focuses on the workplace tensions experienced by an Australian pre-school teacher. Drawing on Van Soerst & Bryant's conceptualisation of violence, the author deconstructs the counter-narrative to identify a range of forces (individual, organisational, structural-cultural) that may contribute to workplace violence in early childhood settings. The author's underlying assumption is that we need to problematise prevailing non-critical constructions of early childhood settings as exemplifying communities of care if we are to work more effectively towards realising this ideal.
Can Vignettes Capture the Complexity of High Quality Early Childhood Teaching?
Authors: Barblett Lennie , Chadbourne Rod , Maloney Carmel
Published: November 2005

This article discusses the results of a project charged with writing vignettes that exemplify high-quality early childhood teaching. It outlines the process used to write the vignettes and three approaches for validating whether they capture the complexity and sophistication of early childhood teachers' work, namely: ratings from external reviewers, comparisons with other types of vignettes, and comparisons with professional standards that tell rather than show what exemplary teaching looks like. The article concludes with three contentions. First, advocates of vignettes need to be cautious about promising more than vignettes can deliver. Second, writing ‘standards vignettes' is more difficult than writing ‘teaching vignettes’. Third, by themselves, vignettes are hard pressed to provide an adequate representation of high-quality early childhood teaching; they need to be supplemented by other approaches.
Guiding Learning Processes in the Integration of the Arts
Authors: Wright Susan
Published: November 2005

This article introduces the importance of the arts in contemporary society and how people learn how to learn through music, dance, drama/play and the visual arts. It describes how the arts can involve ways of knowing about the world through thought, emotion and action, providing a window into the past and allowing people to express views of the future. These ways of knowing are considered in relation to processes of active learning and inquiry, and ways to enhance play-like qualities through teaching-learning partnerships. Finally, an example of an integrated arts workshop for pre-service students illustrates ways in which a supportive learning environment can enhance learners' sense of ownership through cooperation, while providing them with opportunities to experience high-standard, artistic processes that apply to the teaching of young children.
The Increasing Role of Electronic Toys in the Lives of Infants and Toddlers: Should We Be Concerned?
Authors: Levin Diane E. , Rosenquest Barbara
Published: November 2005

In recent years, thre has been a rapid increase in the number of electronic toys and toys linked to electronic media that are being marketed for infants and toddlers. This article explores what this latest trend might mean for the development, behaviour and play of very young children. It concludes that these toys can be harmful in both the short and long term and recommends strategies for counter-acting the potential problems.
Popular Culture and Early Literacy Learning
Authors: Arthur Leonie
Published: November 2005

Children experience a wide range of literacy practices in their homes and communities, yet these are not generally reflected in early childhood settings. This article reports on research findings which indicate that while children's home and community literacy experiences and texts are increasingly digital and connected to popular media culture, experiences and texts in educational settings are predominantly book-based and generally exclude popular media culture. This practice marginalises children whose literacy practices at home are predominantly with television, videos, computers, comics and magazines rather than with ‘quality’ children's books. Concerns regarding the role of popular media culture in children's lives are critically examined and responses explored. Examples from research that illustrates ways of including popular culture in early childhood settings to enhance literacy learning opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds are also included.
An Undoing of Documents and other Texts: Towards a Critical Multiculturalism in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Rhedding-Jones Jeanette
Published: November 2005

This is an attempt to demonstrate a critical practice of thinking, reading, teaching and observing. As such, it addresses the constitution of ‘the child’ and ‘the student teacher’ in discourses/documents regarding ethnicity. Pedagogical day care as pre-schooling is the target, though this blurs thematically with schooling, family, higher education and other institutions and communities. A critical textual deconstruction is the methodology, as theories of culture and discourse focus on the complexities of ethnicities, languages and gender. These are pointed to rather than systematically analysed for conclusions and strong arguments. Cameos of interactions and samples of text analysis thus mark an essay intended to set in motion waves of change. The aim is to show various texts as sites of institutional and personal support for and against dominant discourses, and the political effects of these.
Juniors Minding Junior: The Experiences of Junior Childcare Workers
Authors: Sims Margaret , Hutchins Teresa , Dimovich Chris
Published: November 2005

