Pre-kindergarten teachers' beliefs In this American study, 30 pre-kindergarten teachers of four-year-olds, half working in publicly-funded settings and half in private settings, were interviewed concerning two fictitious teachers' contrasting ideas on teaching maths to young children. The publicly-funded teachers tended to support a strong focus on goal-based maths teaching at pre-kindergarten level and at home.
The private setting teachers tended to endorse flexible maths education relying on a child-centred curriculum and child-initiated learning and to oppose the instructional use of computers. Both groups mentioned that teachers needed to provide maths education in a fun manner, without triggering stress or anxiety.
Lee, J and Ginsburg, H. Journal of Early Childhood Research 5(1): 2-31, Feb 2007. Abstract: www.sagepub.com
Musical style discrimination in the early years It is difficult to investigate musical style sensitivity in young children. In this study, 15 three- to four-year-olds heard eight musical excerpts (four classical and four popular), as often as they wished. Each excerpt was split into short tracks on two different tapes, and the children were asked to match the pairs. Results suggest that some degree of sensitivity to musical style was present in children as young as three. About half of the children displayed an ability to discriminate between and match musical cues.
Marshall, N and Hargreaves, D. Journal of Early Childhood Research 5(1): 32-46, Feb 2007. Abstract: www.sagepub.com
The caregiving context in institution-reared and family-reared infants and toddlers in Romania Videotaped observations made of 208 infants age five to 31 months and their favourite caregiver in their 'home' environment were coded for caregiving quality, and related to child characteristics. Of the children, 124 were living in institutions and 66 in the community. Children raised in institutions demonstrated marked delays in cognitive development, poorer physical growth, and marked deficits in competence. Individual differences in caregiving environment were associated with cognitive development, competence, and negative behaviour among these children being reared in institutions.
Smyke, A et al. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 48(2): 210-218, Feb 2007. Abstract: www.blackwell-synergy.com
Postnatal factors associated with failure to thrive in term infants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Nearly 12,000 infants from ALSPAC (born 1991-1992) were studied. Conditional weight gain was calculated for birth to 8 weeks (yielding 528 cases of growth faltering), and 8 weeks to 9 months (495 cases of growth faltering). The most important postnatal factors associated with growth faltering are the type and efficiency of feeding: no associations were found with social class or parental education.
Emond, A et al. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2007 92(2): 115-119, Feb 2007. Abstract: http://www.fetalneonatal.com/ Preventing childhood obesity - examining what initiatives work The European Food Information
