Byran B. Korth

Maternal secure base scripts, children's attachment security, and mother-child narrative styles.

Abstract This paper reports the results of a study examining links between maternal representations of attachment, child attachment security, and mother and child narrative styles assessed in the context of reminiscences about shared experiences. Participants were 90 mother – child dyads. Child attachment security was assessed using the attachment Q-set and maternal attachment representations were measured using a recently designed instrument that assesses the script-like qualities of those representations. Analyses examined dependencies in the mother – child memory talk data and then assessed the overlap between both mother and child reminiscing styles and the attachment variables. Narrative styles of both the mothers and their children were coherent and consistent for each dyad member. Furthermore, maternal narrative style (e.g., specific and elaborative questions, using confirming evaluation comments) was significantly related to child participation in the narrative. Maternal and child attachment variables were positively and significantly correlated, and child security was positively associated with maternal narrative style. Maternal secure base scripts were also found to be significantly related to the number of references to emotions in both mother and child narratives as well as to childrens overall participation in the memory talk. The pattern of results suggests that attachment representations serve as one influence on the manner(s) in which mother – child dyads think about and discuss emotion-laden content relevant to the childs personal autobiography. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the notion that the manner in which children organize their thoughts about emotion are (at least potentially) shaped by the narrative styles of their parents.

Positive parenting of children with developmental disabilities: A meta-analysis

Although a large body of literature exists supporting the relationship between positive parenting and child outcomes for typically developing children, there are reasons to analyze separately the relevant literature specific to children with developmental disabilities. However, that literature has not been synthesized in any systematic review. This study examined the association between positive parenting attributes and outcomes of young children with developmental disabilities through meta-analytic aggregation of effect sizes across 14 studies including 576 participants. The random effects weighted average effect size was r=.22 (SE=.06, p<.001), indicative of a moderate association between positive parenting attributes and child outcomes. Publication bias did not appear to be a substantial threat to the results. There was a trend for studies with more mature parents to have effect sizes of higher magnitude than studies with young parents. The results provide support for efforts to evaluate and promote effective parenting skills when providing services for young children with disabilities.

Maternal attachment script representations: longitudinal stability and associations with stylistic features of maternal narratives.

Abstract To evaluate the temporal stability of maternal attachment representations obtained using a word-prompt task, a sample of mothers (N = 55) was assessed on two occasions, 12 – 15 months apart. Each mother responded to six word-prompt sets on each assessment occasion (4 word-prompt sets were designed to prime secure base themes, 2 word-prompt sets were designed to prime different themes), and the resulting stories were scored in terms of the presence and quality of the secure base scripts evident in each story. The story scriptedness scores (average across four stories) were internally consistent at each assessment (alphas >.85) and the mean difference in scores was not significant across assessments. The cross-time correlation for the composites (aggregates of scores at each age) was positive and significant, r(53) = .54. Other aspects of maternal stories were also stable (e.g., number of words used, number of sentences per story, use of words from the prompt list). Controlling for stable stylistic features of the stories did not reduce the magnitude of association for scriptedness scores across time. These results suggest that the presence and quality of secure base scripts is a stable aspect of maternal representations of attachment and that the word-prompt task is useful for prompting the script in narrative production.

Are happy children socially successful? Testing a central premise of positive psychology in a sample of preschool children

Current developmental studies of affect/emotion emphasize knowledge about and regulation of affective states and/or behaviors. Expressiveness per se is rarely studied independently from knowledge and/or regulation; consequently, recent studies of young childrens affect do not interface with the literature from positive psychology indicating that the chronic experience of positive affect predicts a range of desirable life outcomes. We assessed affect expressiveness for 377 preschool children in dyadic peer play. Correlation indicated that dyadic positive affect was associated with peer acceptance, visual attention received from peers, rate of initiating positive interactions, and classroom adjustment from teachers’ ratings and that negative affect was associated (negatively) with peer acceptance. Negative affect was also positively associated with teacher-rated dysregulation. Subsequent multi-level regressions showed that positive and negative affect uniquely predicted most of their respective correlates when entered together as Level-1 predictors with dysregulation.

