Representations of the child's social behavior and attachment to the kindergarten teacher in their drawing

In the theoretical part of this paper, the author gives answers to the question of whether a real attachment relationship can exist between a child and a non-maternal caretaker. She introduces diagnostic meaning of children's drawings. The purpose of the study was to investigate how children's social behavior and their attachment to the kindergarten teachers (secure, anxious) are represented in their drawings entitled 'Myself in the kindergarten'. Ninety-five children (50.5% boys), ranging from 3 to 6 years of age, and their kindergarten teachers participated in the study. Teachers completed the questionnaire about children's social behavior—SV-O and types of attachment were determined on the basis of the evaluations the teachers gave on the revised version of the Attachment Q-set and the evaluation scale of the child's behavior toward pre-school teacher, the CBPT. The children received instructions to draw themselves in the kindergarten, their kindergarten teacher, a coeval, and a toy. As the drawing task was complete, the teachers carried out a structured interview with the child about his/her drawing. Differences in drawing signs were found to reflect children's social behavior and the quality of their relationship toward the kindergarten teacher. This paper also presents the limitations of the research, which should be considered in the interpretation of the obtained results.     

The role of child negative affect in the relations between parenting styles and play

Interactions between parenting styles and children's negative affect in the prediction of reticent, solitary-active, and rough-and-tumble play behaviours were examined. The present study involved 98 children, their mothers and their preschool teachers. Participants (53 boys and 45 girls) were a mean age of 3.83 years (standard deviation = 0.69). Mothers completed questionnaires pertaining to their disciplinary rearing styles and their child's negative affect. Preschool/daycare teachers completed a measure concerning children's indoor-free play behaviours. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed two significant interactions between parenting styles and children's negative affect in the prediction of play behaviours. For example, it was found that emotion coaching parenting was negatively related to rough-and-tumble play for children low in negative affect but not for children high in negative affect. Implications of these findings, and others, are discussed in terms of goodness of fit, overprotective parenting and their overall importance for children's social development.     

Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs About Promoting Peer Competence

The primary purpose of this study was to describe early childhood teachers' beliefs about the importance of young children's social competence with peers, and their beliefs about their own influence on children's developing peer competence. Teachers' beliefs specific to the promotion of peer competence were also examined in relation to their beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice and the observed quality of their classroom environment. Data were collected from 22 teachers of children from age three through six, using interview, various questionnaires, and observations with the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Results suggest that teachers valued peer competence in early childhood, but academic goals were more frequently valued than social goals. Teachers viewed peer competencies as more strongly influenced by the child's inherent nature than by teachers' efforts, but reported a moderate degree of self-efficacy for the promotion of peer competence. Lower program quality was associated with lesser commitment to social goals, and with the perception that promoting peer competence is an easy task. Lower program quality was also associated with a higher ranking of the influence of parents on children's peer competence. Implications for teacher education and future research are discussed.     

Using clustering techniques to identify localities with multiple health and social needs

Development of health promoting policies requires an understanding not just of the interplay between different measures of health but also their relationship with broader education, criminal justice and other social issues. Methods to better utilise multi-sectoral data to inform policy are needed. Applying clustering techniques to 30 health and social metrics we identify 5 distinct local authority types, with poor outcomes for the majority of metrics concentrated in the same cluster. Clusters were distinguished especially by levels of: child poverty; breastfeeding initiation; children's tooth decay; teenage pregnancy; healthy eating; mental illness; tuberculosis and smoking deaths. Membership of the worst cluster (C5) was focused in Northern England which contains 15.7% of authorities analysed (n=324), but 63.0% of those in C5. The concentration of challenges in certain areas creates disproportionate pressures that may exceed the cumulative effects of individual challenges. Such distinct health clusters also raise issues of transferability of effective policies between areas with different cluster membership.     

Self-perceptions of competence and social support in Korean children

This study assesses the effects of social support from parents, teachers, and peers on various dimensions of children's self-perception. The Korean versions of the Self-Perception Profile and Social Support Scale were administered to 189 Korean elementary school children in grades three through six. Children's perceived scholastic competence can best be explained by teachers' unique contribution and joint effects of parents with peers and teachers. Teacher support is a strong contributing factor to children's perceived physical appearance and athletic competence, while peer support is important for children's perception of social acceptance and behavioral conduct.     

