Household Income and Preschool Attendance in China

This article draws upon the literature showing the benefits of high‐quality preschools on child well‐being to explore the role of household income on preschool attendance for a cohort of 3‐ to 6‐year‐olds in China using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, 1991–2006. Analyses are conducted separately for rural (N = 1,791) and urban (N = 633) settings. Estimates from a probit model with rich controls suggest a positive association between household income per capita and preschool attendance in both settings. A household fixed‐effects model, conducted only on the rural sample, finds results similar to, although smaller than, those from the probit estimates. Policy recommendations are discussed.     

Child Care Decision Making: Understanding Priorities and Processes Used by Low-Income Families in Minnesota

Research Findings: Few studies have described parents' child care decision-making process, yet understanding how parents make child care choices is fundamental to developing effective services to promote the selection of high-quality care. This study used latent profile analysis to distinguish subgroups of low-income parents identified as having commonalities in the number of options, duration, and sources of information sought as part of their child care decision-making process. Study participants included 260 parents who participated in the baseline wave of the Minnesota Child Care Choices study, a longitudinal phone survey of welfare applicants. Two subgroups of parents were identified. The majority of parents (82%) made choices within 2 weeks and considered on average 2 arrangements. Fewer than half of these parents considered information from experts, public lists, or family members/friends when making a child care choice. The remaining 18% of the sample took on average 11 weeks to make a child care choice, considered on average 3 options, and relied more heavily on information from experts and family members/friends. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study have implications for the marketing of resource and referral counseling services, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, and consumer education aimed at facilitating the selection of high-quality care.     

Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children's Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families

Math skill in early childhood is a key predictor of future academic achievement. Parental engagement in math learning contributes to the growth of children's math skills during this period. To help boost parent-child engagement in math activities and children's math skills, we conducted an RCT lasting 12 weeks with 758 low-income preschoolers (3-5 years old) and their primary caregivers. Parents were randomized into five groups: 1) a control group, and groups that received 2) a digital tablet with math apps for children; 3) analog math materials for parents to use with children, 4) analog math materials with weekly text messages to manage parents' present bias; and 5) analog math materials with weekly text messages to increase parents' growth mindset. Relative to the control group, neither the analog math materials alone nor the analog materials with growth mindset messages increased child math skills during the intervention period. However, the analog math materials combined with messaging to manage present bias and the digital tablet with math apps increased child math skills by about 0.20 standard deviations (p=.10) measured six months after the intervention. These two treatments also significantly increased parents' self-reported time engaged in math activities with their children.     

Resilience in Preschoolers and Toddlers from Low-Income Families

Authoritative parenting has been demonstrated to promote healthy, loving children across home environments of different SES income levels. However, anecdotal evidence shows that some children who encounter nonsupportive parenting and an impoverished environment may develop into remarkably resilient children. Further research is needed in this area of child development.     

Causal Attributions and Reading Achievement: Individual Differences in Low-Income Families

In this study the development of causal attributions about reading within low-income families was examined. Specifically, relations between children's reading achievement and their causal attributions were investigated as well as relations between the children's attributions about themselves and their parents’ attributions about them. A total 513 students from Grades 3, 6, and 9, and one parent of each student, all from low-income families, participated. Students and parents independently rated the importance of seven causal variables (effort, intellectual ability, liking for reading, the teacher, help at home, difficulty of reading material, and luck) for the students’ good and poor reading outcomes. The major findings were that (a) at each grade, students’ attributions were reliably related to their reading achievement on the Gates–MacGinitie reading comprehension test, with attributions to ability, liking for reading, and help at home especially critical; (b) at each grade, parent attributions were reliably associated with student attributions; and (c) as students’ grade in school increased, they focused more on themselves and less on others as causal determinants of their reading performance. The implications of these findings for research and education are discussed.     

家校合作的阻滞因素及消解途径

家庭和学校是对学生成长最具影响的两大环境,应当通力合作。当前家校合作呈无序性、低层次性和片面性状态。家长缺乏参与学校教育的意识,部分教师也不希望家长介入学校教育,文凭社会导致功利化取向严重,这些都影响了家校合作的有效构建。家校要想实现有效合作,需要制定相关政策法规予以保障,要对教师和家长进行继续教育,让他们充分认识家校合作的意义。     

Understanding Associations Between Low-Income Mothers' Participation in Education and Parenting

Maternal education is one of the strongest predictors of children's academic outcomes. One possible explanation for this is that more highly educated mothers more frequently engage in parenting practices that may promote children's later cognitive development; however, most of this evidence is correlational. This study uses Head Start Impact Study data (N = 1,953) to explore whether low-income mothers' participation in education affects their parenting practices and beliefs. Principal scores, which predict maternal educational participation based on covariates, were used for analysis. Principal score matching was used to identify mothers who we predicted participated in education because their children were randomly assigned to Head Start. We compared these mothers' outcomes to those of mothers we predicted would have participated in education if they were assigned to Head Start. For these mothers, participation in maternal education was associated with children watching fewer hours of TV, having more types of printed media at home, and more frequent participation in cultural activities, but it was not associated with a host of other parenting outcomes. Changing parenting is one potential pathway by which maternal educational participation may influence children's later academic outcomes.     

