Jeffrey Trawick-Smith

• Eastern Connecticut State University

Most research on dual language learners (DLLs) in preschool has focused on language and literacy development. Less work has been done on their play and social interactions, in spite of the importance of these for development and learning. Although DLLs possess many social strengths, they also face challenges, particularly in an English-dominant cla...

Physical activity—including outdoor motor play—has been associated with learning and brain-related functions and abilities in elementary school children and adolescence. Few studies have been conducted on the relationships between active play and these cognitive processes in preschool aged children. Several investigations have revealed that adult-d...

Teachers’ positive relationships with families contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual development of children in early childhood education programs. Effectively involving, communicating, and partnering with families requires a unique set of professional abilities. Teachers must hold a deep understanding of the cultural and socioecono...

This chapter highlights some ways that thinking about young children's development has changed since 1990 and why this matters in early childhood care and education. It presents several examples from research in order to inspire researchers, teachers, and caregivers to think more deeply about children from a multicultural perspective. Two prominent...

Little research has been conducted on the play of children of very low English proficiency within English-speaking preschool classrooms. In the present investigation, we recorded and described the naturalistic free play of four dual language learners (DLLs) and compared their interactions to those of four English-speaking children. Units of interac...

Block play has been included in early childhood classrooms for over a century, yet few studies have examined its effects on learning. Several previous investigations indicate that the complexity of block building is associated with math ability, but these studies were often conducted in adult-guided, laboratory settings. In the present investigatio...

Classroom conversations about mathematics—math talk—between early care and education providers and young children have been associated with growth in mathematical thinking. However, professional development opportunities to learn about math teaching and learning are limited in many community-based child development centers. New approaches that are...

Teacher–child interactions in preschool children's play may enhance mathematics learning in several ways. As teachers interact with children, they may promote more complex, independent, and symbolic play. Resulting increases in play abilities, in turn, can enhance intellectual growth, including mathematical thinking. Teachers may also facilitate ma...

This study examined the effects of nine toys on the play of 60 3- and 4-year-old children in culturally diverse preschool classrooms. The toys, which varied in their features and intended uses, were selected from a list of those that were nominated by teachers and parents as being developmentally beneficial. Each toy was video recorded for 240 h du...

Although previous research has explored the effects of various environmental influences on young children's play, the influence of toys has rarely been examined. This paucity of toy studies is due to a lack of a scientifically constructed observation system to evaluate the impact of play materials across developmental domains. The purpose of this s...

Research Findings: Previous research on young children's play has focused narrowly on behaviors that are highly valued in Western societies. The purpose of this study was to draw back the lens on play—dto examine a broader range of early childhood pastimes that are more common and meaningful to children of color. Using G. Bateson's (1972)2. Bateson...

The purpose of this study was to determine if levels of teacher education and experience would influence how teachers respond to children's play needs in a preschool classroom. The interactions of eight teachers—three of whom were categorized as high education/high experience, three as low education/high experience, and two as low education/low exp...

It is generally accepted in the fields of both education and psychology that play can help young children cope with troubling circumstances in their lives. It would be logical to assume that play activities may be ideal for assisting children whose families have immigrated to the United States in adjusting to the puzzling, and even frightening, exp...

The purpose of this study was to test a model of adult–child play interactions in preschool classrooms, based on the work of Vygotsky and neo-Vygotskian scholars. The model predicts that adults will tailor the play support they provide to the immediate needs of individual children, and that this will lead to subsequent independent play. Classroom i...

Previous play research has focused on social or representational processes occurring within make believe. This study examined young children's metaplay—the process of suspending actual role playing to think or communicate about pretend themes from outside of the play frame. Twelve preschool subjects were videotaped during 8 separate half-hour sessi...

Play training is a strategy in which adults intervene in informal, though purposeful, ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play. Numerous studies, conducted over a long period of time, have shown that such adult interventions can enhance play and related areas of development. There is a good deal of dissension in the literature, howev...

Summarizes findings from a study of the Project for the Infusion of Multicultural Perspectives and Approaches in College Teaching (Project IMPACT), a project designed to support selected faculty as they developed a multicultural curriculum. Experience with participants from four Connecticut state universities over four years indicated a long-term b...

Highlights essential differences between the professional lives of family child care providers and caregivers who work in centers. Presents implications for providing meaningful professional development activities for home-based caregivers. Suggests the need for training and support programs that reflect respect for and sensitivity to the unique ro...

A descriptive study was conducted to examine the effects of arrangement of play space within a family day care home. Subjects were 6 four year old children who were videotaped playing under three different environmental conditions. In Condition 1-a, they were taped at the beginning and end of a month in a randomlyarranged play setting which was not...

The purpose of this study was to identify within a small play group those children who most effectively directed the behavior of their peers. These influential subjects were then compared to dominant and less persuasive playmates on a number of behavioral dimensions. Specifically, 5 preschool-age children were observed interacting within a laborato...

This article reviews research on the pretend play of children before age three years and draws implications for play intervention within toddler care programs. The course of play development in the first three years of life is reviewed. Emphasis is given to early object pretense and the emergence of social pretend play. Intervention strategies desi...

Thirty-two preschool-aged children were observed playing in triads in each of two play environments—one equipped with traditional, realistic play props, the other with non-realistic raw materials. The frequency of their performance of three different types of symbolic object transformations as well as overall transformational behavior in each setti...

Describes ways in which young children persuade their peers during play. Also discusses ways in which preschool teachers can help children learn the skills of persuasion and help them make and keep friends. (BB)

It is a commonly held belief among caregivers of young children that playing leads directly to learning. In the critical interpretation of play theory and research presented here, this notion is challenged. It is recommended that greater balance be achieved in child care programs between play and nonplay, intellectually adaptive activity.

One morning, two-year-old Jennifer impressed her mother with the rather sophisticated exclamation, “Daddy went bye-bye,” as her father left for work. In fact, Jennifer's mother encouraged her to repeat the phrase so that it could be audiotaped and preserved for posterity. Sadly, Jennifer was more interested in commenting on the turning wheels of th...

Summarizes empirical and theoretical studies having to do with young children's play leadership in the classroom. Issues addressed include the identification of leading and following skills, the skills of effective leader/followers, types of unskilled leaders (e.g., bullies, isolates, bootlickers), and implications for teaching. Both leading and fo...

Directing an early childhood education program is a backbreaking, stressful endeavor. The successful administrator learns to manage time so as to squeeze the completion of infinite tasks into a finite daily time frame. Budgeting, paper work or unexpected conflict resolution often take priority over work with the staff or the curriculum. Staff devel...