Peer Relationships and Play Behaviors of Children in Three Different Sized Classes Over a Four Month Period

Class size effects on children's social interaction with peers and teachers were studied. Studies show that large class sizes negatively influenced the quality of adult-child interactions. However, based on previous studies, it is suspected that large class sizes may not negatively affect children's peer relationships. Subjects were 70 preschoolers and seven teachers in three 40, three 30, and one 20 sized classes in Korea. Early in a semester and at the end of the semester, sociometric interviews were done to identify peer relationships. Children's play behaviors and teachers' behaviors were observed. Results showed that teachers' behaviors did not significantly differ when their education and training backgrounds were similar. However, children in various sized classes showed differences in their relationship formations and play behaviors with peers across the semester. This study concludes class size affects children's peer networks, and the differences in play behavior may be related to the differences in peer relationships.     

Less than optimal parenting strategies predict maternal low-level depression beyond that of child transgressions

The relationship between less than optimal parenting styles, child transgressions and maternal depression were examined. It was predicted that variations in parenting styles would predict maternal depression over and above child transgressions. The present study involved approximately 68 children, their mothers and their preschool teachers. Participants included 36 male and 32 female children with a mean age of 50.76 months (standard deviation = 8.32), their mothers and their teachers. Mothers completed questionnaires on parenting styles and maternal depression, while teachers completed a questionnaire on children's social behaviours. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that less than optimal parenting (authoritarian parenting style and emotion dismissing emotional style) predicted maternal depression over and above child transgressions (aggressive, asocial, excluding, anxious and hyperactive behaviours). Additional analyses revealed that mothers who engage in less than optimal parenting strategies are likely to experience augmented levels of depression. Overall mothers' parenting styles appear to be more salient in determining their negative moods than their children's transgressions. Results are discussed in terms of parenting self-efficacy, learned hopelessness and directions for future research.     

Strategies for improving disability awareness and social inclusion of children and young people with cerebral palsy

Background Children and youth with disabilities are at a higher risk of being socially excluded or bullied while at school compared with their typically developing peers. This study explored disabled children's suggestions for improving social inclusion. Methods Fifteen children with cerebral palsy were interviewed or took part in a group discussion about social inclusion and bullying. All interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results The children and youth described several strategies to help improve social inclusion at school including: (1) disclosure of condition and creating awareness of disability; (2) awareness of bullying; (3) developing a peer support network and building self-confidence; and (4) suggestions on what teachers can do. Conclusions It is recommended that children's suggestions be considered within the classroom context to enhance the social inclusion and participation of children with disabilities.     

Pretend play, social competence and involvement in children aged 5–7 years: The concurrent validity of the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment

Background and aims:  The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between pretend play, social competence and involvement in school-based activities in children aged 5–7 years and to determine whether children's social competence and level of involvement could be inferred from their scores on the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.
Procedure:  The pretend play skills of 41 primary school-aged children aged 5–7 years were assessed on a one-on-one basis. Classroom teachers of the children assessed the children's social competence using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale and their involvement in school based activities using the Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children.
Main findings:  Significant positive relationships were found between elaborate pretend play and object substitution scores, involvement scores and peer play interaction scores ( P <  0.05, P  < 0.01). A significant negative relationship was found between elaborate pretend play scores, and social disconnection and social disruption scores ( P  < 0.05). Play deficit indicators were significantly negatively related to involvement scores ( P <  0.01). This suggests that children with proficient pretend play skills are socially competent with peers and are able to engage in classroom activity. Children who scored poorly on the play assessment were more likely to have difficulty interacting with their peers and engaging in school activities.
Conclusion:  Social competence and involvement skills are related to a child's ability to engage in pretend play. A child's social skills and ability to engage in school activities as assessed by teachers can be inferred from their scores on the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.     

