Young Ok Kim

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 2-4, 2003

Bernard Spodek

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 5-6, 2003

Helen S. Kowalski

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 7-16, 2003

The symbolic play of toddlers attending long-day child-care centers was examined to determine its frequency and complexity. Ninety-minutes of videotaped observations were collected of each participant`s free play in the outdoor environment in three conditions: same-age group play; mixed-age group play; and mixed-age dyad play. The participants` symbolic play was coded in accordance with the `Symbolic Play Scale` (Westby,1991). Results indicated that the toddlers exhibited symbolic play more frequently and at more complex levels when engaged in play with older, preschool-aged peers than when playing with their same-age peers. These findings suggest that the practice of mixed-age grouping is beneficial for the younger children`s emerging symbolic play.

Jong Sook Lee , Young Ja Lee , Eun Soo Shin

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 17-35, 2003

To examine the effects of age, sender, and social forms of pretend play, 203 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds who were selected from the Korean kindergartens were observed in b]ock, manipulative, and dramatic play in their age-graded classrooms. The younger children showed higher frequencies and levels for themes and structures than the older children in solitary play. In contrast, the older children showed more elaborated themes and complex structures of pretend play than the younger children in collaborative pretend play. Boys showed higher scores for themes and structures of pretend play than girls

Chun Zhang

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 37-46, 2003

This study briefly described and discussed the historical, legal and political factors and forces, the current status of the early intervention/early childhood special education field including service delivery models, instructional practices, personnel preparation, and recommended early childhood special education practices, and finally trends and issues facing the early intervention/early childhood special education field in the 21^(51) century.

Eun Ju Yun

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 47-60, 2003

This qualitative study is based on the assumption that moral virtues may partly be acquired contextually, i.e. , implicitly in the context of cooperative learning among children themselves. Twenty-five children from 4 to 6 years old were observed twice a week for one semester, mostly in whole class meetings and group project work. Interpretation of data led to the conclusion that different social contexts called for different kinds of morality, and that cooperative group work context was most fertile for implicit moral education. Contextual moral education may be particularly appropriate for early childhood, being implicit but active.

Yang Yang Liu , Yoko Shirakawa

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 61-72, 2003

To examine children`s Omoiyari. empathic consideration, the author interviewed sixty Japanese children age four and five and sixty Chinese children of the same age , using picture-story cards of six Omoiyari Situations. Children were first asked whether they would act with empathic consideration or not, and then the reason for the answer. Both Japanese children and Chinese children showed empathic consideratior in all six situations except Situation 5, the empathic consideration to the farmer who grew rice for children. Both Japanese children and Chinese children showed empathic consideration when they understood the situation correctly. Children`s empathic consideration was closely related to the children`s needs or wishes in each situation. The stronger their wishes were ,the less frequently they showed empathic consideration. Some children, however, could resolve conflicts between their own needs and the other people`s needs, and showed empathic consideration by sharing, waiting ,looking for alternatives, forgiving negotiating and so on. The Japanese children frequently used reasoning based on considering the other person`s feelings such as `because I feel sorry with the African child`, more frequently than the Chinese children, Chinese children showed empathic consideration to a strange blind man and the farmer who grows rice more frequently than Japanese children, whereas they showed empathic consideration less frequently to a father as a familiar person and to peers than to Japanese children. Chinese children often mentioned reasons based on indoctrination by adults. Cultural differences were reflected on children`s empathic consideration in both countries.

Cheerapan Bhulpat , Kamkeo Kraisoraphong

DOI: Vol.9(No.1) 73-88, 2003

The purposes of the research and development project were to study appropriate ways to implement the Montessori method in the Thai social context and to present ways to implement the method for the school administrators and those who were interested in the method. One model school, Kornkaew Nursery School and the 4 network schools were selected for study: Amnuaysilpa School, and Pranantanit Kindergarten in Bangkok, Pierra-Navin Child Care, Ayutthaya Branch and Naresuan Palau Border Patrol Police School in rural are3. The samples studied were 5school administrators, 24 teachers/caregivers and 68 parents from the five schools. Five research tools were used: The school Fundamental Data Survey. The Record Form for Supervision and Follow-up of the Montessori Teaching, The Interview Form for Administrators, The Interview Form for teachers/Caregivers, and The Questionnaire for Parents were used for data collecting . The Montessori method was implemented and the data was collected from May to October 2000. The resulted showed: (1) the appropriate way to implement the Montessori method is to study the fundamental information regarding to the social context of the school; (2) 5 models from 5 schools which can be really implemented for the preschool children; and (3) the results from the Interview and the Questionnaire showed that the administrators, the teachers/the caregivers and the parents of five schools were satisfied and confident with the method of teaching.