Research Findings: The National Association for the Education of Young Children's guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) have been imported and researched by others across the globe. A central issue that has arisen for these international early childhood educators is whether these best practices are sensitive to the…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of story time and reading stories on the development of toddlers' social and emotional skills between 24 and 36 months of age. A sample of 10 toddlers was randomly selected from three different classes at the laboratory nursery of The University of Jordan. A pre-test and post-test were…

The present study aimed at investigating kindergarten teachers' views of the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Data were collected by an open-ended questionnaire, interviews, and observations. Forty-four kindergarten teachers in the United Arab Emirates responded to the questionnaire; six teachers were later interviewed. Results revealed…

This practicum report describes the development of a systematic method whereby students would be able to select internship sites that demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. Students in a child development internship program were provided guidelines for selecting an appropriate field placement; students were…

This report presents the main findings of the first phase of an ongoing study on improving the quality of children's early learning in England and Wales. The purpose of the project is to investigate the ways in which early learning in group settings can be improved by raising the quality of the practice of those professionals who work with young…

The extent of developmentally appropriate practices was studied in 103 kindergarten classrooms across North Carolina. Ninety-three teachers and 93 principals were also surveyed to determine predictors of classroom quality. Only 20 percent of the classes met criteria for developmental appropriateness, and quality was predictable from teacher and…

This practicum was designed to develop learning experiences for teachers which would improve their ability to be accountable for children's progress in play-oriented educational programs. The primary objective was to increase teachers' competence with regard to knowledge about play, and their skill in assessing and reporting developmental progress…

This ongoing study is designed to examine the quality of early childhood education in England and Wales, identifying key aspects of professional ability crucial to the quality of children's learning. It also seeks to generate criteria for promoting the development of these aspects of professional ability and to develop consequent criteria for…

This article explores beliefs of Asian Indian teachers regarding the importance of use of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms. A total of 178 Asian Indian early childhood teachers working in various early childhood classrooms in the southern part of India participated in the study. The teachers filled out a…