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that a child (any person under 18) has the right to be protected from work which is exploitative or threatens their normal development. International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 182 further defines particularly hazardous or demeaning child labour. This research project investigates the experiences of junior (aged 14–16) childcare workers in Western Australia (WA) working under conditions which violate these conventions. The childcare sector has undergone changes, resulting in the employment of an increased number of juniors. These young people work for low wages, are given a high level of responsibility, and are often unassertive, inarticulate and unaware of their industrial rights. The research draws on workers' own accounts of their work experiences to document and analyse the current situation, and makes recommendations for action.
Electronic Toys: Why Should We Be Concerned? A Response to Levin & Rosenquest (2001)
Authors: Marsh Jackie
Published: November 2005

In an earlier issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, Levin & Rosenquest (2001) suggested that early years educators should be concerned about the increasing use of electronic toys because of their perceived limitations in terms of fostering children's imaginative and creative play. In this response, I propose that such a stance reflects a generalised ‘moral panic’ that is often adopted in relation to electronic innovations and suggest tat there is a need to develop further research which examines carefully the impact of such technology on the communicative practices that are currently taking place in contemporary childhoods.
Toward Liberatory Early Childhood Theory, Research and Praxis: Decolonizing a Field
Authors: Soto Lourdes Diaz , Swadener Beth Blue
Published: November 2005

This article surveys the emergence and application of critical pedagogy to the field of early childhood education in the USA and beyond. It explores selected portions of the field's vast body of literature vis-à-vis loosely configured and intersecting lines of research and praxis. The field continues to expand, with positivist orientations of child development, postmodern critical reconceptualizing models, and post-colonial discourse spaces. The article concludes with a discussion of liberatory praxis as a space of possibility and suggests post-colonial hybridity as a framework for the field of early childhood education.
Playing with Ideas and Games in Early Mathematics
Authors: Yelland Nicola J.
Published: November 2005

This article investigates learning in an out-of-school informal computer club. Particularly, it sought to elucidate information about mathematical learning and understandings that were displayed when children played and interacted in computer-based contexts. It was also concerned with the social processes inherent to game playing and the design features of computer games which appealed to children. The data revealed that mathematical understandings can be promoted and practised in computer games and that the structure and design of the game determined the amount and quality of the interactions that children engage in. Children of all ages preferred games that had a design element and catered for different levels of participation. Additionally, they liked games that had a narrative and adventure context in which activities were situated with some purpose.
Living the ‘Gift of Time’
Authors: Graue Elizabeth , Kroeger Janice , Brown Christopher
Published: November 2005

Readiness for school is a US concept that is thought to depict the likelihood of school success. A combination of physical, cognitive, and emotional maturity, it provides a foundation for responding to school expectations. When there are readiness concerns, some advocate giving what is called the ‘gift of time,’ additional time to mature. This article describes the decision-making and reactions of parents and teachers who support the development of children who might be seen as having readiness risks. Children who delay kindergarten entry, those who go to kindergarten on time, and children who repeat kindergarten, their teacher and parents were the focus of a case study that addressed the process of kindergarten entry decisions and the evaluation of their success.
Designing a Framework for Problem Posing: Young Children Generating Open-Ended Tasks
Authors: Lowrie Tom
Published: November 2005

This article describes the type of problems young children (aged six) generated in problem-posing contexts. With support, the children began to generate increasingly sophisticated problems that were open-ended in nature. The problem-solving situations provided opportunities for the children to pose problems they enjoyed solving and promoted both a more complex and motivating learning environment. The results indicate that the problem-posing actions of students can be nurtured by teachers' actions.
Oedipal and other Conflicts
Authors: Boldt Gail
Published: November 2005

In this article, the author offers a reading of the psychoanalytic concept of the Oedipal conflict, taking into account a post-structural or cultural studies' theorizing of subjectivity and the constructed nature of childhood. It is taken for granted that what are typically seen as natural gendered behaviors or natural sexual preferences are instead performative expressions of dominant discourses. Working from this stance, it is proposed that it likewise makes sense to understand the psychoanalytic perspectives on a child's gender and sexual development as tremendously instructive descriptions of how adults work through dominant discourses about normal development to bring children into being as gendered and sexualized subjects. The author argues that a major facet of parenting for most contemporary, heterosexual Western parents involves the demand that our children experience the Oedipal conflict. Using stories of the author's own parenting, she describes some of the ways that she participated in provoking outcomes that at least consciously she thought she did not intend.
Engaging the Discourse of Diversity: Educators' Frameworks for Working with Linguistic and Cultural Difference
Authors: Pacini-Ketchabaw Veronica , Schecter Sandra
Published: November 2005

