How Children’s Media and Teachers Communicate Exclusive and Essentialist Views of Science and Scientists

Language that uses noun labels and generic descriptions to discuss people who do science (e.g., “Let’s be scientists! Scientists discover new things”) signals to children that scientists are a distinctive category. This identity-cuing language promotes essentialist beliefs and leads to disengagement from science among young children in experimental contexts. The extent to which these cues shape the development of children’s beliefs and behaviors in daily life, however, depends on (a) the availability of identity-based language in children’s environments, and (b) the power of these cues to shape beliefs over time, even in the noisier, more variable contexts in which children are exposed to them. Documenting the availability of this language, linguistic coding of children’s media (Study 1) and prekindergarten teachers’ classroom language (Study 2; n = 103; 98 female, 1 male, 4 unknown; 66% White, 8% African American, 6% Asian/Asian American, 3% Mixed/Biracial; 21% of the sample, of any race, identified as Hispanic/Latinx), confirmed that identity-cuing language was the most common form of science language in these two contexts. Further, children (Study 3; n = 83; Mage = 5.07 years; 43 female, 40 male; 64% White, 12% Asian/Asian American, 24% Mixed/Biracial; 36% of the sample, of any race, identified as Hispanic/Latinx) who were exposed to less identity-focused language from their teachers developed increasingly inclusive beliefs about science and indicated higher levels of science engagement over time. These findings suggest that linguistic input is an important mechanism through which exclusive beliefs about science are conveyed to children in daily life.

Examining Certification Requirements in Early Math and Literacy: What Do States Expect Prekindergarten Teachers to Know?

The purpose of this study was to examine preK certification requirements for literacy and mathematics coursework to understand policy trends across the United States. We were interested in examining whether teacher certification requirements in these content areas align with expectations for child outcomes in early literacy and math. We completed a content analysis of 114 documents from 50 states including preK teacher certification requirements and early learning standards from each state. We engaged in a detailed analysis of the sections of these documents related to early literacy and mathematics. Based on this state-by-state analysis, we found that most states had very little specification of preK teacher certification requirements related to literacy or mathematics. Our findings suggest that current certification policies are not well-aligned with expectations for preK children’s learning in early literacy and mathematics.

Factors Associated With Accuracy in Prekindergarten Teacher Ratings of Students’ Mathematics Skills

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that 95% of students in all public elementary and secondary schools are assessed in mathematics. Unfortunately, direct assessments of young students can be timely, costly, and challenging to administer. Therefore, policy makers have looked to indirect forms of assessment, such as teachers’ ratings of student skills, as a substitute. However, prekindergarten teachers’ ratings of students’ mathematical knowledge and skills are only correlated with direct assessments at the .50 level. Little is known about factors that influence accuracy in teacher ratings. In this study, we examine the influence of student and teacher characteristics on prekindergarten teachers’ ratings of students’ mathematical skills, controlling for direct assessment of these skills. Results indicate that students’ race/ethnicity and social competency, as well as teachers’ self-efficacy, are significantly related to prekindergarten teachers’ ratings of students’ mathematical skills.