Review from booknews.com
This comprehensive compendium of research findings related to early childhood education presents critical reviews of recent research, evaluates new developments, and examines current conflicts in the area. Recent studies are also placed within a framework of well-established conceptual, historical, theoretical, and methodological aspects of the field. The 33 chapters, by leading researchers and scholars of the profession, are arranged within four sections: child development and early education, foundations of early childhood educational curriculum, foundations of early childhood educational policy, and research strategies for early childhood education. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Abstract from ERIC
This handbook is a compendium of current research findings in early childhood education (ECE) and contains 33 essays, divided into 4 parts, by leading scholars in the field. After a brief introduction, Part 1 addresses child development and early education in five chapters: "Cognitive Development and ECE"; "Motor Development and Movement Skill Acquisition in ECE"; "There and Then, Intangible and Internal: Narratives in Early Childhood"; "Young Children's Peer Relationships"; and "The Emotional Basis of Learning."

Part 2 covers the foundations of ECE curriculum and includes 11 chapters: "Curriculum Alternatives in ECE: A Historical Perspective"; "The Role of Play in Early Childhood Development and Education"; "Visions of Children as Language Users"; "Emerging Literacy in the Early Childhood Years"; "Fostering the Mathematical Learning of Young Children"; "Social Studies in ECE"; "The Arts and ECE"; "Music in ECE"; "Science in ECE"; "Multicultural Education for Young Children"; and "Electronic Media and ECE."

Part 3 examines the foundations of ECE policy and includes 10 chapters: "Testing, Tracking, and Retaining Young Children"; "The Morass of School Readiness Screening: Research on Test Use and Test Validity"; "Play Environments for ECE"; "Child Care for Young Children"; "The Influence of Parents on Children's Development and Education"; "Portrait of a Changing Field: Policy and Practice in ECE"; "The Education of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Children"; "Effective Preschool and Kindergarten Programs for Students At-Risk"; "Preparing Teachers for Early Childhood Programs"; and "Early Childhood Care and Development: Issues from the Developing Country Perspective."

Part 4 addresses research strategies for ECE in six chapters: "Young Children and Measurement: Standardized and Nonstandardized Instruments in ECE"; "The Interpretive Voice: Qualitative Research in ECE"; "Studying Educational Settings"; "Trends in Demographic and Behavioral Research"; "The Research-Policy Connection: Moving Beyond Incrementalism"; and "Chinese and Japanese Kindergartens: Case Study in Comparative Research." Each chapter contains an extensive bibliography, and the volume itself has both name and subject indexes. (MDM)