Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Research Question: Introduction

The question regarding what is considered developmentally appropriate practice for preschoolers (i.e., three to five-year-olds) has been widely debated in recent years. The various practices include approaches such as teacher-directed learning activities and child-directed activities. This paper will focus on specifically these two approaches and the aspects they introduce regarding early childhood development. Most approaches agree on many educational goals such as promoting self-esteem, encouraging emerging literacy, using materials and activities that are of interest to children, and encouraging parent involvement, among others. It is the manner of which they are implemented that varies and how they affect

In recent years the emphasis on academic accountability and focus on children’s cognitive skills has led to a decline in the occurrence of play in early education settings. While both approaches have those who argue for or against them, the focus remains on what is the most developmentally appropriate practice, a phrase coined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which describes the concept of matching environment to the varying needs of young children. (Crosser, 1996) According to a national study conducted for the U.S. Department of Education:

School staff needs a clearer understanding of developmentally appropriate practice. Most schools' kindergarten programs claim to be "developmental" yet they rate themselves relatively low on some of the key classroom activities that early childhood educators define as developmental practice. Research on children's learning, as well as the recommendations of a number of national organizations, suggests the importance of developmentally appropriate practice.... The National Governors' Association's strategies for achieving the national education goals include developmentally appropriate preschool programs and age-appropriate expectations and activities in kindergarten. If school administrators and teachers believe they have already adopted a developmental orientation, they are less likely to see the need to change... (Love, 1992, p.

(Trawick-Smith, 2008) Studies were examined to examine teacher’s instruction during constructive free play. Units of observed child play behavior could be categorized in two ways, related to the purposes of the study: 1) Amount of support needed and 2) Type of support needed. The following is an example of an actual case