Treatment preferences of overweight youth and their parents in Western Canada

The purpose of this study was to examine the family environment and assess treatment preferences among overweight youth and their parents. Data were collected via 41 interviews with parents and children from the wait-list of a weight management clinic and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Framed around an ecological framework, findings ranged from proximal family issues to more distal policy issues. At the family level, parents attempted to influence their children's lifestyle behaviors by using contradictory and inconsistent strategies that reflected extremes of leniency and control. There was resistance to reducing screen time because participants thought that it was important for the children's social lives. Participants desired better help from health care professionals, requested family-centered treatment, expressed a desire for increased social support, and needed policy/ program-level changes to assist their weight management efforts. These findings offer insight into the complexity of individual, familial, and environmental factors that impact both behavior change and health services delivery in pediatric weight management.     

Teachers' Roles in Promoting Literacy in the Context of Play

This study focuses on the roles teachers undertake to promote literacy in a kindergarten classroom. Five early childhood teachers and their children participated in this study. Data were collected through systematic videotaped observations during the children's play periods. Inductive content analysis was the method used to analyze the data. The results identify, define, and describe the teachers' roles that they assumed in promoting the children's literacy development in the context of children's play. Teacher roles supporting literacy learning in children's play were identified, defined, and described as discussion leader, storyteller, examiner, instructional guide, informer, learning center monitor and decision-maker.     

Campaigning against the physical punishment of children

Campaigning Against the Physical Punishment of Children

This paper aims to provide an overview of the Irish Society for the prevention of cruelty to children's (ISPCC) campaign against the physical punishment of children and aims to provide practical suggestions for starting and running a campaign to protect children from physical punishment and deliberate humiliation in their homes, in schools and other institutions and in the penal system. Hitting and deliberately hurting children has always been wrong. Now, at last, as we enter the new millennium there is a serious worldwide challenge to this dangerous and disrespectful practice. This paper seeks to emphasise that together we can end social and legal acceptance of violent and humiliating punishment of children.     

Parents and Drug Education: Parents' Concerns, Attitudes and Needs

Parents play a key role in their children's education and social development and therefore can be very influential to their children's learning about drugs. Despite this there has been little research done to date that explores parents' perceptions. This paper reports research from questionnaires, which sampled 947 parents of 14-16-year-olds, telephone interviews of 60 of these responses and six focus groups of primary and secondary school parents. The issues explored included parents' concerns, needs and knowledge of drugs issues in respect to their children as well as parents' perspective on drug education. The results show that parents are concerned about drugs in relation to their children, and report that drugs are easily available to young people and very much part of today's youth culture. The study revealed that parents are largely misinformed about the drug situation and request accurate and up-to-date information. They are unaware of their children's school drug policies and programmes and feel the need for easier access to relevant services. Parents rate drug education as important and report it should begin at late primary school age. Parents predominantly want their children to be taught the 'Just Say No' message. Finally, issues of communication about drugs, between parent(s) and their chiid(ren), were raised. A number of implications of the results for drug education are presented.     

Promoting a Social Justice Approach to Prevention: Future Directions for Training,Practice, and Research

The final paper of this special issue devoted to prevention and social justice calls for prevention practitioners and researchers to redirect their energy and resources to creating genuine social change. To begin, the contribution of the American Psychological Association ethical code to social justice-oriented prevention work is explored, and significant ethical issues that need to be further addressed by the current code are briefly outlined. Second, we discuss the implications of a social justice approach to prevention for training, practice and research. Finally, we invite readers to take the lead in putting a social justice prevention approach into practice.     

Play in the classroom: a descriptive study of preschool teachers' beliefs

The purpose of this study was to describe preschool teachers' intervention during children's free play. A Weberian sociological framework was used to examine teachers' beliefs and thus their decisions about play. Three preschool teachers were video filmed during free play and later interviewed about observed intervention episodes. The teachers were prompted to talk about what happened during the event, what they were thinking about, and for what reason they intervened. The teachers held differing beliefs and their actions were related to their belief systems. The teachers based their decisions upon their personal system of educational principles concerning how teachers should teach, how children learn, and early childhood curriculum. The reasons for intervention fell into one of the three Weberian constructs: cultural influences, social-political influences, and economic influences. Cultural influences included decisions based upon the child's language development, social development, or value development. Social-political influences included decisions based upon the teacher's role, conflict of rules, learning and the curriculum, and timing of play. Economic influences included decisions based upon the scarcity of goods, particularly the supply of materials and the teacher's time.     

