Book excerpt: "The field of early childhood education and development has recently been the object of increased research and inquiry as well as heightened public concern for the education of young children." "The Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children is a definitive compendium of research findings related to early childhood education. This comprehensive volume 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." "Written by leading researchers and scholars of the profession, this reference work is divided info 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." "Since the education of young children is so closely interrelated with the field of child development, the first section of the Handbook is devoted entirely to an examination of the relationship between early childhood education and research in the area of human development. The ways children learn to think, to move, to use language, to interact with their peers, and to deal with their emotions, provides a basis for the way activities can be designed to help them achieve significant goals in these areas." "Part II of the Handbook addresses research on the foundations of educational curriculum for the young child. Informing early childhood educators about the basis for classroom activities and the possible consequences, the Handbook examines how the nature of educational programs established for young children has changed over the years, and presents curriculum alternatives. The areas of play, language and literacy, mathematics, science, social sciences, music, and art are also reviewed in separate chapters." "The third section analyzes research related to public policy issues, focusing on how educational legislation and regulation at both local and national levels influence all facets of early childhood programs. Issues such as the testing and evaluation of children, child care, parental involvement, early childhood special education, and teacher education programs are evaluated." "The final section of the Handbook examines research strategies and methodologies used in studying early childhood education and educational environments. Cross-national research methodology is also addressed in the final chapters, using case studies of international kindergartens and comparative data." "The Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children suggests new visions of early childhood education and serves as an invaluable resource for school officials, teachers, libraries, and creators of public policy."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved