The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which parental beliefs about children's literacy motivation is associated with their literacy practices at home. A sample of 315 parents of preschool-aged children participated in the study, and completed a newly developed questionnaire pursuant to the aims of this work. Thus, the construct of literacy motivation in this study is based on parental report. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis, focused on questionnaire items concerning children's motivation for storybook reading, supported a hypothesised four-factor model; the reliability coefficients for the observed scores were above the suggested threshold for all subscales. The results also showed that parental perceptions of their children's literacy motivation was significantly related to their home literacy practices. Researchers may use the instrument to assess how parents' perceptions may be associated with their children's early literacy experiences, and to inform the design of home-based interventions to support the development of children's emergent literacy skills. Implications of the findings for early childhood policy and practices are discussed.

This study aimed to analyze the home environments of young children with disabilities (CWDs). Data related to the overall home environment were collected from 145 mothers by using the Turkish Form of the Home Screening Questionnaire (HSQ-T), while home learning environment including the involvement of the mothers and the learning materials available in the home was assessed through individual interviews with mothers. The findings revealed that 50.35% of the children live in low-quality homes, whereas the remainders live in high-quality homes based on the cutoff points of the HSQ-T score. The HSQ-T scores were found to be significantly related to parental involvement, education level and income of the mothers, and the developmental functions of children. Additionally, we found a significant difference between the HSQ-T scores of CWDs with and without access to home-made toys. Finally, maternal involvement in children's activities was the main predictor of the home quality of CWDs.

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Some psychological factors related to preschool teachers significantly impact mathematics teaching in early childhood classrooms. Thus, examining teachers' views on preschool mathematics will guide teachers in understanding which concepts were included in early childhood mathematics and preparing an educational environment and program appropriate for children's developmental levels. This research was a descriptive-study, and was implemented using general-survey model with 107 preschool teachers. Data were collected by teacher views form on early childhood mathematics. Data were evaluated with descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods. Results showed that the teachers used math activities with games, art, drama activities and used limited methods to assess whether children have learned mathematics concepts. In addition, most teachers stated that data analysis, proof, and probability cannot be taught in preschool. Finally, most teachers considered preschool mathematics moderately important and that there was no significant difference among ages, professional service periods, the institution and school types they work in, and the order of importance of mathematics (p > .05).

Cet article présente une synthèse des recherches sur le développement des conceptions enfantines quant au mécanisme des précipitations et des phénomènes associés. Après avoir mentionné pour rappel les travaux de Piaget sur les conceptions des phénomènes météorologiques de 5 à 11 ans, les auteurs présentent les résultats d’études récentes sur les théories naïves d’enfants d’âge préscolaire quant aux origines des nuages, à la formation des précipitations et aux phénomènes de condensation et d’évaporation. Les résultats de la littérature suggèrent que les idées et les explications émergentes des enfants concernant les phénomènes météorologiques sont souvent en contradiction avec les explications scientifiques. Néanmoins, les enfants pourraient comprendre le cycle de l’eau et le mécanisme des précipitations avant l’école primaire, dès 5 ans à l’école maternelle, notamment s’ils sont aidés à mettre en relation les nuages et la pluie en termes de cycle de l’eau, ce qu’ils ne font pas spontanément à cet âge. La synthèse mentionne ainsi la pertinence des stratégies pédagogiques adaptées au développement, basées sur des discussions en classe à partir d’observations de la forme et de la couleur des nuages ou sur des activités associées à des livres d’images. Cinq directions de recherche sont finalement identifiées par les auteurs : des études longitudinales pour examiner les progressions d’apprentissage des enfants, des investigations sur l’expérience d’apprentissage dans et hors du contexte familial, l’effet du genre dans l’apprentissage précoce des sciences, les facteurs culturels et géographiques influençant les conceptions des enfants et les stratégies d’enseignement efficaces qui favorisent les compréhensions enfantines du mécanisme des précipitations.