Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: Includes reviews of: Babies Build Toddlers ; Just Ask - Be Different, Be Brave, Be You ; Nell Plants a Tree ; You Hold Me Up ; The Colors of Us ; The Mighty Solar Panel ; The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice.

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: This study explored the effects of peer interactions on kindergarten children’s construction of conservation and conflict resolution knowledge during storybook reading. Previous studies have identified that peer interactions can support the meaning-making processes of children in social relationships and problem-solving, but little is known about whether the interaction with mixed-age or more competent peers is more important in supporting knowledge construction. Sixty-four younger children in K2 and older children in K3 with similar socioeconomic backgrounds were recruited from a Montessori kindergarten in Kunming, China. An experimental design was applied to explore age group and conserver dominance effects on conservation and conflict resolution. Children were assigned randomly to eight groups in three 30-to-40-minute intervention sessions. Each session had a different theme for the children to learn about conservation and conflict resolution concepts and a hands-on activity to practice and discuss. ANOVAs were performed to test group effects, while multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore individual variations in age and pre-test scores in predicting post-test scores. Conservation knowledge was significantly better among children who differed in age groups in the post-test, but differences were not found in conflict resolution knowledge. Groups balanced with equal conservers and non-conservers improved the best, suggesting that peer social interactions can facilitate conservation and conflict resolution construction. These results provide new insights for early childhood educators to support peer interactions and children’s development. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1253782

ISSN: 2504-284X

Abstract/Notes: Reading is a skill that remains for a long time in persons with dementia (PWD), with oral reading and grammatical knowledge often being preserved through the latest stages of the condition. However, without access to dementia-appropriate reading materials, many senior living communities are compelled to provide children’s books to PWD. While the large font and simple sentences in such books make them easy to read, they fail to respect PWD’s status as adults who have significant life histories. Hearthside Book Club® (HBC) is a Montessori-based and adult-appropriate reading and discussion activity that capitalizes on the remaining abilities of PWD. This paper will discuss the key features of HBC, outcomes of a research study that examined HBC, processes used to disseminate HBC, and lessons learned while disseminating the intervention. Regarding the research study, persons from all stages of dementia participated (N=108), with 33% in the Early Stages, 28% in the Middle Stages, and 39% in the Late Stages. When compared to baseline activities, HBC produced an 85% increase in Constructive Engagement (p<.01), a 91% increase in Pleasure (p<.01), a 76% decrease in Distracted Engagement (p<.01), and a 59% decrease in Non-Engagement (p<.01). In addition, Quality of Life (measured with the DEMQOL) increased (p<.05), while Apathy (measured by the NPI-NH) decreased (p<.05). Regarding dissemination of HBC, a competitive analysis, surveys, and interviews with end users were used to determine optimal ways of delivering and pricing the intervention. Ultimately, we decided to disseminate HBC digitally as a Book of the Week Club.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.025

ISSN: 2399-5300

Language: English

Language: French

Language: English

ISSN: 0040-7887