Head start and the intensification of teaching in early childhood education

Policy-based instructional reform in early education: how US Head Start teachers perceive instructional mandates

“…These findings build upon an emerging foundation of research conducted in early childhood education settings (e.g., Brodin and Renblad 2015;Bullough et al 2014;Sofou and Tsafos 2009;Wood 2004). Both practical and research-related implications emerge from this work.…”

“…Generally speaking, these national curriculums for early childhood lay out a framework for learning that guides local implementation of each nation's government-funded preschool program (Alvestad and Samuelsson 1999;Flottman and Page 2012;May 2008). Though there is a strong research base in early childhood development to inform the content of such national curriculums, there are only a few prior investigations into the implementation of these policy-driven reforms at the preschool-site and -classroom level (e.g., Brodin and Renblad 2015;Bullough et al 2014;Sofou and Tsafos 2009;Wood 2004). For example, researchers in Sweden found that the majority of the 111 preschool teachers they surveyed felt positively about the content and implementation of the new national preschool curriculum (Brodin and Renblad 2015).…”

Enhancing young children's arithmetic skills through non-intensive, computerised kindergarten interventions: A randomised controlled study

“…Although early childhood education has been historically designed as child-centred and nurturing, educational standards for early childhood teachers are rising with an intensification of teaching and a shift to program purposes even in young children (Bullough, Hall-Kenyon, MacKay, & Marshall, 2014). Several purposeful instructions were found effective in the enhancement of early numeracy in young children (Bullough et al, 2014;Dobbs, Doctoroff, Fisher, & Arnold, 2006;Griffin, 2004;Jordan et al, 2012;Klein & Starkey, 2008;Kroesbergen & Van Luit, 2003;.…”

Scaffolding executive function capabilities via play-&-learn software for preschoolers.

“…Without SCAFFOLDING EF VIA PLAY-&-LEARN SOFTWARE 6 intervention, these children are likely to remain low-performers throughout school (Jordan, Kaplan, Ramineni, & Locuniak, 2009;Kendeou, van den Broek, White, & Lynch, 2007;Mononen, Aunio, Koponen, & Aro, 2014). However, preschools are understaffed in many countries and preschool teachers often feel overloaded by what is already required from them in their everyday activities (Bullough, Hall-Kenyon, MacKay, & Marshall, 2014).…”