Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Introduction : A researcher's vade mecum / Bernard Spodek and Olivia N. Saracho -- Cognitive development and the education of young children / Kelvin L. Seifert -- Young children's peer relations and social competence / Gary W. Ladd, Sarah L. Herald, and Rebecca K. Andrews -- Children's morality : perspectives and research / Eva Johansson -- The emotional basis of learning and development in early childhood education / Susanne A. Denham -- Motor development in young children / David L. Gallahue and John C. Ozmun -- The development of children's creativity / Mark A. Runco -- Reconceptualizing language education in early childhood : socio-cultural perspectives / Jim Anderson, Lyndsay Moffatt, and Jon Shapiro -- Emergent literacy : symbols at work / Susan E. Hill and Sue Nichols -- The literacy education of linguistically and culturally diverse young children : an overview of outcomes, assessment, and large-scale interventions / Robert Rueda and David B. Yaden, Jr. -- The development of young children's early number and operation sense and its implications for early childhood education / Arthur J. Baroody, Meng-lung Lai, and Kelly S. Mix -- Repositioning the visual arts in early childhood education : a decade of reconsideration / Christine Marmé Thompson -- The dance of learning / Karen Bradley with Mary Szegda -- The musical development and education of young children / Graham F. Welch -- Pretend play / Robert D. Kavanaugh -- Early childhood multicultural education / Patricia G. Ramsey -- Creating play environments for early childhood : indoors and out / John A. Sutterby and Joe Frost --

Childhood poverty : implications for school readiness and early childhood education / Rebecca M. Ryan, Rebecca C. Fauth, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn -- Effective preschool program for children at risk of school failure : a best-evidence synthesis / Bette Chambers, Alan C.K. Cheung, and Robert E. Slavin -- Educational policy in the United States regarding bilinguals in early childhood education / Ann-Marie Wiese and Eugene E. Garcia -- Child care for young children / Carollee Howes and Kay Sanders -- Family context in early childhood : a look at practices and beliefs that promote early learning / Barbara H. Fiese, Tanya Eckert, and Mary Spagnola -- Early childhood teachers' beliefs and attitudes about inclusion : what does the research tell us? / Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Bernadette M. Laumann, and Wu-Ying Hsieh -- Preschool teachers' professional development / Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek -- Alternative means of assessing children's learning in early childhood classrooms / Dominic F. Gullo -- Evaluating the quality of early childhood educational settings / Richard Lambert, Martha Abbott-Shim, and Annette Sibley -- Integration, innovation, and evaluation in school-based early childhood services / Janette Pelletier and Carl Corter -- Qualitative research : paradigms and possibilities / J. Amos Hatch and Gina Barclay-McLaughlin -- Feminist issues in early childhood scholarship / Candra D. Thornton and Lisa S. Goldstein -- Beyond certainties : postmodern perspectives, research, and the education of young children / Susan Grieshaber and Sharon Ryan -- Early childhood education research in cross-national perspective / Jaipaul L. Roopnarine and Aysegul Metindogan -- Historical research in early childhood education / Blythe S.F. Hinitz.

Provides a comprehensive overview of important contemporary issues and the information necessary to make judgments about these issues. Organized into four parts, this book makes the expanding knowledge base related to early childhood education accessible. It is a useful tool for all who work and study in the field.