Self-regulation represents one of the key developmental tasks faced by preschool children. In the Games As Measurement for Early Self-Control (GAMES) study, the goal was to create a battery of self-regulation assessments appropriate for use with ethnically diverse children from low-income families in ecologically valid contexts. Respondents were 71 English- and/or Spanish-speaking children who participated in a variety of assessments adapted from laboratory and clinical settings for use in homes and classrooms. Individual measures are described and used to highlight issues related to the administration of self-regulation assessments in the field (e.g., pragmatic considerations, importance of standardized administration, need for variability in children's responses, differentiating between challenge and confusion, cultural sensitivity, recruitment). Findings suggest that many laboratory and clinical assessments are appropriate for home and classroom administration (with some tasks coded from videotape and some coded “live”). The inclusion of self-regulation measures in a variety of new large-scale research projects is discussed.
In this paper, we focus on naturally-occumng strategies used by Head Start staff to address children's emotional and mental health needs. Focus groups with 23 staff members from five Head Start centers in two large cities met multiple times to discuss staff approaches to coping with children's inappropriate behavior. Discussions were transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis methods that focus on grounded theory were used to identify themes and patterns in the data. Using a qualitative analysis computer program (NuD*IST), the transcripts were analyzed for illustrations of both directors' and teachers' strategies for managing children's problematic behaviors in Head Start programs. Two different management swles emerged from focus groups in this small sample of Head Start centers. Horizontal centers used a more collaborative approach to addressing children's problematic behaviors with contributions from center directors, staff, and mental health consultants. A second model for addressing children's mental health needs, the Vertical Model, was more hierarchical in management and in working with parents. Findings also show that teacher strategies for addressing behavior problems, including interactions with other teachers, directors, mental health consultants, and parents, varied within the context of management model. Directions for future research are discussed.
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