Although plurality and diversity are often taken as givens in the ongoing conversation on the role of public schooling, practitioners do not necessarily share the same understandings of these sociological facts. This article explores ways in which teachers who are committed to working within ethnically and linguistically diverse settings make sense of their professional missions. We examine these ways through the lens, or interpretative framework, of scholarly discussions on discourse and subjectivity. We present four discourses for understanding diversity that we encountered in our professional development work with teachers in two urban school settings in Ontario, Canada. To represent the core narratives associated with these discourses, we use the following templates: difference as deficit; preparing minority students and families to facilitate the school's agenda; intercultural sensitivity as a pedagogic tool; and diversity as curriculum. The respective different understandings and rhetorical practices aligning to these templates impacted classroom curriculum, students' socialisation within the school, and the relationship between school, home and community.
Time to Say Farewell to ‘Early Childhood’?
Authors: Moss Peter
Published: November 2005

The time may have come for adopting a broader perspective than early childhood, looking across childhood, or even sometimes across the life course: early childhood services should be seen in relation to other provisions for children and young people, including compulsory school. One consequence might be to find a new and shared way of thinking about these services, for example, as ‘children's spaces’. To adopt a wider perspective entails risks for early childhood, but there are, equally, risks from not changing.
Beyond ‘Boring, Meaningless Shit’ in the Academy: Early Childhood Teacher Educators under the Regulatory Gaze
Authors: Novinger Sue , O'Brien Leigh
Published: November 2005

In the USA, many young children are being subjected to a largely irrelevant, fragmented, meaningless curriculum in the name of school reform and meeting state and/or national standards; it is the authors' view that teacher educators also increasingly have to endure the same. The authors use their own recent experiences with licensing and accrediting bodies, the New York State Department of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education respectively, to argue that everyone is being subjected to a disempowering, regulatory (and potentially punitive) gaze in the name of higher standards. Drawing on their own and others' stories, they raise some issues to ponder, as well as posit possible courses of action linked to the notion of teachers as social justice activists. They address why resistance to the standards movement is so crucial, and share their ideas regarding the forms their resistance has taken and might take in the future. They try to articulate a hopeful path of possibility despite the very real costs that challenging the nearly monolithic power structure brings, and encourage other early childhood teacher educators to join in resisting the ‘regulatory gaze’.
Early Childhood Education as an Evolving ‘Community of Practice’ or as Lived ‘Social Reproduction’: Researching the ‘taken-for-granted’
Authors: Fleer Marilyn
Published: November 2005

Early childhood education within many English-speaking countries has evolved routines, practices, rituals, artefacts, symbols, conventions, stories and histories. In effect, practices have become traditions that have been named and reified, evolving a specialist discourse. What has become valued within the profession of early childhood education is essentially a Western view of childhood. Documents abound with statements on what is constituted as ‘good’ practice or ‘quality’ practice or even ‘best’ practice. But for whom is this practice best? This article examines early childhood education from a ‘communities of practice’ perspective, drawing upon the work of Goncu, Rogoff and Wenger to shed light on the levels of agency inherent in the profession.
From Crèches to Childcare: Constructions of Motherhood and Inclusion/Exclusion in the History of Belgian Infant Care
Authors: Vandenbroeck Michel
Published: November 2005

In this article the author highlights some elements of the history of exclusion in Belgian infant care and how it is underpinned by constructions of motherhood. In a Belgian context, infant care means institutional care for children from birth to the age of three, funded by the Family and Health Department, in contrast to and entirely separated from pre-school for children aged three to six years, funded by the Education Department (Organisation for Economic Cooperatin and Development [OECD], 2001). The author does this from a hermeneutical historical point of view. As Escolano (1996) has claimed, this means that by means of the evaluation of the internal coherence of the stories (the organisation of data and discourse) and their external coherence with the social context and with other concordant or discordant stories, the author tries try to understand ideas and representations that may help explain the growing exclusion in Belgian infant care.
Learning in an Internet Environment during Early Childhood
Authors: Nir-Gal Ofra , Nur Talia
Published: November 2005

