States have often introduced programs supporting science, technology, engineering and math in the secondary grades. Yet the evidence of STEM's positive impact on young children's development makes a compelling case for engaging learners in pre-K through third grade in consistent, authentic and high-quality STEM experiences. High-quality P-3 STEM…

Background: As policymakers and advocates across the United States look to early childhood educators to improve children's cognitive development so they enter elementary school ready to learn, debates have emerged over what types of practices these educators should be engaged in to achieve this goal. Historically, the field of early childhood…

The Scale of Primary Classroom Practices (SPCP) is a short instrument which enables primary school teachers to observe and assess what goes on in their classrooms. The SPCP is divided into sections that describe teachers' and students' activities. A study of the SPCP has provided support for the reliability and construct validity of the scale.…

Notes that primary grade teachers attempting to implement developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in their classrooms must contend with the competing professional models of early childhood education and elementary schooling. Describes the practices of one primary grade teacher, which, despite problems of interpretation, inconsistency, and only…

The cornerstone of the High/Scope approach to early elementary education is the belief that active learning is fundamental to the full development of human potential and that active learning occurs most effectively in settings that provide developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. This guide and accompanying videotape are intended to…

Questionnaire, comprised of Teacher Belief Scale and Instructional Activities Scale and intended to measure kindergarten teachers' beliefs about and reported practices related to developmentally appropriate education, was administered to 204 teachers. Several reliable factors were identified. Teachers in 20 classrooms were observed. Found…

In the primary grades, literacy teachers often face dual and competing challenges. On one hand, they are expected to provide developmentally appropriate practice in a contextually-sensitive manner. On the other hand, they are often charged with using packaged literacy curricula that contains components that are developmentally inappropriate for…

This study examined kindergarten retention rates and their relationship to teacher beliefs and classroom practice. Data from a sub-sample of 22 teachers in a rural Georgia school district, who were classified as exhibiting either high or low levels of developmental appropriateness in their teaching, suggested that teachers whose practices were…

Presents a teacher's reflections on the need to know about, and talk with parents and other teachers about, the benefits of using a child development-based, whole language, thematic approach to teaching in the primary grades. (BB)

Although bound by tradition and physical location to elementary schooling, the primary grades are also considered the capstone experience of early childhood education. Primary grade teachers are required to bridge these two disparate worlds, constantly mediating, negotiating, translating, and compromising. This paper describes the experience of…

This study used the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) "Developmentally Appropriate Practices" (1987) guidelines to determine continuity across the primary grades with regard to developmentally appropriate practices (DAPs). It also sought to determine if there was a significant relationship among administrators,…

This preliminary study aimed to develop measures that could be used to differentiate kindergartens employing developmentally appropriate and inappropriate instructional practices, and explore the relationship between appropriate and inappropriate practices and stress behaviors of 37 kindergarten children. Four instruments were used to gather data:…

Twenty kindergarten classrooms were observed during two full days of integrated language instruction. Over 300 observed literacy tasks were analyzed by activity format, duration, cognitive complexity, organization, and participation structures. Results indicated that, although most of the activities were meaning based, over half of the observed…

This study examined parent and teacher attitudes toward developmentally appropriate instructional practice compared to traditional skill-based instruction in the classroom. The study surveyed parents and teachers of kindergarten, first, and second grade students in Marin County, California. The results of the surveys showed that most parents and…

This article elaborates on three principles which are the foundation of the developmental approach to early childhood education. These principles are multiage grouping, nongraded curricular materials, and interactive teaching. (IAH)