The extant literature on the use of autonomy support during caregiver-child conversations has focused primarily on conversations about fun, shared experiences, with limited consideration of unshared experiences or attention toward the role of conversation context. The present study examined how autonomy support, conversation context, and child age…

The purpose of this theoretical paper is to examine the links between the philosophical underpinnings of Froebelian pedagogy (where pedagogy is understood as the basis on which early childhood practices are developed) and the pedagogy of a recent movement in environmental education for young children; the Common Worlds Research Collective. Current…

Objective: The present study examined the antecedents and consequences of perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control. More specifically, we had three aims: a) to investigate the associations between parents' expectations and beliefs about parenting and perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control; b) to analyse…

Play, and especially free play, offers a unique opportunity for children to act with agency. Yet the regulated and routinized structure of early childhood education and care settings, impedes children's agentic action which is limited by adult-imposed rules. The present cross-cultural study aims to explore the extent to which Early Childhood…

This study examined two subfactors of fundamental movement skills: locomotion skills and object-control skills. The direct and indirect effects of children's temperament on fundamental movement skills and the mediating effects of autonomy and self-regulation were examined. Participants included 278 pairs of 3- to 5-year-old children and their…

Risk-taking during the toddler years is crucial for the development of autonomy, initiative, and independence. However, the current culture in the U.S. seeks to minimize the risks young children are exposed to. This small-scale, mixed methods study examined parental attitudes towards toddler risk-taking and children's behavior during nature play.…

This study examined the protective roles of early prosocial behaviours (at age 4) on later internalizing and externalizing problems (at age 6) and to what extent emotion regulation skills (at age 5) mediated these longitudinal associations in children from Turkey. Participants were 293 Turkish preschool children (M[subscript age] = 49.01 months;…

Childcare settings offer an ideal opportunity for children to become acquainted with risk-taking in play, which promotes healthy growth and development. Van Rooijen and Newstead's (2016) model, based on a review of international literature, has identified the main challenges for childcare professionals when promoting risky play, namely;…

The present study investigated the relation between characteristics of mother-child reminiscing and children's perceived competence and social acceptance. We focused specifically on conversations for bonding purposes (i.e., conversations that serve the function of maintaining or strengthening the relationship between the child and the mother) as…

This study examined whether children’s difficulties with stage-salient tasks served as an explanatory mechanism in the pathway between their insecurity in the interparental relationship and their disruptive behavior problems. Using a multimethod, multi-informant design, 201 two-year-old children and their mothers participated in 3 annual…

Background: Research in higher education on the effects of student-centred versus lecture-based learning environments generally does not take into account the psychological need support provided in these learning environments. From a self-determination theory perspective, need support is important to study because it has been associated with…

This study investigates whether attachment quality at ages 1, 6 and 16 is related to autonomy and relatedness behavior in adolescence. In a follow-up of the Regensburg Longitudinal Study, forty-three 16-year-old adolescents and their mothers were assessed in a revealed differences task and a planning a vacation task. Attachment was assessed during…

The developmental pattern in the relationships among mothers' beliefs about structure, autonomy, control, and intelligence was studied, addressing: (1) how mothers' scaffolding beliefs and conceptions of intelligence are related; (2) the relationship of these maternal beliefs to children's age and achievement; and (3) the relationship between…