We investigated the extent to which practices considered developmentally appropriate and inappropriate varied by preschool program auspice (private, public school, and Head Start). Survey data from a 2010 national sample of 2,664 teachers of 4-year-olds provided teacher reports on the frequency of seven practices (e.g., offering children choices…

This study examined how and to what extent a prekindergarten teacher's perceptions of ready children and diversity--which are influenced by broader societal culture--influence their abilities and ways of incorporating children's funds of knowledge into their practice. The methodology used was based on a descriptive case study of a teacher, Linda,…

High-quality learning environments are critical to support students' learning and development. This study supported eight lead teachers of Starting Strong classrooms in four different early learning programs to try to improve teachers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) within their classrooms. Four…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how kindergarten teachers describe their use, as well as the effectiveness and value, of developmentally appropriate practices for teaching kindergarten curriculum in a mid-size urban school district in New Jersey. It was not known how kindergarten teachers describe their use, as…

The authors propose decentering the child as a critical motion in the education of pedagogists who work to refuse developmental pedagogies in early childhood education. Tracing how child-centered developmental practices are obstacles for deeper ethical and intellectual work and reiterate anthropocentric relationalities, they offer two propositions…

Learn how to cultivate a commitment to justice with young children in developmentally appropriate ways (pre-K-grade 6). Transformative social and emotional learning (TSEL) is an asset-based, culturally responsive way of teaching that sees social and emotional learning and social justice as inextricably linked. This practical guide will support…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the significance of how pre-K and kindergarten teachers' perception and implementation of instruction prepares children for literacy in both grade levels. Three research questions guided the study: Are pre-K and kindergarten curricula aligned with implementing emergent literacy skills in…

The purpose of this study was to gain insights into how a PreK teacher's beliefs on readiness shaped how she adopted/adapted to a new practice that was intended to provide responsive mathematics education. To explore these issues, I constructed one descriptive case study of a teacher's beliefs and practice based on data from a broader research…

This study investigated the pedagogical strategies implemented by preschool teachers to scaffold social and emotional learning (SEL) in socioeconomically disadvantaged children (ages 3-4) during the 2020-2021 school year amidst COVID-19 in the United States. The participants consisted of eight teachers (representing four teaching teams of one lead…

How can online modules be used to teach undergraduate students or pre-service teachers the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) for guiding young children's behavior? To examine this overarching question, this study developed online modules with video teaching components, and conducted both formative and summative evaluations…

As teachers worldwide struggle to serve an ever-increasing number of children and their families who do not speak the dominant language, the authors present a research-based scenario illustrating practices in Hungarian preschools.

The researchers conducting this study explored kindergarten teachers' knowledge level of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early years settings in Jordan. Data were collected from 180 kindergarten teachers working in Amman Governorate. A 37-item questionnaire was designed to reflect the concepts of DAP as presented in the National…

In this study, a modified version of the Curriculum Orientation Inventory for Early Childhood Education (COI-ECE) is developed and validated with a sample of 717 in-service teachers from fifty Hong Kong pre-primary schools. Results of confirmatory factor analysis show that the curriculum beliefs of pre-primary school teachers can be conceptualised…

The culture of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) teaching is still new among preschool teachers. Nevertheless, STEAM teaching is seen as challenging to be implemented if there is no clear guideline prepared by qualified experts. Therefore, a need analysis on STEAM teaching strategies ought to be conducted to ensure the…

An individual is born with millions of neurons and the quality of the experiences he/she will have at the early years can potentially determine the future life of that person. This makes quality early childhood education pivotal. However, the perception people have about this influence how they prepare themselves to provide that quality early…