Ji Young Choi

• PhD
• Associate Professor at The Ohio State University

The current study investigated the prevalence and outcomes related to Head Start (HS) children’s dual enrollment in state-funded prekindergarten (state Pre-K) using a secondary analysis of a statewide integrated administrative dataset (N = 2,986). It also explored whether a program partnership between HS and the local school district (within the sa...

This study explored the language experiences of dual language learners (DLL; n = 19) and English monolinguals (EM; n = 13) in preschool classrooms where English is the primary language of instruction and many home languages are present. Using the Language ENvironment Analysis™ system as a primary tool, we quantitatively analysed an average of 34 ho...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10566-023-09739-8.].

Background In March 2020, when public health stay home orders began in order to halt the spread of COVID-19, child care as an industry was drastically and abruptly impacted. This public health emergency highlighted the weaknesses in the child care system in the United States. Objective This study investigated the changes in operations cost, child...

This study explored the quantitative language experiences of dual language learners (DLLs; n = 19) and English monolinguals (EM; n = 13) in preschool classrooms where English is the primary language of instruction. Using the Language ENvironment AnalysisTM system as a primary tool, we analyzed an average of 34 hours of recordings collected over 5 t...

The current study investigates the quantity of teacher words in the teacher-child conversations of six teachers with 19 Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and 13 English Monolingual (EM) preschoolers. Analyses of automatic estimates of teacher words per conversation for 40 hours/child provide evidence that DLLs receive fewer teacher words than EMs when...

Using a multiple methods approach, this study investigated (1) Head Start teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding dual language learning and education for dual language learners (DLLs), and (2) the received supports, challenges, and needs teachers have when educating DLLs. Open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Midwestern...

Dual language learners (DLLs), who are learning two or more languages, are a rapidly growing population in the U.S., (Child Trends, 2014), and the rate of growth for DLLs in public education systems continues to exceed projections (Espinosa, 2013). These changes in demographics present opportunities and challenges in early care and education, speci...

Background Despite rich cultural, lingual, and tribal assets, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children experience suboptimal educational outcomes that start before kindergarten entry. Evidence suggests that home literacy activities may be supportive of developmental outcomes within this population, but these home literacy activities have n...

Using a nationally representative dataset (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort) and bioecological-cumulative disadvantage framework, the present study investigated the relations between salient child and family risk experiences and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children's kindergarten academic and behavioral outcomes. Using h...

Background Using progress monitoring data to make effective and timely decisions in early intervention (EI) requires high quality assessment. Infant/toddler individual growth and development indicators (I/T IGDIs) have been developed to be brief, reliable and engaging progress monitoring tools that are sensitive to change over short time periods (G...

Early childhood education (ECE) in the U.S. is comprised of a significant proportion of dual language learners (DLLs), who are simultaneously developing English and their home language(s) prior to school entry. In Head Start (HS), a federal, comprehensive ECE service for primarily low-income children and their families, approximately 29% of childre...

Young children engage in pre-engineering thinking and play in their day-to-day activities. However, early childhood teachers often miss opportunities to facilitate and extend this type of play. In order to support teachers in this undertaking, the current study aimed to answer the question: What does pre-engineering thinking look like in preschool?...

Research Findings. The present study examined patterns of longitudinal associations between inhibitory control (IC) and early academic skills during the preschool and kindergarten years. Using data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Cohort 2009 (FACES 2009) (N = 939), a national data set of predominantly low-income children att...

Using a series of data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), nationally representative datasets of Head Start classrooms and children collected in the 2000s, we explored (1) classroom profiles of the proportion of time spent in four types of activity settings in Head Start classrooms, (2) differences in teacher and classr...

Using data from a large study of 78 high-quality Head Start classrooms in 12 sites across the U.S., this study examined whether peers' receptive vocabulary skills and teacher-reported social-emotional (S-E) functioning (i.e., behavior problems and self-regulation) measured at the beginning of the preschool year were related to children's gains in t...

Research Findings: This study examined whether children’s outcomes at age 3 were predicted by their experiences in Early Head Start (EHS), focusing on 2 key features of infant and toddler care: (a) stability of care and (b) teacher–child interactions. This study further explored potential interaction effects between stability of care and teacher–ch...

Background Continuity of care (CoC) is a widely endorsed theory-based practice in center-based early childhood programs. Despite its widespread endorsement, however, there are few empirical studies of CoC or children’s actual experience of care stability in infant and toddler group settings. Objective This descriptive study investigated (1) the na...

The present study examined predictors and pathways relevant to children's dosage in Early Head Start (EHS) using the dataset from the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Study (Baby FACES; Vogel & Boller, 2009–2012). Dosage was defined in two ways: (a) leaving EHS early, before age eligibility ended, and (b) the total length of EHS enroll...

Approximately 7 million 0- to 5-year-old children attend family child care, which is a non-parental, paid care provided in a child care provider's home in the U.S. Despite the importance of family child care providers’ role in supporting young children's development, studies on family child care providers’ responsiveness for children in their care...

Native American (NA) children experience some of the worst educational and wellbeing outcomes of any group of US children. Although these disparities are not fully understood, research underscores the significance of historical policies that have contributed to persistent isolation and intergenerational poverty. Using a dataset, which deliberately...

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the potential contribution of teacher–child interactions to residualized Inhibitory Control (IC) gains over approximately a six-month period for preschoolers from predominantly low-income households. The study also explored whether the association between quality of teacher–child interacti...

This study investigates potential predictors of teacher-child relationships (i.e., closeness and conflict) focusing on child gender, teacher-child ethnicity match, and teacher education. Additionally, the study explores the possible moderation effect of teacher education on the associations between teacher-child relationships and child gender or te...

Research Findings: Continuity of care is a recommended practice in child care intended to promote secure and supportive relationships between infants and toddlers and their caregivers. Toddlers (N = 115) between 12 and 24 months were observed in 30 continuity and 29 noncontinuity classrooms. The average duration of care for toddlers with caregivers...

The expansion of early childhood education programming has heightened the focus on teachers’ educational preparation and its role in providing high-quality services for young children. The interest in teachers’ education is especially relevant in early childhood since differentiated levels of preparation are commonly used in quality rating and impr...

Researchers used observations of 66 preschool children's engagement with large lightweight blocks and more traditional play materials to describe preschoolers' “engineering play,” a new construct focused on early design- and construction-related thinking and behavior (Bairaktarova et al. 2011). The study explored engineering play and gender differe...

This study examined the associations between four types of childcare quality (i.e. teacher–child closeness, frequency of math-related activities, and teacher education and experience) and preschoolers' residualised gain in math over the course of six months. Additionally, potential interactions between teacher–child closeness and other indicators o...

Exploratory learning is recognized as a developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education. During exploration, exposure to new things guides children in the acquisition of knowledge, while interactions with a range of familiar and unfamiliar artifacts can support developmental integration. Exploratory activity may occur spontaneousl...

The major research question guiding this study asks whether the teacher-child relationship acts as a mediator between teachers' qualifications (e.g., education, major, credentials, and years of experience) and preschool children's math outcomes. To investigate this question, the study examined three types of associations: (a) those between teacher...