Noting that the quality of early childhood education (ECE) programs offered in public schools is directly affected by the understanding of and value placed on such a program by the building principal, this qualitative study examined principals' understanding and beliefs about children's play and its place in K-2 early childhood programs. Phase 1…

This study investigated the extent to which preservice teachers could differentiate developmentally appropriate from inappropriate practices in the education of young children. Responses to 2 teaching scenarios were collected from 158 junior and/or senior early childhood teacher education majors from a university in the mid-South. Results…

This study investigated whether there were differences in science teachers' efficacy, perceptions of support and knowledge of developmentally appropriate curriculum and instruction in the two organizationally different settings of the junior high and the middle school. Teacher questionnaires were used as a source of data. From 127 returned…