Where students are in their development shapes how they behave and whether they succeed. An awareness of how students develop identity and motivation can help educators guide students as they set goals for the future. Bouffard and Savitz-Romer share strategies for helping students see themselves as college graduates. They also explain how the…

A group of six children from kindergarten/first grade class in a Reggio-inspired program were involved in a four-month project to design an outdoor area in which indoor materials could be used. Facilitated by teachers and student teachers, projects provide a venue for children's integrated, developmentally appropriate learning. Because they…

Effective teacher educators reflect and upon reflection, make important changes to lessons, units, and instructional strategies. But have they ever considered the importance reflection has for students or what bearing "their" reflections have on them as their teachers? During the first six weeks of the (introductory) Child Development…

This paper reports on an ongoing research programme designed to investigate the opportunities for, and barriers to, pre-service teachers' growth as practitioners of developmentally appropriate practice for children aged 5-11. The analysis is framed by a Vygotskian cultural-historical perspective and points to personal, cultural and structural…

This article presents rationale for an enhanced inquiry approach to science education that authentically integrates content knowledge and application skills in a middle school science curriculum. Such pedagogy ensures students' attainment of national and state standards for learning science and multiple literacies (e.g. language arts and…

This study examines the illustrations and the texts of thirteen picture books for young children on the topic of preparing for and starting kindergarten to assess whether, and to what extent, they depict forty-nine criteria for developmentally appropriate kindergarten practice. Results show that the books vary in quality and coverage, but they are…

The purpose of this action research study was to understand, evaluate, and improve the developmental advising practices used at a Washington State community college. This action research study endeavored to strengthen the developmental advising model originally designed to support the college's marginalized students. Guiding questions for the…

Vocabulary forms a relentless divide between children who succeed and those who do not. This divide is often between poor children and their privileged counterparts. Without vocabulary knowledge, children cannot interpret text meaningfully or respond in ways that enable them to fully participate in classroom discussions. "All About…

Early childhood is the most intensive period for the development of physical skills. Writing progress depends largely on the development of fine motor skills involving small muscle movements of the hand. Young children need to participate in a variety of developmentally appropriate activities intentionally designed to promote fine motor control.…

The investigators compared the perceived attainment of developmental tasks by 181 German adolescents with hearing loss and 254 peers without hearing loss. The adolescents with hearing loss were attending special schools for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. On average, the two groups perceived similar levels of success across the assessed…

Although parents may try to shield their children from information that may be upsetting to them, inevitably they will be exposed to life's challenges and painful realities. People live in the "information age" and children are frequently bombarded with overwhelming news from the media. Since children are very aware of the emotions of the adults…

The authors argue for a clearer understanding of the role of research in the preparation of educational professionals at the doctoral level. Building on the work of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), the authors define the nature of problems of practice, offer three ways in which professional practitioners engage research in…

The authors question the answer the national Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) claims. The questions center on the validity of the new standardized tests based on the CCSS and teachers' evaluations being tied to student test scores on flawed tests. The proposed tests on the CCSS will position children as deficient, and will not recognize…

This qualitative research examined how two early childhood educators initially integrated tablet technology in the curriculum through classroom observation, interviews and a review of documentation. The overall question was: how are early childhood educators initially integrating tablet technologies in the curriculum? The researcher also asked…

This project study addressed the problem of teachers at a local elementary school site attempting to implement a standards-based health initiative with a minimal amount of instructional strategies designed to support the new curriculum. The purpose of the study was to examine current health instruction by gathering teachers' perceptions and lived…