Teresa K. Buchanan

Predictors of the developmental appropriateness of the beliefs and practices of first, second, and third grade teachers

This study identified classroom characteristics and teacher characteristics that were related to the self-reported beliefs and classroom practices of first, second, and third grade teachers. Teachers (n = 277) representing 77% of the potential subjects completed and returned The Primary Teachers Beliefs and Practices Survey, a measure based on the developmentally appropriate standards advocated by NAEYC. Factor analyses of the survey supported the use of four proposed subscales: developmentally appropriate beliefs, developmentally appropriate activities, developmentally inappropriate beliefs, and developmentally inappropriate activities. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that classroom characteristics (class size, grade level, number of children with disabilities, and number of children on free or reduced lunch) and teacher characteristics (perceived relative influence and area of certification) predicted teacher beliefs and practices. After controlling for the classroom variables, teacher characteristics added significantly to the prediction of developmentally inappropriate activities.

Use of the Revised Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children

Posttraumatic growth (PTG; positive change resulting from the struggle with trauma) was examined among children impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The revised Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children (PTGI-C-R) assessed PTG at two time points, 12 (T1) and 22 months (T2) posthurricane. The PTGI-C-R demonstrated good reliability. Analyses focused on trauma-related variables in predicting PTG. Child-reported subjective responses to the hurricane and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) correlated with PTG at T1; however, in the regression, only PTSS significantly explained variance in PTG. At follow-up, T1 PTG was the only significant predictor of PTG. Findings suggest that the PTGI-C-R may assist efforts to understand childrens responses posttrauma.

BEGINNING PREKINDERGARTEN AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES: SUPPORTS AND BARRIERS TO DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES

This study explores the beliefs and practices of nine beginning prekindergarten and kindergarten public school teachers and identified the sources of supports and barriers to their teaching. The teachers were graduates from one universitys early childhood education program. Data were gathered using surveys, observations, and interviews. Overall, teachers professed to believe in and to use developmentally appropriate practices; they were also observed using more developmentally appropriate practices than developmentally inappropriate practices. Teachers reported a variety of sources of support and barriers to their teaching. Sources that were both supports and barriers were administration, co‐workers, curriculum requirements, parents, resources, and other. Sources reported only as supports were previous experiences, self, and continued education. Sources of barriers were class composition and school duties. In addition, teachers provided information about their teacher education program and on their expectations about teaching. The teachers suggested that teacher education programs needed to provide more field experiences and courses on classroom management. Some of the expectations the teachers had about teaching were unrealistic.

Restructuring Courses in Higher Education to Model Constructivist Practice.

Abstract Because most teacher educators accept constructivist principles as best practice in education, they are always searching for effective teaching methods that model constructivism. This article presents a four-phase model that could be used to infuse constructivist practice into higher education courses. The model describes a change in course structure that is an effective method of teaching university students and illustrating constructivist principles.

Young Children’s Demonstrated Understanding of Hurricanes

We examine young children’s knowledge of disasters in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes, Katrina and Rita. Knowledge was measured by teacher reports of child-initiated spontaneous play in the classrooms and by children’s responses to an interview designed to measure their knowledge of hurricanes in general and Katrina and Rita in particular. Findings indicated age-related differences, with older children demonstrating more knowledge than younger children. Analysis of teacher-reported specific activities indicated that children’s demonstrated knowledge was different by region (with children more directly impacted by hurricanes demonstrating more knowledge of hurricanes than children less directly impacted) and seemed to reflect the stages of disasters: preparation, response, and recovery.

Developmentally Appropriate Teacher Education “Practicing What We Preach”

Developmentally Appropriate Teacher Education “Practicing What We Preach” Jennifer J. Baumgartner a , Teresa K. Buchanan b & Renee M. Casbergue c a Family, Child and Consumer Sciences, School of Human Ecology , Louisiana State University , USA b Education, Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Practice , Louisiana State University , USA c Graduate Studies and Research , Louisiana State University , USA Published online: 25 Jul 2012.

Children’s attachment-related narratives following US Gulf Coast hurricanes: Linkages with understanding and teacher stress

The central focus of this study was the perceptions of emotional security among 64 elementary school-aged children exposed to the hurricanes that affected the US Gulf Coast in 2005. Specifically, we examined the representational qualities of attachment, exploration, and caregiving as assessed with a narrative story-stem task in relation to parental reports of children’s exposure to the hurricanes, their knowledge of hurricanes, and their teacher’s exposure to the hurricanes. Knowledge of hurricanes was assessed with a new narrative method representing hurricane conditions wherein children were asked to tell stories about what hurricanes are and what damage they could do. Children’s narrative representations of attachment, exploration, and caregiving were unrelated to parental reports of their children’s exposure to the hurricanes but were significantly related to their knowledge of hurricanes, specifically the effects of hurricanes on people, and to teachers’ reported loss of property related to the hurricanes. The findings suggest that a core component of children’s representational models is the capacity for empathy for the experience of others.

Early Childhood Education Students' Reflections: Volunteering after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After the hurricanes, faculty asked the students to help with the relief efforts in different ways. Most students volunteered to work in shelters directly with individual or groups of children, youths, and adults. After their experiences, they wrote brief reflections about what they had done. Their comments show that they developed a better understanding of the impact of the crisis and life in the shelters, strong impressions about specific children, a sense of community with their fellow classmates, or learned about the importance of flexibility and supervision in early childhood programs.