In early childhood classrooms, increased pressures to prioritize literacy acquisition skills have shifted learning environments from more open-ended and exploratory to regulatory in nature particularly in the field of literacy. Despite that research suggests the important role of exploratory and agentic literacy practices, the field is…

Discover the transformative power of early conversations on racial equity and cultural awareness with "Little Learners, Big Hearts." This heartwarming teacher's guide fosters empathy and equity in young minds. Grounded in heart centered learning, it seamlessly weaves principles of hope, self-education, acknowledgment, resolution, and…

This article presents a methodological approach to educational psychology research in which researchers engage in collaborative transformations of educational practice while developing theory concerning the societal and scientific relevance of these transformative processes. The theoretical inspiration for this approach stems from…

Purpose: Chinese kindergarten teachers commonly held "loving and caring for young children" as a core professional ethic, but many reported fatigue and burnout because of this ethical practice. This study presents a unique account of how children's free play has helped transform teachers' professional ethics and increased their…

Research Findings: This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of the public benefit preschool education service system (PPESS) in China from the perspective of preschool education administrators, principals, and teachers using a newly developed and validated instrument, the "Public-benefit Preschool Education Service System Rating Scale…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of instructional methods based on Constructivist theory and cooperative learning on first-grade students' mathematical learning achievement and social awareness. Method: A natural sample of 30 children aged 6-7 years old was cluster-randomized into an experimental group. Mathematical…

Background: This dissertation examines the pervasive influence of the white and colonial imaginary in shaping educational narratives that promote neoliberal success and capitalism, impacting the minds of successive generations. Contemporary youth perceive these narratives as detrimental, contributing to racial violence, climate-induced…

Compassion refers to noticing, feeling and acting to alleviate suffering in others. Being one of the crucial socio-emotional and cultural skills, surprisingly little is known of early childhood education (ECE) teachers' compassionate behavior and their ability to teach it to children. Overall, research on compassion in early childhood education…

This autoethnography explored how two third-grade dual language teacher partners (English/Spanish) managed challenges such as lack of leadership support, testing pressures, and English hegemony, to help their students grow personally and academically. Autoethnography was chosen as a method because it enables researchers to write evocatively…

From a child-centered perspective, this article explores the practices of children's self-organized play-communities in institutional everyday life in Danish early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, based on a phenomenological non-participant-observational study with a duration of 16 months involving two kindergartens (Bernstorff,…

Disasters continue to have adverse effects around the globe leaving many lives susceptible to hazards and fatalities most especially children. The Philippines, known to be one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, experiences earthquakes, typhoons, and flooding yearly. For the reason of the country's vulnerability to disasters, it is…

Teacher-student relationships have long been identified as an important factor in the success of a student, and in the investment of the teacher. Extensive research has been conducted on the perception and outcomes of teacher student relationships from the perspective of the teacher and that of the students. However, research on the outcomes,…

In this article, the authors argue for a rethinking of kindergarten education from a critical feminist perspective. They illustrate how the devaluation and denigration of femininity and care - otherwise known as femmephobia - that permeates patriarchal societies is present in the seemingly innocent spaces of play in kindergarten. Tracing…

From the authors of the popular blog and resource for teachers, The Classroom Bookshelf, this book offers a framework and teaching ideas for using recently released children's and young adult literature to build a culture of inquiry and engagement from a text-first approach. "Reading With Purpose" is designed to help K-8 teachers tap…

This article spotlights the transformation of a kindergarten classroom culture as told through the story of selecting and naming a class pet, emphasizing the teacher's understanding of children's ways of knowing and the role of trust in building an inclusive and equitable classroom environment. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory serves…