Social correlates of cognitive style in young children

This study examines several social correlates of field dependent #opFD#cp and field independent #opFI#cp children. Five-year-old kindergarten children's #op28,14 males and 14 females#cp cognitive style and social behaviors were assessed. The results challenged the theory as more FI children were not able to assume a role and solve a problem. In addition, the children's social competence showed that teachers perceived the more FD children as more socially competent. Teachers also perceived FD pairs of children where one child was accepted and the other was rejected as more socially competent. Both FD and FI children who were rejected as playmates by other children were found to engage in more social play. FD children more than FI children tended to play more in the different play areas. FD children's frequency of play related to the different play areas. When play areas and play behaviors were integrated, more relationships were found with Fl children than with FD children. FI children engaged in more physical, manipulative, and block play.     

Parenting and physical punishment: primary care interventions in Latin America.

Physical punishment is a form of intrafamilial violence associated with short- and long-term adverse mental health outcomes. Despite these possible consequences, it is among the most common forms of violent interpersonal behavior. For many children it begins within the first year of life. The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of involving public sector primary health care providers to inform parents about alternatives to physical punishment. The study used a qualitative design utilizing focus groups and survey questionnaires with parents and providers at six clinic sites chosen to be representative of public sector practice settings in Costa Rica and in metropolitan Santiago, Chile. The data were collected during 1998 and 1999. In the focus groups and surveys the parents voiced a range of opinions about physical punishment. Most acknowledged its common use but listed it among their least preferred means of discipline. Frequency of its use correlated positively with the parents' belief in its effectiveness and inversely with their satisfaction with their children's behavior. Some parents wanted to learn more about discipline; others wanted help with life stresses they felt led them to use physical punishment. Parents reported they chose other family members more frequently as a source of parenting information than they did health care providers. Some parents saw providers as too rushed and not knowledgeable enough to give good advice. Providers, in turn, felt ill equipped to handle parents' questions, but many of the health professionals expressed interest in more training. Parents and providers agreed that problems of time, space, and resources were barriers to talking about child discipline in the clinics. Many parents and providers would welcome a primary-care-based program on physical punishment. Such a program would need to be customized to accommodate local differences in parent and provider attitudes and in clinic organization. Health care professionals need more training in child discipline and in the skills required to interact with parents on issues relating to child behavior.     

School Age Workaholic Children: Type A Behaviors, Self-esteem, Anxiety and Locus of Control

The relationships between childhood workaholism and Type A behaviors among school-age children were examined in terms of their self-esteem, anxiety, and locus of control. A total of 40 elementary-school children, their parents, and teachers took a battery of tests. No relationships were found between child Type A behaviors as rated by parents and children's self-perceived workaholism, self-esteem, anxiety, and locus of control. There was no relationship between parental workaholism and any of the child instrument scores. Teachers' competitiveness ratings of children were positively related to children's internal locus of control and social self-esteem. Teachers' impatience ratings of children were negatively related to children's school self-esteem. Workaholism among the children was positively related to their anxiety and inversely related to their self-esteem and internal locus of control. Child anxiety also was inversely related to childhood self-esteem and internal locus of control.     

Teacher-Child Interactions and Preschool Children's Perceptions of Self and Peers

This study examined connections between teacher-child interaction and children's perceptions of self and peers. Forty-seven predominately white, middle-class preschoolers (twenty-seven boys, twenty girls; forty European-American, two Hispanic, two African-American, three Asian) were observed during indoor and outdoor activity at their preschool over a period of four months. Children's time spent interacting with teachers, as well as children's cooperative behavior, emotional expressions, and aggression toward teachers was assessed. In addition, children participated in interviews designed to assess their self-perceptions and perceptions of peers. Results revealed that girls spent more time interacting with teachers than boys, and had more cooperative and positive interactions with teachers than did boys. Correlation analyses indicated that the quality of teacher-child interaction was differentially linked to boys' and girls' self-perceptions and perceptions of peers. The implications of interactions between teacher and child for children's cognitions about self and others are discussed.