Christine Stephen
Biographic Data
| ID | 5707651 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Christine Stephen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Christine |
| FAMILY NAME | Stephen |
| SIGNATURE | STEPHEN C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Stirling |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 61 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 6 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Young children engaging with technologies at home
This article is about the ways in which young children engage with technological toys and resources at home and, in particular, the ways in which the family context makes a difference to young children’s engagement with these technologies. The data reviewed come from family interviews and parent-recorded video of four case study children as they used specific resources: a screen-based games console designed for family use, a technology-mediated r…
Looking for Theory in Preschool Education
Pre-school quality and educational outcomes at age 11
This article reports the effects of pre-school quality on children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes at age 11 using a large-scale longitudinal study of 3000+ children in England (EPPE/EPPSE). The ECERS-R and a curricular extension to it (ECERS-E) were used to assess the quality of provision in 141 pre-school settings attended by the children. The quality measures were derived from observations throughout the day of interactions and resources …
Gambling on the market
Since 1997 there has been an unprecedented expansion of the childcare for-profit market in the UK. The repercussions of this for understanding of ‘quality’ and definitions of good practice for early education and care have barely been explored. But in the current economic recession the market is now beginning to shrink, and there is considerable turnover of nursery places. The built-in instability of the for-profit market serves to highlight its …
Taking children seriously
Recent developments in early childhood research in the UK suggest there is a good deal of current knowledge as to ‘what works’ in early education, including what helps to narrow the gap between more and less advantaged pupils. A broad consensus now exists in many parts of the English-speaking world as to the forms of provision, including curriculum and pedagogy, environment and ethos, which are most likely to support children’s well-being and the…
The ‘insider/outsider’ dilemma of ethnography
In this article we unravel the difficulty of being researchers in the homes and classrooms of children and their families whose origins are, for one of us, very different and, for the other, very similar to our own. We first situate our work within theories of early socialization and literacy teaching which underpin our understanding of how young children in cross-cultural contexts learn. We then turn to the question of working with the families …
Using survey data to explore preschool children’s ethnic awareness and attitudes
This article presents the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 1049) of ethnic awareness and attitudes among three to four-year-old children in Northern Ireland. In drawing upon and applying Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the article demonstrates how, even at this age, the children are already beginning to embody and internalize the cultural habits and dispositions of their respective ethnic groups; namely the Protestant and Catholic communities.…
Trends in research about health in early childhood
Research about health is concerned with physical and mental well-being, illness and injury. Directly or indirectly, health relates to almost every aspect of early childhood. This article reviews the enormous range of research available, examining the aims and purposes of the studies, their methods and findings and the ways in which childhood and child—adult relationships are conceptualized. In particular, this article is concerned with whether th…
The Technologisation of Childhood? Young Children and Technology in the Home
We describe an 18‐month empirical investigation of three‐ and four‐year‐old children’s uses of technology at home, based on a survey of 346 families and 24 case studies. The findings are reported in the context of social commentators’ anxieties about the ways in which childhood is being transformed by technology. Although we report evidence of some parental disquiet about the role of technology in children’s lives, we illustrate some of the compl…
Supporting young children's learning with technology at home and in preschool
We describe two empirical investigations of three- and four-year-old children’s uses of technology, one conducted in family homes and the other in preschool settings, with the aim of comparing the ways in which children’s learning with technology is supported in these different settings. The studies conceptualise learning within a sociocultural framework and use the concept of guided interaction to focus the discussion. Three areas of learning th…
Learning From the Children
This article is an account of our attempts to understand preschool children's experiences with information and communication technologies (ICT) at home. Using case study data, we focus on what we can learn from talking directly to the children that might otherwise have been overlooked and on describing and evaluating the methods we adopted to ensure that we maximized the children's contributions to the research. By paying attention to the childre…
The big picture? Video and the representation of interaction
Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for representing interaction. These examples are used to identify some general principles for the representati…
The culture of practice in pre‐school provision
This paper explores, contrasts, and considers some of the implications of the different ways in which the culture of practice in pre‐school provision is construed by various actors (‘outsiders’ and ‘insiders’) in the enterprise. ‘Outsiders’ means those with responsibility for the formulation of the curriculum, the inspection of provision and the training of pre‐school staff (typically managers and assessors). The perspectives of two types of insi…
A role for practising teachers in initial teacher education
University-based initial teacher education
The emphasis on 'partnership' in initial teacher education is a matter not just of organisational structure but of professional practices and purposes. If universities are to remain key players in initial teacher education, they must support the occupational group that represents the sector's interests and values: university-based initial teacher educators. Currently, however, this occupational group is awkwardly positioned between competing sets…
