Effects of Developmentally Appropriate Practices on Children’s Development: A Review of Research and Discussion of Methodological and Analytic Issues

Karlin, Emilie; Ramey, Sharon Landesman; Aldridge, Jerry; Snyder, Scott W.

doi:10.1086/429946

Cited by 23 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…While those who advocate for DAP contend that it is an effective theory of practice that teachers can implement to ready young children for school success, much of the quantitative work that has measured the impact of preschool and elementary school teachers' developmentally appropriate practices on children's cognitive development (e.g., Marcon, 1999;Stipek, Feiler, Daniels, & Milburn, 1995;Stipek et al, 1998) is ambiguous and limited (e.g., Van Horn & Ramey, 2003). As Van Horn, Karlin, Ramey, Aldridge, and Snyder (2005) point out, "Classrooms using DAP may be more appealing learning environments, but they are not necessarily more effective. The research to date fails to provide unequivocal support for the effectiveness of DAP" (p. 348).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, Van Horn and his colleagues (Van Horn & Ramey, 2003;Van Horn et al, 2005) have questioned the results that emerged from this work by highlighting the design flaws in many of these studies (i.e., employing a nested design without the analytical methods appropriate for nested data structures). In terms of the influence of teachers' developmentally appropriate practices on children's cognitive development, they found that many of these studies that showed a positive effect of teachers engaging in DAP employed teacher self-reports or measures (e.g., Marcon, 1993).…”

Section: Quantitative Investigations Into the Influence Of Dap On Cog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In sum, Van Horn and his colleagues' work demonstrates that much of the quantitative work done to measure the impact of teachers' developmentally appropriate practices on children's cognitive development is flawed, and in those instances where it is not, the findings are inconsistent. These results led Van Horn et al (2005) to argue that there needs to be a "shift in the DAP research paradigm, from the basic question of whether DAP are, in general, effective, to the question of, for which children, if any, DAP are most or least effective" (p. 348). To do this, they suggest taking on a more ecological perspective that takes into account the complexity of the classroom as well as the interactions between teachers and students, which includes taking into consideration such demographic variables as race, class, and gender.…”

Section: Quantitative Investigations Into the Influence Of Dap On Cog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Influence of Developmentally Appropriate Practice on Children's Cognitive Development: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Brown¹,

Lan²

2013

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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BackgroundAs 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 education has advocated for teachers to employ developmentally appropriate practices to ready young children for school success. Yet, empirically, the quantitative studies that have examined the impact of these practices on children's cognitive development have produced mixed results. Absent from these debates are qualitative research studies exploring this topic.Purpose of StudyTo address this issue, this article presents findings from a qualitative metasynthesis that studied whether teachers and/or administrators were engaging in developmentally appropriate practices, and if so, how such practices might influence children's cognitive development.Research DesignThis qualitative metasynthesis used a template analysis to code 12 peer-reviewed qualitative studies that were based on original research, took place in the United States, and involved practicing teachers and administrators who worked in early childhood settings (birth through Grade 3).FindingsThe findings appear to demonstrate a positive influence of teachers’ developmentally appropriate practices on children's cognitive development and a negative influence from practices that contrast with this construct. These findings also reveal the need to continue to refine the conception of these practices as well as additional research that examines the influence of such practices on children's development.ConclusionIt appears that developmentally appropriate practices can positively influence children's cognitive development. Still, it is uncertain as to what these benefits mean in terms of student outcomes, which has become a fundamental issue for publicly funded early education programs. This metasynthesis points to the need for further research that uses a range of measures to examine the influence of developmentally appropriate practices on children rather than teachers. Such work should pay attention to children's cognitive development as well as attend to children's cultural backgrounds. By doing so, it could help inform the fields of early and elementary school education about the impact of developmentally appropriate practices on children's development so that educators across both contexts can provide instructional practices that ready young children for school success.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantitative Investigations Into the Influence Of Dap On Cog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantitative Investigations Into the Influence Of Dap On Cog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Influence of Developmentally Appropriate Practice on Children's Cognitive Development: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Brown¹,

Lan²

2013

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Research in Early Childhood Care and Education Since 1970

Gillanders

Kantor

2019

The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education

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Impact of a play‐based curriculum in the first two years of primary school: literacy and numeracy outcomes over seven years

McGuinness

Sproule

Bojke

et al. 2013

British Educational Res J

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an innovative early years curriculum, the Enriched Curriculum (EC), was introduced into 120 volunteer schools across Northern Ireland, replacing a traditional curriculum similar to others across the UK at that time. It was intended by the designers to be developmentally appropriate and play-based with the primary goal of preventing the experience of persistent early failure in children. The EC was not intended to be a literacy and numeracy intervention, yet it did considerably alter pedagogy in these domains, particularly the age at which formal reading and mathematics instruction began. As part of a multi-method evaluation running from 2000-2008, the research team followed the primary school careers of the first two successive cohorts of EC children, comparing them with year-ahead controls attending the same 24 schools. Compared to the year-ahead control group, the findings show that the EC children's reading and mathematics scores fell behind in the first two years but the majority of EC children caught up by the end of their fourth year. Thereafter, the performance of the first EC cohort fell away slightly, while that of the second continued to match that of controls. Overall, the play-based curriculum had no statistically significant positive effects on reading and mathematics in the medium term. At best, the EC children's scores matched those of controls.

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Effects of Developmentally Appropriate Practices on Children’s Development: A Review of Research and Discussion of Methodological and Analytic Issues

Cited by 23 publications

References 32 publications

The Influence of Developmentally Appropriate Practice on Children's Cognitive Development: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

The Influence of Developmentally Appropriate Practice on Children's Cognitive Development: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Research in Early Childhood Care and Education Since 1970

Impact of a play‐based curriculum in the first two years of primary school: literacy and numeracy outcomes over seven years

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