The present study focuses on the Internet activity of young children in order to examine how these children utilized the Internet and their potential in the uses of the Internet. The study sample consisted of 20 children, from both compulsory and pre-compulsory kindergarten. Two Internet learning environments were examined: (1) the ‘universal’ environment of the Web, where a search engine was used for navigation; and (2) the ‘modified’ Web environment, which was created in accordance with the abilities and level of young children. It was shown that young children who operated in a ‘modified’ Internet environment manifested better control of the uses of Internet interfaces and were better oriented in the Internet environment when compared with their activity in the ‘universal’ Internet environment. Another finding was that not all of the Internet uses constitute a meaningful learning environment for young children. In order for the environment to be advantageous for children, Internet uses must be structured in accordance with the children's levels of development and needs, with the emphasis on the use of the Internet as a source of information in parallel with concrete activity and teacher/adult mediation in the children's Internet activity.
Elucidating the Dilemma of P1 in Western Australian Schools: Towards a Solution
Authors: Stamopoulos Elizabeth
Published: November 2005

Currently in Western Australian schools, the early childhood education profession faces profound change, as a result of changes to classroom combinations. One of these is an innovation called ‘P1’, which involves grouping pre-primary and year 1 students in the one class. Unlike other composite primary year classes, P1 demands an amalgamation of early childhood and primary curriculum and philosophy. To date, the basis on which P1 curriculum is to be built has yet to be established. No formal process been articulated for dealing with the ideological differences and beliefs that exist in schools with respect to early childhood and primary education. This article draws on a five-year Western Australia (WA) study, which examined teachers' conceptual and behavioural positions toward P1. The findings indicated a need for leadership, specialised staff, resolution of philosophical differences, curriculum guidelines, quality support structures and the enhancement of school and community relationships. There were also concerns that government and curriculum expertise had not kept pace with the needs of staff.
The Monster in the Room: Safety, Pleasure and Early Childhood Education
Authors: Jones Alison
Published: November 2005

Inspired by the work of Joseph Tobin and his book, Making a Place for Pleasure in Early Childhood Education (Yale, 1997), this article is about the necessarily uneasy and tenuous place of pleasure, desire and sensuality in early childhood education at a time when the field struggles to be identified as rule-governed and properly ‘professional’. With reference to focus group data from early childhood teachers and managers in Auckland, New Zealand, it considers what might be the comforts, and the problematic effects, of the contemporary demands for safety, and asks what kinds of pleasures are available to the modern ‘safe’ professional early childhood teacher.
Latino/a Voices in Australia: Negotiating Bilingual Identity
Authors: Díaz Criss Jones
Published: November 2005

In Australia, bilingual identity and home language retention/attrition in bilingual children has had little research attention. This is particularly true in the early years of life where identity construction emerges in the context of early childhood education. This article begins with an overview of the Australian context to focus attention on the limited provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. By drawing on the work in identity and hybridity negotiation, the ‘voices' of six Latin American parents are discussed to show how identities are negotiated and intersect with language retention within the social fields of ‘race’, ethnicity and gender differences. Three emerging themes are highlighted: the diversity of the parents' experiences in negotiating identity and language retention in family life; the parents' experiences of identity as multiple; and identity as a site of transformation and struggle in child rearing and gendered family practices. These findings demonstrate the significance of parents' perspectives and experiences of identity and language retention in raising their children bilingually, which can inform equitable and innovative practices in the provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. In conclusion, the author invites early childhood educators to reframe their understandings of identity construction in young bilingual children.
The Sacred and the Profane in Early Childhood: An Englishman's Guide to Context and Policy
Authors: Gammage Philip
Published: November 2005

The change in family structures throughout the post-natural world (‘post-natural’ is used in the way that Anthony Giddens [BBC Reith Lectures, 1999] uses the term, i.e. when even child-rearing is largely no longer ‘natural’ and when institutions, technology and commerce have increasing sway over all dimensions of life) is briefly discussed together with some pressures that now inhibit, inform or constrain modern child rearing. The decline in the birth rate throughout Europe, Scandinavia, North America, and Australasia and the accelerating divorce rate are also seen as part of this changing context. Within these broad social changes comes the recent research on brain development during the early years of childhood. The extreme plasticity of the brain is discussed, as is the paradoxical and now somewhat archaic tendency for formal systems of education to invest in childhood after much of the formative learning is over. The article proposes that for ‘fitness of purpose’ we need educators and carers of vision and compassion, yet articulate and well read. It sees early childhood care and education as indivisible. The article notes that both policies and commercial interests may sometimes cause tension between indoctrination and education and between ‘accountability’ and professionalism. It sees professionalism as inherently ‘problematic’ and rightly about judgement, not about certainty. It insists that teachers and carers should be well educated, not merely trained, and suggests that without the intervention of effective, knowledgeable early years professionals, societies may increasingly lack a collective identity, unity and, perhaps, actual humanity. It builds upon this to suggest that integration of the prime services is best clustered around that of effective childcare and early education and that a professional yet ‘seamless approach’ to families, especially those in poverty, will handsomely repay child achievement and societal and family cohesion in the long term.
Recognition of Musical Instruments by Children between 4 and 6 Years of Age and Research concerning the Natural Sounds They Associate with Those Instruments
Authors: Artan Ismihan , Balat Gulden Uyanik
Published: November 2005

