Stephanie M. Curenton

Understanding the landscapes of stories: the association between preschoolers’ narrative comprehension and production skills and cognitive abilities

Seventy‐two African‐American and European American low‐income preschoolers attending Head Start and community childcare centres were asked to create an oral story using a wordless picture book, then told an oral story using the same book and asked follow‐up comprehension questions. Children’s performance was better on questions addressing the character’s actions versus his motives/intentions. Five‐year‐olds outperformed three‐year‐olds, and African‐Americans outperformed European Americans on questions about the character’s motives/intentions. After controlling for children’s age and ethnicity, the only narrative skill that predicted cognitive abilities was narrative quality: children who created narratives that included the character’s motives/intentions had higher cognitive skills.

Shared‐reading versus oral storytelling: associations with preschoolers’ prosocial skills and problem behaviours

Dyadic shared‐reading and oral storytelling practices and their association to American preschoolers’ (N = 33) prosocial and problem behaviour was examined. The frequency (how often dyads read) and history (the child’s age at first reading) were examined within shared‐reading; emotion state talk and evaluative judgments were examined in both shared‐reading and oral storytelling. Results revealed mothers used more positive emotion talk during shared‐reading, but more negative emotion talk during oral storytelling. Mother–son dyads used more evaluative judgments during oral storytelling compared to shared‐reading and compared to mother–daughter pairs in both contexts. Shared‐reading practices were associated with prosocial skills, but this result was nonsignificant after including covariates. On the contrary, even after covarying literacy and language skills, there was a significant negative correlation between positive emotion state talk during oral storytelling and problem behaviour. Qualitative examples are included. Theoretical implications for differences between shared‐reading versus storytelling and practical implications for the design of narrative interventions are discussed.

Distinguishing Maltreating Versus Non-Maltreating At-Risk Families: A Discriminant Function Analysis With Implications for Foster Care and Early Childhood Education Interventions

Discriminant function (DF) analysis was used to distinguish 92 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse maltreating versus nonmaltreating families on indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting stress. Families included those with substantiated reports of child maltreatment (n = 23), plus Head Start families (n = 36), and child care families (n = 33) without reports of maltreatment. The significant SES distinguishers were poverty and parental education and employment. The significant parenting stress distinguishers were parental self-reports of a dysfunctional parent–child relationship and difficult child temperament. Maltreating and Head Start families were similar in terms of poverty, but only the maltreating families had clinical levels of parenting stress. Implications for family therapy and early childhood education interventions are discussed.

Comparison of Shared Reading versus Emergent Reading: How the Two Provide Distinct Opportunities for Early Literacy

This study examined mother-child interactions across two types of reading interactions—shared reading versus emergent reading—in order to determine (a) if mothers and children provide the same amount of language input across the two interactions, (b) if the socioemotional quality is consistent across the interactions, and (c) if the language input and socioemotional quality across the two interactions are differentially associated with children’s scores on early literacy assessments. Twenty-five mother-child dyads participated in both interactions. Children were given a standardized test of early reading and an emergent reading score based on a rubric designed particularly for the book they were reading. Results indicated that during the shared reading mothers provided more language input (i.e., they talked more), but children increased their amount of talk during the emergent reading, making such input effects null. Overall, socioemotional quality was consistent across the two interactions, except mothers provide more literacy feedback during shared reading. Both language input and socioemotional quality were associated with higher scores on early literacy assessments, but the contribution of these factors varied depending across the type of reading interaction. Results are discussed in terms of education implications for literacy practices at home and school.

Pathways to Excellence – What We Know Works for Nurturing Black Children’s Success

Abstract In this chapter, we dismantle the current educational rhetoric that pervasively characterizes Black children as being at-risk, deficient, or underachievers. Instead, we replace this deficit-oriented rhetoric with one that encapsulates the cultural and educational excellence that inspires Black children to reach their potential. First, we provide an overview of the current educational landscape for Black children and articulate by whom and how Black children are being educated. Next, we then define educational success and excellence within the context of an African-centric perspective of holistic development and wellness. Then, we highlight programs, schools, and approaches that have been successful in educating Black children. Finally, we identify key principles and guidelines in educating Black children that will have educational, research, and policy implications.

Conversation Compass© Communication Screener: A Conversation Screener for Teachers.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to report preliminary reliability and validity data from the Conversation Compass© Communication Screener (CCCS), a teacher-reported language screener intended to capture children’s skills related to classroom conversations with peers and teachers. Three preschool teachers completed the CCCS and the Child Observation Record (COR) for 36 students. Results indicated six subscales – literacy, clarity, social communication, decontextualized thinking, grammar, and negative communication behaviours – in the CCCS were reliable at Cronbach’s alphas of .71 or greater. Results also indicated its concurrent validity with the COR. Lastly, analyses indicated the screener was sensitive to maturation in conversation skills in that the measure was correlated with age. Implications are discussed in relation to how teachers can use this tool to inform their classroom practices.

The Diversity of Families and Changing Demographic Trends

This chapter provides an opportunity for practitioners to learn about the diversity within the United States. For instance, we will describe the change in family demographics and structure that has occurred over the past 50 years by showing current population trends in race/ethnicity, poverty rate, family structure, and immigration status.

Understanding the Strengths and Resilience of Diverse Families

This chapter focuses on the strengths of racial and ethnically diverse families, especially immigrant and low-income families, and the importance of valuing and respecting family customs and traditions. Many of these families are resourceful and resilient, which can have implications for the strategies that practitioners use in bolstering families’ skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Providing Resources to Help Address Challenges Faced by Families

This chapter focuses on the challenges diverse families face. The implications of these challenges will be discussed, including how practitioners can address these challenges during their interactions with families, such as strengthening their knowledge base and providing information about resources.

Examination of Teachers’ and Practitioners’ Biases

This chapter focuses on the biases and stereotypes that practitioners may bring to their relationships and interactions with families. These biases and stereotypes may impact the relationships and interactions that practitioners have with families. They may lead to low expectations of what minority families are capable of in supporting their children’s development and learning and eventual future success.