Science concept formation has a long history in early childhood educational research. Most of the studies in the field focus on the way children form science concepts as preschoolers. However, less is known about the nature of science concept formation for children under 3 years of age. This study explores how early childhood teachers create the…

In South Africa, the recruitment and retention of men to teach in the foundation phase (Grade "R"-3) has gained national attention. In a patriarchal society such as South Africa, where such jobs are regarded as the purview of women, men's perceptions of gender and gender equality in schools might explain their existence at this level of…

This article addresses the interplay between motherhood and working as a professional educator. It focuses on female educators' relationships in the public sphere and private sphere, and how these two spheres inform and impact one another. The research aims to establish the degree and extent to which societal dictates affect women's identities in…

In response to the need for explicitly linking field-based experiences with theoretical knowledge of pedagogy to effectively prepare teacher candidates, teacher educators are increasingly rethinking the opportunities they provide in their teacher education programs. In this action research article, we describe our efforts as teacher educators to…

Quality of educator-child interaction is a well-established predictor of children's well-being and development. Situational and personal characteristics seem to play an important role in the quality of interactions. More challenging situations, such as a large number of children or activities like meals or transitions, show lower quality. One…

This article adopts a process evaluation approach to identify the challenges and opportunities in scaled implementation of early childhood education (ECE) in Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab. It reports findings from mixed methods, including surveys administered to head teachers, ECE teachers, and parents across 386 schools, and focus…

Early childhood educators (ECEs) play a vital role in encouraging healthy physical activity (PA) in childcare. As such, measuring ECEs' self-efficacy to facilitate such programming is important. The "ECE Confidence in Outdoor Movement, PA, and Sedentary and Screen Behaviors" (ECE-COMPASS) questionnaire (30 items) was developed via expert…

Quality relationships among families and teachers in early care and education (ECE) hold promise to nurture resilience among children impacted by adversity. However, little is known about how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may affect the interactions between families and teachers. This study uses quantitative survey data from families (N =…

Pedagogical approaches that aim to counteract discrimination and injustice have been identified as potential ways to reduce pervasive and persistent inequities in education outcomes, which emerge as early as preschool. Despite this potential, however, empirical research is limited and suggests a disconnect between recommended practices for…

Annually, approximately 27% of early childhood care and education professionals turnover, or leave their positions or the field, which may negatively impact quality in two ways. First, continuity is disrupted when teachers leave, severing important relationship bonds among teachers, children, and families. Second, professionals who are considering…

Caregiver support has been identified as a key feature of systems that deliver high-quality early childhood education. The purpose of this study is to explore the degree of engagement of parents/caregivers of preschool children and the modes of learning they used in Ethiopia and Pakistan in supporting their children through home learning during…

This study examines two longstanding but thinly evidenced claims regarding credentialing requirements for teachers in the early grades (pre-K, K, 1, 2, and 3): 1) that elementary education (ELED) educator standards, under which many U.S. early grade teachers are prepared, address early instructional practices less adequately than early childhood…

This study investigates the claim that in states where elementary education (ELED) and early childhood education (ECED) licenses share the same grades, the preponderance of generalist teachers in the early grades hold ELED rather than ECED licenses. We investigated this question by sending information requests to 43 states where stand-alone,…

This study represents a qualitative exploration of the emotional experiences of early care and education (ECE) teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research questions consisted of the following: (1) "What were the emotional experiences of ECE teachers during COVID-19?" (2) "How do ECE teachers understand, contextualize, and/or…

This study examined variables influencing, and influenced by, emotional labor, as well as its frequency among early childhood teachers. Data were obtained through a multidimensional self-report questionnaire survey with 1,264 early childhood teachers from five provinces in mainland China. Multiple one-sample t-tests revealed that surface acting…