Family Reading Behavior and Early Literacy Skills in Preschool Children From Low-Income Backgrounds

This study investigated the family reading behavior of 233 preschool children from low-income backgrounds who were attending Head Start. Parents completed a survey of their family reading behavior, including Child Reading, Parent Reading Interest, and Parent-Child Reading Interaction, and provided demographic data on their educational level, parent and child age, and family size. Children's receptive vocabulary, story and print concepts, letter knowledge, and general emergent literacy skills were assessed in the fall of their preschool year. Analyses focused on the variation in family reading behavior, the relationship between different dimensions of family reading behavior, and the contribution of family reading behavior to early literacy skills. Results indicated that Parent-Child Reading Interaction and Child Reading Interest were significantly related to children's early literacy skills. In addition, multiple regression analyses indicated that Parent-Child Reading Interaction was a small yet significant predictor of children's receptive vocabulary, story and print concepts, and general emergent literacy skills, above and beyond the influence of demographic variables. Child Reading Interest was a significant, albeit small, predictor of letter knowledge above and beyond these demographic controls. Implications of these results for the early literacy education of children of low-income families are discussed.     

Low-Income Central American Immigrant Mothers' Goals and Their Children's Classroom Competencies in Preschool

Research Findings: Unlike other Latino groups, there is little information about the early socialization of children from Central American (CA) immigrant families. This study examined CA immigrant mothers' short-term goals and the implications of these goals for children's behavior in preschool. A total of 47 low-income mothers described their goals for their children's behavior at home/with family and at school. Nearly all mothers described relatedness-oriented goals for their children at home and at school. Mothers emphasized autonomy-oriented goals predominantly for the school context. Mothers' emphases on certain goals in the home, but not goals for school, predicted teacher reports of children's social cooperation and approaches to learning in the classroom. Practice or Policy: Educators should be aware that relatedness-oriented goals are highly salient for CA immigrant parents. Immigrant parents might benefit from more information regarding the general goals of preschool. Educators should encourage mothers to set multiple early goals for their children, including learning-related goals for home. Educators and CA immigrant parents may support home–school continuity for children through mutual understanding of goals and values.     

城市发展与流动儿童学前教育

改革开放30余年来,进城务工人员为中国的经济发展与城市建设作出的贡献举世公认.然而,他们随迁子女的学前教育问题却迟迟未进入公众的视线范围之内.平民教育实践为这些流动儿童提供了最基本的学前教育服务.然而,政府有关部门的认识滞后和管理失当令平民教育处境尴尬.期待在<国务院关于当前发展学前教育的若干意见>(国发[2010]41号)出台的当下,政府能够采取切实有效的举措,以促进平民教育健康发展,满足流动儿童的学前教育需求.     

英语听力理解中的障碍性因素及其对策

听力是人们语言交际能力的重要方面，听力理解是语言知识与心理活动相互作用的过程，本文论述了影响英语听力理解的三大障碍因素，即：语言障碍，文化障碍和心理障碍，为克服各种障碍，作者提出了三环节教学模式，以及学生应掌握的听力技巧。     

英语交际中的文化障碍及对策

语言是文化的载体,与文化紧密相关。英语教学和文化教学应是有机的统一体,英语学习的目的是运用语言进行交际、交流。但单纯从语言、语法、词汇方面学习英语而不了解英语国家的文化、习俗是不够的,在语言交际中容易产生障碍和误解。本文从语言与文化的关系入手,分析了英语交际失败的文化因素及文化障碍并予以对比,提出一些有效对策,以便跨文化交际的信息准确传递。     

学前儿童生活习惯的影响因素及培养策略

学前儿童生活习惯是在日常生活中,日积月累而形成的心理品质和行为方式。学前儿童良好的生活习惯需要经过较长时间与环境的相互作用逐步形成,并受到多重因素影响。基于当前学前儿童的发展,从生活规律、家庭教养方式以及环境方面分析影响习惯养成的因素,捕捉和利用儿童身边一切可利用的资源,帮助儿童形成健康的生活习惯。注意日常渗透,养成良好习惯是儿童拥有美好未来的前提。     

英语口语教学的障碍与解决方法

目前我国学生存在的问题主要有词汇量不足、听说能力缺乏。他们存储的英语知识只能够应付单一的英语考试。造成这样局面的原因主要有:应试教育的要求,老师教学的误区以及学生英语词汇受限,无能交流。解决方法:老师鼓励学生培养听说能力,学生自主训练,创造良好的英语氛围。需要注意的问题:把已学的语法知识融会贯通,语言的标准性是衡量交际能力的重要尺度;正确认识英语与汉语的不同;克服不良的心理暗示;改变学习模式由被动转为主动把英语融入在生活的点点滴滴。     

Effects of Early and Recent Maternal Employment on Children from Low-Income Families

The effects of early maternal employment (employment during the child's first 3 years) and recent maternal employment (employment during the previous 3 years) on 189 second-grade children from low-income families were examined. Maternal employment was related to a number of selection factors. In comparison to mothers who were not employed, employed mothers scored higher on a mental aptitude test and were more highly educated. Both early and recent maternal employment were also associated with measures of the current family functioning: there was less poverty and higher HOME environment scores when mothers were employed. Hierarchical multiple regressions showed that children's math achievement was positively predicted by early maternal employment and children's reading achievement was positively predicted by recent maternal employment, even after controlling for selection effects and current family environment. These results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms by which maternal employment may affect children's development.     

The Effects of Teacher Professional Development on Children’s Attendance in Preschool

Abstract

Student absenteeism is a widespread and critical issue in early childhood education. Current efforts to reduce student absenteeism in both preschool and K–12 settings have largely been family- and parent-focused interventions. Yet, interventions targeting teachers and schools may similarly be effective tools to improve student attendance. We utilize data from a large-scale, experimental evaluation of an early childhood professional development intervention to examine whether it impacted children’s absenteeism and chronic absenteeism. Although the professional development targeted the quality of teacher-child interactions and did not target children’s absenteeism, we find that the professional development reduced student absence rates by 1.0 percentage points (equivalent to approximately an additional 1.9?days of preschool). The professional development also reduced chronic absenteeism by 6.0 percentage points. Impacts were concentrated among lower-income children. Implications for policies targeting student absenteeism in preschool settings are discussed.