How Do Linguistically Diverse Students Fare in Full- and Half-Day Kindergarten? Examining Academic Achievement, Instructional Quality, and Attendance

Research Findings: This study investigated the effects of full- and half-day kindergarten programs on classroom instructional quality and childrens academic achievement. Considerations were given for how the length of the school day, language status (English language learner [ELL] and non-ELL), and childrens attendance patterns influenced achievement. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently and were interpreted to note the convergence (or lack thereof) of the findings. Quantitative results revealed no difference in the quality of instruction being offered in full- and half-day classrooms. Additionally, full-day kindergarten positively impacted childrens academic achievement in literacy but not in mathematics, regardless of childrens language status. In regard to language development, ELL children benefited more from full-day kindergarten than did their English-speaking peers, whereas all (ELL and non-ELL) children enrolled in full-day kindergarten made greater language gains when they missed fewer than 10 school days. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study have significant policy and practice implications related to the overall quality, availability, and cultural and developmental appropriateness of kindergarten programming in the United States.

Writing Instruction in Elementary Classrooms: Why Teachers Engage or do not Engage Students in Writing

This qualitative study explored reasons K–6 teachers did or did not engage students regularly in writing. Interviews with 14 teachers, classified as high, transitional, and low implementers of writing instruction, revealed three themes: hindrances and helps, beliefs concerning practice, and preparation and professional development. Both high and low implementers identified time constraints, varying student needs, and tensions between content and conventions as hindrances, but dealt with them differently. High implementers reported receiving help from mentors, unlike low implementers. High implementers valued writing as a process and viewed themselves as good writers. They scaffolded students’ writing and integrated writing with content. Low implementers valued writing but did not view themselves as good writers. High and low implementers viewed university courses and professional development differently.

Preparing Classroom Teachers to Be Cooperating Teachers: A Report of Current Efforts, Beliefs, Challenges, and Associated Recommendations

A significant focus in the literature related to the preparation of early childhood teachers is the increasing emphasis on quality field-based experiences. Central to the effectiveness of these experiences is a cooperating teacher who is prepared with the necessary skills to provide prospective teachers with a powerful learning opportunity. Despite this recognition in the literature, research is limited on what early childhood teacher education programs are actually doing to prepare classroom teachers to function in this capacity. The nature and purpose of this preparation and support must be carefully examined in order to identify key features that will truly enhance the ability of these teachers to provide the type of mentoring that leads to quality field experiences. Thus, the purpose of this study is to report survey results from 62 early childhood teacher education faculty regarding their efforts in preparing cooperating teachers to work with preservice teachers. Recommendations based on these findings and the professional literature are offered.

Classroom Modeling of Supplemental Literacy Instruction Influencing the Beliefs and Practices of Classroom Teachers

This study investigated the influence of direct modeling of a supplemental classroom program on the early literacy beliefs and practices of Head Start teachers. Developed by speech language pathologists (SLPs), Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy Instruction (SEEL) was not undertaken with an explicit professional development goal. However, the potential significance regarding professional development became apparent as teachers collaborated with literacy specialists (SLPs) who conducted supplemental literacy activities in the classrooms. Data were collected by interviewing teachers at the end of each year of participation and again two years later. Transcripts were reviewed for relevant themes. Results demonstrate that teachers’ early literacy understanding and practices were influenced by exposure to SEEL as teachers expressed an understanding of key strategies used by the program and made observations of student performance. Implications are discussed regarding the use of supplemental classroom intervention programs as methods of professional development for classroom teachers.

Implementing Positive Behavior Support in Preschools: An Exploratory Study of CW-FIT Tier 1.

Challenging behavior in preschool is a serious concern for teachers. Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) have been shown to be effective in reducing such behaviors. Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a specific multi-tiered intervention for implementing effective classroom management strategies using PBIS practices. CW-FIT has been shown to be effective in elementary classrooms but has not yet been evaluated with younger age groups. CW-FIT Tier 1 is a group contingency utilizing social skills training, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement to improve student behavior. The present study examined the effects of CW-FIT Tier 1 implementation on student group on-task behavior and on teacher praise and reprimand rates in four preschool classrooms. A single-subject delayed multiple baseline design with embedded reversals was used to evaluate impact. Results indicated the intervention increased student group on-task behavior and teacher praise to reprimand ratios. Both teachers and children found CW-FIT Tier 1 to be socially valid. Limitations and implications of this study for researchers and practitioners are discussed.