Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the stability of phonological awareness (PA) and language achievements between kindergarten and first grade among Arabic-speaking children. Method: A total of 1,158 children were assessed in PA and language skills in both grades and were classified based on distinct and integrated achievements on PA and…

Purpose: The study aimed to explore the authority and power of kindergarten superintendents in public education to elucidate their leadership dynamics. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Israeli kindergarten teachers about the authority and power of their superintendents. Thematic analysis was used to…

Purpose: The study tested macro- and microstructure narrative skills in kindergarten Arabic-speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and in age-matched children with typical language development (TLD). Specifically, it compared narrative skills in the two groups of children in two story modes: storytelling in Spoken Arabic…

Purpose: The main aim of the current study was to examine the longitudinal impact of verb inflectional distance on morphological awareness among Arabic-speaking children from kindergarten (K) to third grade. The study also investigated the impact of testing children in two language varieties, Spoken Palestinian dialect (SPD) and Modern Standard…

Research has shown that effective leadership in early childhood education (ECE) can positively influence its quality. Yet, there is limited research on ECE leaders (ECLs), particularly teacher leaders. The goal of the current study was to examine how ECLs in Israel, with a dual role -- as kindergarten teachers and as teachers' leaders -- perceive…

Kindergarten teachers' work is unique because they juggle the roles of caregiver to young children, tending to their physical, emotional and educational needs, and managing their kindergarten unit. The year of internship and transition into teaching is particularly intense. For new kindergarten teachers (NKTs) to fully integrate in the…

This study examined the implementation of a biodanza program in a kindergarten for five-year-olds. The purpose of the project was to understand the contribution of biodanza to social-emotional learning (SEL) of kindergarten children. The exposure of children to biodanza made it possible to stimulate a social-emotional aspects of children's…

Purpose: In 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Education and its Testing and Evaluation Department introduced a new tool to evaluate the quality of kindergarten teachers' work. This paper aims to identify how kindergarten teachers perceive the new multiple domains performance tool. Design/methodology/approach: The study applied a qualitative paradigm…

The aim of this grounded theory study was to understand parents' emotions and coping strategies regarding their child's initial placement in an Israeli special education kindergarten. Proper placement is essential to effectively support children with developmental disabilities (DD), yet parents tend to approach assessment procedures with dread.…

Purpose: This study examines the attitudes of Jewish and Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel towards multicultural teaching of holidays, within the context of the widening social divisions in Israeli society. Design: The study is based on the interactive acculturation model (Bourhis et al., 1997) and utilizes qualitative research methods such as…

Our article explores the challenges that faced Jewish and Arab kindergarten teachers, and their different ways of coping with those challenges, during the implementation of the programme 'My Diverse Kindergarten' in three mixed cities in Israel. The programme aimed at reducing prejudices and improving the relationship between Jews and Arabs in…

Malka Haas (1920-2021) was a key pioneer in the founding of Israeli kibbutz kindergartens, and she profoundly influenced both the curriculum and practice of early childhood education (ECE) for the entire country. The article reviews Haas's biography, her professional development, and the main principles in her educational approach: "the…

Within the dynamic context of inclusive education for children with special needs in Israel, parents play a crucial role in addressing these challenges. The present study focuses on the experiences of parents with children who have special needs in inclusive educational frameworks in Israel. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach,…

The kindergarten teachers of the Religious Kibbutz movement (RK) as a unique group are connected both to the educational approaches of the kindergartens in the general Kibbutz Movement and the state religious kindergartens. A qualitative study included semi-structured interviews with 15 RK kindergarten teachers in order to explore their…

The purpose of this study is to gain a deep understanding of kindergarten children's drawings as a form of documentation of their work, of their ability to notice and depict substantial details, as well as their understanding of how objects in the world "work". In the study, we examined drawings created by kindergarten children for…