Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 7th edition

Prepare professionals to meet the unique developmental needs of children from a wide variety of backgrounds.
A primary goal of early childhood education today is to provide the skills, understanding, and sensitivity that children need in a pluralistic society. Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective is designed to assist professionals in meeting that goal by providing a culturally sensitive account of developmental processes. It examines the physical, social, emotional, linguistic, and intellectual characteristics of children of diverse cultural backgrounds within and outside the United States. Additionally, it discusses typical as well as atypical development in children from birth through age 8. Hands-on, practical applications, real-world stories, and professional practice suggestions throughout the book bring the material to life. The 7th edition includes an extended examination of dual-language learners, new Applying Chapter Ideas features and learning objectives, and more.

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Also available with MyLab Education

This title is also available with MyLab Education, an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with the text to engage students and improve results. Within its structured environment, students see key concepts demonstrated through video clips, practice what they learn, test their understanding, and receive feedback to guide their learning and ensure they master key learning outcomes.

• Classroom videos engage students and bring the text to life. As students read through their eText, they encounter embedded videos that illustrate or expand on key chapter concepts using real classroom footage. In this way, abstract or difficult-to-understand concepts are brought to life. Students read about a concept and then see it demonstrated with real teachers and students, helping them better understand course content. 

• Assessments guide student learning. Throughout their eText students are presented with opportunities to check their understanding of key concepts through multiple-choice assessments. Students receive immediate feedback to guide their learning and ensure they master the key learning outcomes. Results are organized and reported to the gradebook by learning outcome, enabling students and instructors to focus on the concepts that require the most attention.

• Application Exercises help students apply their learning. Interactive Application Exercises and Assessments involving the analysis of dynamic videos, case studies, and artifacts help students apply and internalize their learning. Engaging in these learning experiences helps students practice and strengthen skills that prepare them for classroom observation and teaching.

• My Virtual Child is an interactive website that helps students integrate their course work with their practical “experiences” in raising a virtual child through adolescence.
  

Additional text features include:                                                                 

• A multicultural approach to development.

  • Developmental domains are presented with examples drawn from diverse cultures, preparing adults to meet the distinct needs of every child.

  • UPDATED: Greater emphasis is placed on newer or more culturally inclusive theories of development–neo-Piagetian, postmodern, and biological theories, for example.

  • UPDATED: A more extensive examination of dual-language learners includes newly discovered advancements in how young children from bilingual homes learn and develop.

• Practical, hands-on applications.

  • NEW: Applying Chapter Ideas features are included at the end of each chapter to provide real-world, hands-on exercises along with questions to ponder related to those exercises.

  • Child Guidance features offer research-based methods to enrich children's physical, cognitive, social, emotional, or linguistic development.

  • Research into Practice sections describe practical classroom and parenting applications.

  • Assessing Young Children features help professionals interpret the behavior of young children and use this information to plan programs, guide interactions, and enrich development.

  • Classroom Adaptations features provide practical ideas for adapting classroom space, materials, curricula, and adult interactions for children with special needs.

  • The Media features examine the influence of television and computers on young children's development, with recent research suggesting recommendations for teachers and parents.

• Integrated atypical development and special education topics. Core development chapters include special education and atypical development topics to assist professionals in understanding and appreciating the characteristics of children with challenging conditions.

• NEW: Chapter-opening learning objectives. Learning objectives detail the concepts that the chapter will present. Each objective is tied to a main section of the text, helping students structure their reading and study.

• Current research.

  • UPDATED: Recent research in neuroscience is presented, which helps us better understand how children think, learn, feel, and behave.

  • UPDATED: The book contains discussions of more than 400 new research studies and articles on early childhood development that have been published since the last edition.

• Advocacy and key public policy issues related to child development. Advocacy and Public Policy features present key public policy issues for each level and domain of development as well as examples and suggestions for how professionals can integrate advocacy into their practice.

Key content changes and text features include:                                               

• A multicultural approach to development.

  • UPDATED: Greater emphasis is placed on newer or more culturally inclusive theories of development—neo-Piagetian, postmodern, and biological theories, for example.

  • UPDATED: A more extensive examination of dual-language learners includes newly discovered advancements in how young children from bilingual homes learn and develop.

• Practical, hands-on applications.

  • Applying Chapter Ideas features are included at the end of each chapter to provide real-world, hands-on exercises along with questions to ponder related to those exercises.

• Chapter-opening learning objectives. Learning objectives detail the concepts that the chapter will present. Each objective is tied to a main section of the text, helping students structure their reading and study.

• Current research.

  • UPDATED: Recent research in neuroscience is presented, which helps us better understand how children think, learn, feel, and behave.

  • UPDATED: The book contains discussions of more than 400 new research studies and articles on early childhood development that have been published since the last edition.