The construct of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) has become a hallmark for educational practice in the United States. From DAP's initial publication in 1986 to the most recent revision published in 2022, DAP serves as a reference point for teacher education to support effective teachers' development and practice. However, DAP is a…

The purpose of this study was to determine current kindergarten teacher understandings of early phonics instruction and how teachers are meeting readers' early phonics needs during guided reading instruction. Using Vygotsky's (1979) social constructivist theory and Ehri's (1995) connectionist theory and by focusing on age-appropriate instruction,…

High-quality learning environments are critical to support students' learning and development. This study supported eight lead teachers of Starting Strong classrooms in four different early learning programs to try to improve teachers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) within their classrooms. Four…

Cultural discourses cause social stigma and anxieties around the delivery of sex education, making the role of parents very crucial. The importance of parents' perception of the delivery of sex education is recognised worldwide. This study aims to track their perspective on the dissent and acceptance of sex education at home and in the school…

Beginning and experienced teachers were surveyed on the most important things a beginning health and physical education teacher (HPE) needs to know. The results showed a range of broad topics that affect early career teachers as they are inducted in to the teaching field. Some of the responses are more prescient and relate to current events and…

Through an instrumental case study from a critical feminist lens, we explored college student gender and leadership identity development in a gender and leadership focused course. We examined FemCrit perspectives on knowing (exploration of socialization), being (reflection on identity development), and doing (recognition of gender performance and…

Background: Lack of nutrition knowledge, low preference for fruits and vegetables (F&V), and underdeveloped taste are recognized as modifiable influencers of children's F&V intake. Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of a behavior-and age-specific nutrition education intervention to improve nutrition knowledge and preference for F&V…

Effective assessments guide student learning, refine teaching practices, ensure curriculum alignment, and foster workforce readiness. However, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as ChatGPT, has significantly disrupted traditional assessment processes, raising concerns about academic integrity and necessitating…

This brief is derived from findings in White et al. (2020), "How Financial Socialization Messages Relate to Financial Management, Optimism, and Stress: Variations by Race," in which the authors examined explicit family financial socialization (e.g., overt communication messages provided by caregivers). More specifically, the focus was on…

As the fields of early childhood teaching and teacher education continue to evolve and diversify, policymakers' neoliberal reforms further standardise and restrict these programmes of practice. Many have documented the impact of these policies on early childhood teaching and teacher education, and in this article, we add to these conversations by…

Parents are a child's first teachers. They are responsible for building children's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual foundations. The problem investigated through this dissertation case study was the inconsistent knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate activities among parents of young and primary school aged…

This critical cross-cultural study examined the alignment of the 2022 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards in the U.S. with Australian, Kenyan, and Nepali educational guidelines. Previously, NAEYC's educational guidelines adhered to Euro-Western notions of child development, with a biased view of normative…

What does it mean for all children to be seen as whole and 'appropriate'? How can early childhood educators and families understand a child as capable and whole within the evaluative systems around disability? Through the narrative inquiry of a mother/early childhood teacher, this paper explores the complex entanglements between identity-affirming…

While research demonstrates the important role parents play in facilitating children's literacy development, little is known about the knowledge that underpins these exchanges. Here, we examined the association between parents' reading-related knowledge (phonological awareness, knowledge of syllable patterns, and identification of regular and…

The researchers conducting this study explored kindergarten teachers' knowledge level of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early years settings in Jordan. Data were collected from 180 kindergarten teachers working in Amman Governorate. A 37-item questionnaire was designed to reflect the concepts of DAP as presented in the National…