Several authors have argued that early childhood education and care (ECEC) is essentially an ethical practice based on certain values and conceptions about the purpose of education. Is this also the case for educational practices surrounding the highly valued notion of curiosity? While psychological approaches portray it as neutral, this article…

The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill (FPG) partnered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education (NCDHHS DCDEE) to assess a pilot implementation of the NC Preschool Pyramid Model (Pyramid Model). This social-emotional coaching program is…

This article reports on the findings of a mixed-methods, interpretive study identifying practitioners' pedagogical approaches when children aged 3-4 years use touchscreen devices in early years settings in the West Midlands, UK. A multi-site case study approach was adopted involving interviews with 12 practitioners to identify their rationale for…

This is the executive summary for the report "North Carolina Pre-K Pyramid Model Evaluation Study: Implementation and Outcomes Evaluation Study Final Results." The report is an assessment of a pilot implementation of the NC Preschool Pyramid Model (Pyramid Model), a social-emotional coaching program to support NC Pre-K teachers to engage…

In this study, we investigated how Finnish children used photographs and drawings to discuss their preschool day experiences in focus groups. Building on sociocultural perspectives on mediated action, we specifically focused on how these visual tools were used as mediational means in sharing experiences. The results of our embodied interaction…

It is generally accepted that Early Childhood Education and Care should adopt a holistic view on education, in which education and care are inseparable concepts. Perspectives of staff members themselves are, however, often absent in these educare debates. We conducted six video-elicited focus groups with various preschool staff members (n = 69) in…

The purpose of this small-scale case study was to identify and analyze key patterns in terms of gender representation in children's books in one early childhood setting. Furthermore, this case study sought to understand the perspectives of early childhood educators on gender representation in children's books. The researcher employed multiple…

The discourse on parental involvement as a means to increase the educational attainment of underprivileged children has gained ground in the scholarly and policy field of preschool education. Nevertheless, this discourse is characterised by a 'democratic deficit' in which parents themselves are rarely involved in determining goals and modalities…

This article discusses an exploratory study, reporting the practices of five principals leading character development in early childhood centers in Singapore. Acknowledging variations in leadership style, the pooled focus group findings show the common denominator is the principals' paradigm of authentic leadership informing a service-oriented…

This paper focuses on the importance of children's out-of-school experiences as their popular culture and discusses how such experiences contribute to their creativity and critical thinking. In addition to this, the paper also discusses the critical role of researchers' values in terms of how values affect the design and process of research. From…

Since the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England in 2008, assessment of children has taken a formal and standardized measurable approach. Such an approach goes against most findings of play-oriented research. Thus, the project reported here employed participatory action research with practitioners in order to identify…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of mental health clinicians in providing services in the preschool setting. Clinicians provided services for 3 years in urban, northern New Jersey preschools, in order to expand access to mental health services for vulnerable children. At the conclusion of the three-year period, focus groups…

Decades of research have shown how play is a major vehicle for young children's development and learning. However, since the 1990's with greater emphasis on higher academic standards and accountability in the U.S. educational system, kindergarten teachers felt pressured to reduce or eliminate play for more didactic instruction and mandated…

Recognition of the need to move from research "on" children to research "with" children has prompted significant theoretical and methodological debate as to how young children can be positioned as active participants in the research process. Visual research methods such as drawing, photography, and videography have received…

This socioculturally informed study investigated children's sense of agency in relation to their everyday life in preschool. The empirical data comprised focus groups reflection situations wherein Finnish preschool children (n. 19, aged 6-7) reflected on their everyday life with the help of photographs and drawings they made. Building on a…