Products

Centerscopes | Bridges and Bottomlines | Practice Guides | Solutions Tool Kits

Now available from Winterberry Press! Visit Winterberry Press to order digital or hard copy versions of all RTC materials.

Interest-Based Learning

Bridges and Bottomlines > Situated and Contextually Based Learning > Interest-Based Learning

Influence of child interests on variations in child behavior and functioning
Melinda Raab, Ph.D., & Carl J. Dunst, Ph.D.
Bridges, Volume 4, Number 4
The relationship between child interests and child behavior and learning was examined in 25 studies of young children birth to six years of age. The studies included 580 children with or at risk for disabilities or delays and 543 children without disabilities or delays. Child interests were used in three different ways in the studies: (1) As a means for involving children in preferred or desired activities, (2) as the basis for modifying activities for the purpose of increasing child engagement or production of adult-desired behavior, and (3) relating child interests in specific developmental domains to variations in performance in these domains. Outcome measures used in the 25 studies included child engagement, child developmental standing and progress, child behavior functioning, and child quality of life. Results showed that in the largest number of studies, interest-based child learning was associated with a range of positive child benefits and outcomes. Implications for practice are described.

Participation in interest-based learning is filled with “positives” for young children
Bottomlines, Volume 4, Number 4
Child choice making and child behavioral competence
Melinda Raab, Ph.D., & Carl J. Dunst, Ph.D.,
(In preparation)
Influence of novel objects and activities on child behavioral consequences
Melinda Raab, Ph.D., Carl J. Dunst, Ph.D. & Laura Torres, B.A.
(In preparation)