Suchergebnisse

This paper considers early educational interventions aimed at preventing school failure. It begins with a typology of prevention and intervention, then goes on to consider four specific examples of preventive interventions all aimed at avoiding or alleviating academic failure at school. (1) The High Scope pre‐school programme for disadvantaged children aimed at providing a 'better start at school'. (2) Reading Recovery, a targeted intervention aimed at getting children who show early reading difficulties 'back on course'. (3) A Focused Literacy Programme for improving the reading of all children in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of the inner city. (4) 'Parent involvement' programmes to improve the reading of all children in primary school through support for literacy at home. Each of the intervention strategies is described and criticised in terms of effectiveness, acceptability and generalisation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

"In diesem Beitrag werden die Auswirkungen eines aufwändigen Frühinterventionsprogramms namens 'Early Learning Partnership Project' (ELPP), das während einer Reformperiode der Regierung bei neun Institutionen der Freiwilligen- und Gemeinwesenarbeit im Vereinigten Königreiches eingeführt wurde, beschrieben. Im Mittelpunkt des Programmes standen die Eltern von Kindern im Alter von ein bis drei Jahren, die dem Risiko von Lernverzögerungen ausgesetzt waren. Es zielte darauf ab, die elterliche Beteiligung am Lernen ihrer Kinder zu erhöhen, um so einer Verringerung späterer Benachteiligungseffekte den Weg zu bereiten. Der Einfluss des ELPP wurde mithilfe einer Mixed-Methods-Evaluation untersucht. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird über eine Elternstichprobe an 20 'exemplarischen' Standorten berichtet. Dabei nahmen die Eltern zu zwei Messzeitpunkten an einer Auswahl strukturierter Beobachtungen (HOME und Booksharing Observation) und strukturierten Fragebogeninterviews (Home Learning Environment, Parental Feelings Questionnaire und Father Involvement Questionnaire) teil. Es zeigte sich, dass kurze Interventionen gegenüber den Eltern deren Erziehungsverhalten, persönlichen Überzeugungen und die affektive Beziehung zu Kindern beeinflussen konnten. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass es mit dem britischen Interventionsprogramm ELPP möglich ist, innerhalb von mindestens drei Monaten das Niveau der elterlichen Beteiligung zu erhöhen und die Qualität des häuslichen Lernumfeldes auf eine breitere Grundlage zu stellen." (Autorenreferat)

This paper describes an exploratory evaluation of the Peers Early Education Partnership 'Room to Play', an innovative and experimental 'drop‐in' service seeking to attract and engage 'hard‐to‐reach' families in one of the most deprived areas of a Midlands city. Located in a shop unit of a busy community shopping centre, it offers play and learning activities for children, and provides opportunities for parents to talk to practitioners in a neutral and supportive environment. Through a mixed methods design, the authors attempted to document the core components of a potential transferable model of intervention, within challenging research constraints.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on young children's learning at home and in early childhood settings, in order to identify key caregiving practices which support the learning and development of children under three.Design/methodology/approach– Starting with well-known reviews carried out in England, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, the authors searched the literature for evidence of the developmental needs of babies and toddlers. They then drew on the psychological and educational literatures to identify key practices supporting physical development, learning and communication, using expert review to build on the scientific research in areas where evidence was sparse.Findings– The review explores three key areas of practice: play-based activities and routines; support for communication and language; and opportunities to move and be physically active.Research limitations/implications– This review is not systematic or exhaustive, but aims to integrate current evidence within these three key areas in a succinct and accessible manner. The authors recognise that there are many other dimensions of effective practice, many of which are addressed elsewhere in this special edition, as well as myriad other influences on children's development, including social, family and environmental factors.Originality/value– Worldwide, growing numbers of children under three are experiencing non-parental care in early childhood settings. In comparison to evidence for preschool children, the literature on effective practice for under-threes is sparse. Given the urgent need for information to guide policy and practice, this paper provides a starting point and calls for a multi-source approach to strengthening the evidence base.

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between the characteristics of the home learning environment (HLE) and students' academic attainments in secondary school in England at age 14 and 16.


Design/methodology/approach
– This research study uses multilevel statistical models to investigate the strength and significance of relationships between various measures of the HLE at ages three, six, 11 and 14, and students' academic attainment in secondary school.


Findings
– Multilevel models show that early years HLE and specific dimensions of later HLE are positive predictors of students' later academic attainment at age 14 and 16, when the influence of various individual, family and neighbourhood characteristics are controlled.


Originality/value
– The paper presents unique findings on the role of the HLE in shaping students' academic success at secondary school, including a range of measures of the HLE obtained at different ages. The results show that the early years HLE measured at age three continues to show effects on later attainment, over and beyond the effects of later HLE and other significant influences such as family socio-economic status and parents' qualification levels.