Musical instruments help children to gain a lot of experience related to sounds and they play an important role in supporting skill development in children. In addition, with instruments children can create and explore their own music, rather than participate with and react to others. In this school-based research study 147 children were chosen randomly from among those who attended private kindergartens in high socio-economic areas in the city center of Ankara, Turkey. All children were aged between 4 and 6 years. The research methodology comprised a questionnaire to gather demographic information about the children, the use of musical instruments and a set of cards containing pictures of musical instruments. When the children were asked the question, ‘What is music’, they answered mainly by saying, ‘playing a musical instrument’. Many of the children were able to identify musical instruments correctly when shown pictures of them.
An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play
Authors: Clements Rhonda
Published: November 2005

This study discusses the extent to which children in the USA today participate in active, outdoor play, compared with the previous generation. Eight hundred and thirty mothers nationwide were surveyed regarding their active, outdoor play experiences as children, as well as their children's play experiences today. The mother's play experiences, compared with the child's, clearly indicate that children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their mothers did as children. The study reveals several fundamental reasons for this decline, including dependence on television and digital media, and concerns about crime and safety. The study also conveys findings related to the frequent use of electronic diversions and discusses several suggestions for early childhood professionals, classroom teachers, and parents for fostering the child's enjoyment for outdoor play.
Research Reconsiderations concerning Cultural Differences
Authors: Becher Aslaug Andreassen
Published: November 2005

‘Minority children’ experience a lot of shifts in their cultural contexts. The author's work as a professional teacher in multicultural classes enabled her to focus on the research questions presented in this article. These questions concern the need for some minority children to achieve equal opportunities in the Norwegian educational system. The author uses her teaching practice and ethnographic notes to put forward two particular cases that illustrate the issues of her concern. Informant interviews with teachers in the same school inform the methodology. Positions outlined by Stephen May discussing degrees of essentialism in theory and practical work with children are used when discussing the cultural challenges involved in these cases. Following this, critical multiculturalism raises the question of cultural differences and of how to theorise and do research without creating culturally essentialising categories. This article alerts readers to the plight of children in shifting cultural contexts, to the challenges they are facing, and to the skills and competencies they are developing. It seeks to contribute to two current areas of debate, namely inclusive education and internationalisation.
It Takes a City to Raise the Children: The 2002 Shouguang City Early Childhood Education Initiative
Authors: Wu Fang , Li Xingbang , Wei Qiuhong
Published: November 2005

Through the 2002 Early Childhood Education Initiative, Shouguang City in the Shandong province of China expanded its early childhood education program to include children below the age of three. The strategies which were applied to ensure the successful implementation of the program included: (1) creating a three-tiered professional development program for preschool teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills in infant and toddler care; (2) opening activity centers for infants and toddlers cared for at home and their parents to provide them with professional early education services; (3) reaching out to families of children cared for at home by offering parental education and individualized consultation; and (4) utilizing local resources in the community to allow more young children access to much-needed learning materials. This Initiative has achieved its goal of raising the community's awareness of the importance of early childhood education. As a result, parents and teachers in the community have gained knowledge of child development and skills in early childcare, and more local children are receiving quality early education, which has consequently brought positive changes to the entire community.
The Creative Music Curriculum for Pre-Primary Schools
Authors: Lam Stella Wai Man , Wright Susan
Published: November 2005

This article examines the multifaceted nature of pre-primary music teachers' and supervisors' beliefs and practices in music education. It focuses on the general process of creativity (particularly as applied to music education); the classroom setting and how it influences the way music educators approach teaching and learning; and the structuring of music curricula to encourage higher levels of musical thinking in children. The article recommends that regular formal training opportunities in a creative music curriculum should be made available to equip teachers with the skills necessary to integrate music into their current curricula and to improve the quality of education.
‘Keeping the Infants of Coolies Out of Harm's Way’: Raj, Church and Infant Education in India, 1830–51
Authors: Kaur Baljit
Published: November 2005

