Participation in educational settings is a universal right of every child, consigned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This right encompasses the need to protect and encourage young children's active participation and decision-making in early childhood education and care. Research Findings: This qualitative study,…

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) is an important indicator of the increased global importance of education. It defines the goal of education at the level of the child rather than the state, the community or household. The requirement that each child be treated as an individual who can expect to see their 'personality, talents…

This article deals with visual representations of children in social and natural science primary education textbooks from Spain and Portugal during the final years of dictatorship, transition to democracy, democratic consolidation, and democracy between 1965 and 1995. It explores ways in which children are addressed and made visible in social and…

Early childhood curricula are constructed from what is deemed important for young children's development and learning nationally, while influenced by international policy developments. Following concerns surrounding international neo-liberal agendas in early childhood policy formation, this article examines the position of young children's…

This article analyses the ways in which notions of student diversity and student voice are defined in five European countries, two terms directly related to notions of inclusion. In so doing, it examines links between the two terms, noting that, often, they are used in international research without acknowledging the ways that they are defined…

Research literature acknowledges the influential role of teachers' beliefs on their interpretations, decision-making and pedagogical practices. It also suggests that initial teacher education (ITE) plays a relevant role in explicitly addressing beliefs that students hold. This study aims to examine beliefs about the child of prospective early…

Despite the progress that has been made over the 25 years since the Salamanca Statement, there is still room for improvements in order that schools can be developed that include all students. Drawing on a programme of research carried out over a period of 20 years in various European countries, this paper argues that children and young people…

"Children's Rights, Educational Research, and the UNCRC" provides international perspectives on contemporary issues pertaining to children's rights in education. The global context, relevance and implications of children's rights, educational research and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are explored from…

This study investigates the role played by parents as mediators of young children's access and engagement with digital technologies. In Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Portugal, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 families in each country, including one child between 6 and 7 years old. Our findings show that parents of young…

This study investigates the process of praxiological transformation developed in an early childhood education institution, in Portugal, within four activity rooms. It is a single case study using action research, context-based staff development and participatory childhood pedagogy as means to change educational practices. It undertakes thorough…

This investigation includes a differential study (Study 1) and a quasi-experimental research (Study 2). In Study 1, the objective was to establish to what extent students' rights existed and analyse the differentiation between students' rights with Portuguese and immigrant mothers, throughout school years. The sample consisted of 537 students with…

In recent years, some researchers have been turning to children's views as a way to better construct knowledge about children and childhood issues. This article presents, firstly, a brief reflection on the image of child underlying this new perspective in research with children, an image that assumes, first and above all, a strong belief in…

Analyzes young Portuguese students' perceptions of their rights at school and at home. Results reveal that students who have a greater degree of personal limitations, or who live in worse school or family contexts, are the ones who indicate less importance and perceive less existence of rights at school and at home. (Contains 15 references and 5…

The majority of European countries do not recognize working children as a cause of concern, but rather consider it a past and/or solved problem, or one present only in developing nations. This report presents the results of a questionnaire study, undertaken by the European Forum for Child Welfare (EFCW), which investigated at a grass roots level…

Provides an overview of the role of Portuguese child laborers, focusing on the textile, clothing, and footwear industries. Argues that in the long term, positive outcomes will be based upon improved education; an alteration in the views of the factory owners, parents, and their children; and greater knowledge of innovative working practices among…