Human Development & Quantitative Methodology
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2248
The departments within the College of Education were reorganized and renamed as of July 1, 2011. This department incorporates the former departments of Measurement, Statistics & Evaluation; Human Development; and the Institute for Child Study.
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Item Socialization practices in low-income immigrants and their young children: A qualitative approach(2011) Aldoney Ramirez, Daniela; Cabrera, Natasha J.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the U.S., yet little is known about how these families socialize their children to function in the U.S. Based on ecocultural theory, this study utilized focus groups interviews with 28 parents to explore the socialization practices of low-income Latino immigrant parents with their young children. Findings from this study suggest that parents model their expectations/values according to environmental demands developing diverse strategies to combine what they view to be Latino and American values. Research results also indicate that participating parents cope with the challenges in socializing their children by being optimistic and highly investing time and resources on their children. This study provides a basis for generating hypotheses to be tested with larger datasets; identifying areas that policies and programs might develop to support effective parenting in Latino immigrant families; and, informing the development of culturally sensitive measures to evaluate Latino parenting.Item Influences of School, Classroom, and Teacher Characteristics on Children's School Readiness(2010) McCallan, Stacy A.; Jones Harden, Brenda; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A number of factors contribute to the school readiness of children, including child and family characteristics, neighborhood residence, and early care and education experiences. Early skills are the foundation for later school and life success. The current study examines the influence of school composition, classroom quality, and teacher preparation on kindergarten children's school readiness using data originally collected as part of an evaluation of a school readiness intervention. Children's academic school readiness was predicted by teachers' preparation in child development. Children had fewer problem behaviors when their teachers were more highly educated and specialized in child development and, surprisingly, when they attended schools with higher concentrations of low-income students. Child race was the only variable significantly related to children's social skills. These results suggest that teachers play an important role in children's development of foundational skills, and provide support for specific and targeted professional development around early childhood education.