Contrary to the widely accepted belief that no early childhood education provision was evident until the twentieth century, archives date the advent of infant schools in India to the 1830s in Bengal, contemporaneous with developments in England. The Church Missionary Society's infant schools aimed to educate children (and women) from the lower castes and classes or those in dire circumstances. The main objective was their moral rescue through the spread of Christianity along the lines suggested by Wilderspin. However, the Hooghly Infant School, started with Government backing after much debate, attracted boys from more privileged backgrounds. Despite continued social resistance in India well into the twentieth century to the institutional education of young children, the idea appealed to educated and wealthy Indians, who willingly sent their boys to infant school. This article, drawing on hitherto undocumented sources, tells the story of infant education in India between 1830 and 1851.
Starting School in Brunei: Listening to Children, Parents, and Teachers
Authors: Kitson Rosalind
Published: November 2005

This colloquium draws on recent cross-cultural research undertaken in Brunei exploring the transition of the child from home or nursery school to preschool, which is mandatory for all children in their fifth year. Preschool classes are a part of primary schools in the Bruneian education system and are administered by the Ministry of Education. Interviews were held with children, parents, and teachers to gain a comprehensive overview of the reality of the experience from the perspective of the participants. The colloquium concludes with suggestions for culturally appropriate ways to facilitate starting school.
Bilingual Environment and Bilingual Development of Korean-Chinese Children in Yanji, China
Authors: Choi Hyewon Park , Won Young Mee , Lee Kwee-Ock
Published: November 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent of children's access to media and the relation between the use of media and language development, including its determinants, among Korean-Chinese bilingual children in Yanji, China. Questionnaires were answered by 258 grade four students and their parents. The results indicated that these children had access to a variety of media (television, video cassette recorders, stereos, cassette recorders, computers, telephones, and mobile telephones). Specifically, the levels of home computer and Internet access were considerably high, with access rates of 49.4% and 24.5% respectively. The language used by the children (Korean or Chinese) while engaged with the media differed according to the type of media. They had more access to Korean newspapers, magazines, books, and radio. Our study indicated, however, that the children often used Chinese when using the computer. Television was the only form of media that was comparatively well-balanced, with children gaining access to programmes in both Korean and Chinese. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that the children's access to Chinese in media, the proficiency of the parents in Chinese, and parental affection as measured by the self-report were related to the children's level of proficiency in the Chinese language. Our study revealed that media may play an important role in the development of bilingualism and the mediation of parents plays a significant role as well.
Teachers' Philosophical Orientation and Practices: A Study of Novice Preschool Teachers in South Korea
Authors: Kim Mina
Published: November 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the philosophical basis of novice preschool teachers in South Korea and how this pedagogical orientation was reflected in their classrooms. Through interviews and observations, this research gave Korean preschool teachers the opportunity to voice their beliefs about child-centered pedagogy, and illuminated how their beliefs were reflected in their teaching. Interestingly, Korean preschool teachers strongly believed in the importance of child-centered learning, no matter what type of institution they had graduated from. However, their teaching styles were significantly different. Several external factors restricted the teachers and prevented them from implementing their own beliefs in practice. These factors included whether the teachers were in public or private settings, whether they had graduated from two-year or four-year teacher education programs, and the presence of the Korean culture. In conclusion, reform plans for South Korean kindergartens are suggested in order to improve the quality of early childhood education, as well as to provide more support for teachers.
The Culture of Teaching in the Midst of Western Influence: The Case of Hong Kong Kindergartens
Authors: Li Yuen Ling
Published: November 2005

Kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong are often criticised for not putting early childhood education theory into practice after their in-service training. It appears that they may be too concerned about academic work and discipline in the classroom and neglect to create a coherent vision of early childhood education. It might be suggested that kindergarten teachers have difficulties in coping with reform that advocates child-centred teaching approaches and active learning as the idealised vision of early childhood education when they have to cope with the Chinese cultural influence and parental demands for an early academic start. This article reviews the current teacher education provision and the cultural context of education in Hong Kong, and tracks the classroom strategies of kindergarten teachers in nine case studies. The findings of the study suggest that there is a general pattern for teaching in kindergartens. The culture of teaching tends to reflect the coping strategies of the teachers to overcome a triangle of potentially conflicting expectations and orientations: the vision of early childhood education, the Chinese culture, and local constraints. Moreover, simply training teachers would not ultimately change their practice unless the environment in which teachers work facilitated this. In view of this, teacher development and change are most possible if there is a change in views and attitudes towards teaching.