Children's understanding of number words
This research notes gives details of an atypical response to a ‘give a number’ task by a 34‐month‐old child. The child clearly demonstrated that he understood the word ‘two’ to refer to an object rather than to a quantity. This incident offers support to Fuson's (1988) theory of the functionally specific initial acquisition of number word meanings and suggests that Gelman & Meck's (1983) ‘principles first’ account of the development of counting g…
The big picture? Video and the representation of interaction
Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for representing interaction. These examples are used to identify some general principles for the representati…
The ‘insider/outsider’ dilemma of ethnography
In this article we unravel the difficulty of being researchers in the homes and classrooms of children and their families whose origins are, for one of us, very different and, for the other, very similar to our own. We first situate our work within theories of early socialization and literacy teaching which underpin our understanding of how young children in cross-cultural contexts learn. We then turn to the question of working with the families …
Young children engaging with technologies at home
This article is about the ways in which young children engage with technological toys and resources at home and, in particular, the ways in which the family context makes a difference to young children’s engagement with these technologies. The data reviewed come from family interviews and parent-recorded video of four case study children as they used specific resources: a screen-based games console designed for family use, a technology-mediated r…
A role for practising teachers in initial teacher education
Gambling on the market
Since 1997 there has been an unprecedented expansion of the childcare for-profit market in the UK. The repercussions of this for understanding of ‘quality’ and definitions of good practice for early education and care have barely been explored. But in the current economic recession the market is now beginning to shrink, and there is considerable turnover of nursery places. The built-in instability of the for-profit market serves to highlight its …
Taking children seriously
Recent developments in early childhood research in the UK suggest there is a good deal of current knowledge as to ‘what works’ in early education, including what helps to narrow the gap between more and less advantaged pupils. A broad consensus now exists in many parts of the English-speaking world as to the forms of provision, including curriculum and pedagogy, environment and ethos, which are most likely to support children’s well-being and the…
Pre-school quality and educational outcomes at age 11
This article reports the effects of pre-school quality on children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes at age 11 using a large-scale longitudinal study of 3000+ children in England (EPPE/EPPSE). The ECERS-R and a curricular extension to it (ECERS-E) were used to assess the quality of provision in 141 pre-school settings attended by the children. The quality measures were derived from observations throughout the day of interactions and resources …
Using survey data to explore preschool children’s ethnic awareness and attitudes
This article presents the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 1049) of ethnic awareness and attitudes among three to four-year-old children in Northern Ireland. In drawing upon and applying Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the article demonstrates how, even at this age, the children are already beginning to embody and internalize the cultural habits and dispositions of their respective ethnic groups; namely the Protestant and Catholic communities.…
University-based initial teacher education
The emphasis on 'partnership' in initial teacher education is a matter not just of organisational structure but of professional practices and purposes. If universities are to remain key players in initial teacher education, they must support the occupational group that represents the sector's interests and values: university-based initial teacher educators. Currently, however, this occupational group is awkwardly positioned between competing sets…
Looking for Theory in Preschool Education
Trends in research about health in early childhood
Research about health is concerned with physical and mental well-being, illness and injury. Directly or indirectly, health relates to almost every aspect of early childhood. This article reviews the enormous range of research available, examining the aims and purposes of the studies, their methods and findings and the ways in which childhood and child—adult relationships are conceptualized. In particular, this article is concerned with whether th…
Supporting young children's learning with technology at home and in preschool
We describe two empirical investigations of three- and four-year-old children’s uses of technology, one conducted in family homes and the other in preschool settings, with the aim of comparing the ways in which children’s learning with technology is supported in these different settings. The studies conceptualise learning within a sociocultural framework and use the concept of guided interaction to focus the discussion. Three areas of learning th…
Learning From the Children
This article is an account of our attempts to understand preschool children's experiences with information and communication technologies (ICT) at home. Using case study data, we focus on what we can learn from talking directly to the children that might otherwise have been overlooked and on describing and evaluating the methods we adopted to ensure that we maximized the children's contributions to the research. By paying attention to the childre…
The culture of practice in pre‐school provision
This paper explores, contrasts, and considers some of the implications of the different ways in which the culture of practice in pre‐school provision is construed by various actors (‘outsiders’ and ‘insiders’) in the enterprise. ‘Outsiders’ means those with responsibility for the formulation of the curriculum, the inspection of provision and the training of pre‐school staff (typically managers and assessors). The perspectives of two types of insi…
Children's understanding of number words
This research notes gives details of an atypical response to a ‘give a number’ task by a 34‐month‐old child. The child clearly demonstrated that he understood the word ‘two’ to refer to an object rather than to a quantity. This incident offers support to Fuson's (1988) theory of the functionally specific initial acquisition of number word meanings and suggests that Gelman & Meck's (1983) ‘principles first’ account of the development of counting g…
