In this paper, we identify ways in which the learning of very young children can be supported by practitioners developing a schematic pedagogy which focuses on structures of children's thinking. First, we provide a critical overview of relevant literature on schemas and schematic approaches to pedagogy. We then outline an original study undertaken…

Publicly funded center-based preschool programs were designed to enhance low-income children's early cognitive and social-emotional skills in preparation for kindergarten. In the U.S., the federal Head Start program and state-funded public school-based pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs are the two primary center-based settings in which low-income…

Chaos in the home is a key environment in cognitive and behavioural development. However, we show that children's experience of home chaos is partly genetically mediated. We assessed children's perceptions of household chaos at ages 9 and 12 in 2337 pairs of twins. Using child-specific reports allowed us to use structural equation modelling to…

This brief summarizes the working paper, "The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain," and explains why neglect, or the absence of responsive, supportive care, can affect the formation of the developing brain, impairing later learning, behavior, and health. The brief also includes…

This paper discusses concepts of learning through "collaborative multimodal dialogue". It draws on an ESRC-funded study (RES-000-22-2451) investigating 3- and 4-year-old children's encounters with literacy as they engage with a range of printed and digital technologies at home and in a nursery. The study goes beyond analysis of spoken language,…

In an attempt to identify parent-child interaction patterns that might differentiate bright from below-average elementary students, 16 high achievers and 16 low achievers were paired with their mothers and then videotaped whilst engaged in 3 sets of task situations, which involved copying of Block Design models and categorization of words and…

This collection of eight essays examines the current and future status of early childhood education and care (educare), focusing on Europe but also addressing issues applicable to the wider world. The essays are: (1) "Early Childhood Intervention: An Overview of Practice North and South" (John Bennett); (2) "Developing the Child's…

This summary report to the families of the subject children involved in the Pre-School Project outlines in a non-technical manner the methods and category systems used to examine the information gathered and to interpret the findings drawn from the data. The two major interests of the Pre-School Project were: (1) the moment-to-moment experience of…

This paper challenges those involved in early childhood education to reexamine unquestioned assumptions concerning the benefits of early schooling. A synergic effect is posited by bringing together research areas that had formerly remained somewhat autonomous: Neurophysiology, vision, hearing, parent attitudes, affective domain, comparative school…

Used observations and home visits to examine sex differences in language ability of 54 disadvantaged children at risk for poor language outcomes. Found that language difficulties increased over time, boys were at a constant disadvantage to girls in language development, and sex difference in language ability appeared even when families had similar…

Home environments have been linked to cognitive development and academic performance, with suggestions that family factors exert more influence on language and literacy learning than on mathematics achievement. This study's purpose was to learn how selected family factors might be differentially related to primary grade achievement in reading and…

A discussion of the development of bilingualism in preschool-age children, intended for parents, focuses on the reasons for encouraging bilingualism and the role of family members and home environment in doing so. An introductory section offers background information on the book and a brief examination of the situation for emigrants coping with a…