University-based initial teacher education
The emphasis on 'partnership' in initial teacher education is a matter not just of organisational structure but of professional practices and purposes. If universities are to remain key players in initial teacher education, they must support the occupational group that represents the sector's interests and values: university-based initial teacher educators. Currently, however, this occupational group is awkwardly positioned between competing sets…
A role for practising teachers in initial teacher education
The culture of practice in pre‐school provision
This paper explores, contrasts, and considers some of the implications of the different ways in which the culture of practice in pre‐school provision is construed by various actors (‘outsiders’ and ‘insiders’) in the enterprise. ‘Outsiders’ means those with responsibility for the formulation of the curriculum, the inspection of provision and the training of pre‐school staff (typically managers and assessors). The perspectives of two types of insi…
Learning From the Children
This article is an account of our attempts to understand preschool children's experiences with information and communication technologies (ICT) at home. Using case study data, we focus on what we can learn from talking directly to the children that might otherwise have been overlooked and on describing and evaluating the methods we adopted to ensure that we maximized the children's contributions to the research. By paying attention to the childre…
The big picture? Video and the representation of interaction
Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for representing interaction. These examples are used to identify some general principles for the representati…
The Technologisation of Childhood? Young Children and Technology in the Home
We describe an 18‐month empirical investigation of three‐ and four‐year‐old children’s uses of technology at home, based on a survey of 346 families and 24 case studies. The findings are reported in the context of social commentators’ anxieties about the ways in which childhood is being transformed by technology. Although we report evidence of some parental disquiet about the role of technology in children’s lives, we illustrate some of the compl…
Supporting young children's learning with technology at home and in preschool
We describe two empirical investigations of three- and four-year-old children’s uses of technology, one conducted in family homes and the other in preschool settings, with the aim of comparing the ways in which children’s learning with technology is supported in these different settings. The studies conceptualise learning within a sociocultural framework and use the concept of guided interaction to focus the discussion. Three areas of learning th…
Pre-school quality and educational outcomes at age 11
This article reports the effects of pre-school quality on children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes at age 11 using a large-scale longitudinal study of 3000+ children in England (EPPE/EPPSE). The ECERS-R and a curricular extension to it (ECERS-E) were used to assess the quality of provision in 141 pre-school settings attended by the children. The quality measures were derived from observations throughout the day of interactions and resources …
Gambling on the market
Since 1997 there has been an unprecedented expansion of the childcare for-profit market in the UK. The repercussions of this for understanding of ‘quality’ and definitions of good practice for early education and care have barely been explored. But in the current economic recession the market is now beginning to shrink, and there is considerable turnover of nursery places. The built-in instability of the for-profit market serves to highlight its …
Taking children seriously
Recent developments in early childhood research in the UK suggest there is a good deal of current knowledge as to ‘what works’ in early education, including what helps to narrow the gap between more and less advantaged pupils. A broad consensus now exists in many parts of the English-speaking world as to the forms of provision, including curriculum and pedagogy, environment and ethos, which are most likely to support children’s well-being and the…
The ‘insider/outsider’ dilemma of ethnography
In this article we unravel the difficulty of being researchers in the homes and classrooms of children and their families whose origins are, for one of us, very different and, for the other, very similar to our own. We first situate our work within theories of early socialization and literacy teaching which underpin our understanding of how young children in cross-cultural contexts learn. We then turn to the question of working with the families …
Using survey data to explore preschool children’s ethnic awareness and attitudes
This article presents the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 1049) of ethnic awareness and attitudes among three to four-year-old children in Northern Ireland. In drawing upon and applying Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the article demonstrates how, even at this age, the children are already beginning to embody and internalize the cultural habits and dispositions of their respective ethnic groups; namely the Protestant and Catholic communities.…
Trends in research about health in early childhood
Research about health is concerned with physical and mental well-being, illness and injury. Directly or indirectly, health relates to almost every aspect of early childhood. This article reviews the enormous range of research available, examining the aims and purposes of the studies, their methods and findings and the ways in which childhood and child—adult relationships are conceptualized. In particular, this article is concerned with whether th…
Looking for Theory in Preschool Education
Young children engaging with technologies at home
This article is about the ways in which young children engage with technological toys and resources at home and, in particular, the ways in which the family context makes a difference to young children’s engagement with these technologies. The data reviewed come from family interviews and parent-recorded video of four case study children as they used specific resources: a screen-based games console designed for family use, a technology-mediated r…
Psychology (12 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (9 works) · Pedagogy (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Political science (7 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works) · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies (5 works) · Child Development and Digital Technology (4 works) · Children's Rights and Participation (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works)