Previous studies have paid considerable attention to the impact on a child's primary education of attending pre-primary school. Researchers have asserted that early educational intervention can compensate for the effects of poverty and inadequate learning environments on child development and school success. This study analyzes the relationship…

Although efforts have been made to improve teacher professional development and ongoing supports, limited research has examined how early childhood education (ECE) teachers support each other informally. The present study describes how one type of informal support, collegial support (e.g. instrumental and expressive), enabled ECE teachers to cope…

PK-12 district-level administrators have been asked to navigate an increasingly complex policy landscape concerning gender-diversity reforms. We apply sensemaking theory to examine administrators' understanding of legal and policy protections for trans and gender diverse (TGD) students. Using 36 interviews with administrators and policy…

This study investigated the impact of a course-based community asset mapping (CAM) project on undergraduate students' capacity for identifying and understanding assets within communities surrounding specific schools. The mapping project was grounded in the literature on culturally sustaining pedagogy and experiential education and involved teacher…

This study examines how asymmetric job conditions deplete the psychological resources of the ECE workforce in a lower-middle-income country (LMIC). Specifically, this preliminary study, using data from preschool teaching staff, examined the influence of (a) job demands (emotional demand, workload, role conflict and work-family conflict) on…

Understanding predictors and effects of teacher well-being, including job satisfaction, is crucial for both teachers' and children's development. Research on teacher job satisfaction (TJS) has indicated that many individual and contextual factors may make a difference for teachers' professional well-being. However, against the backdrop of this…

This dissertation examines the factors influencing the self-efficacy of PreK-8th grade educators in supporting students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in southeastern Louisiana. This qualitative phenomenological study analyzes the lived experiences of educators to identify critical influences, such as classroom experience,…

Purpose: This study sought to understand PK-12 district-level equity directors' efforts to improve experiences of students of color and outcomes in US districts. Research Methods: We interviewed 13 practicing equity directors and analyzed artifacts such as meeting minutes, equity policies, equity mission statements, job descriptions, and…

The neighborhood literature consistently documents associations between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and child development. Yet, this approach may miss important heterogeneity in neighborhood resources (e.g., libraries, doctors' offices) that have important implications for children. Moreover, the mechanisms that explain the relation…

Teachers often address student wellness concerns such as health and mental health. Yet, this work goes largely unacknowledged and unsupported by professional preparation. COVID-19 intensified these concerns amid disrupted systems of student support and increased student distress. Our national survey (N = 1398) pursued the powerful opportunity…

Recently, much importance has been placed on early science education. This study examined the associations between kindergarten teachers' science teaching self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and their integration of science into teaching, and investigated how four potential factors (i.e. mastery experience, interpersonal support, previous science…

This qualitative study explored caregivers' perceptions of factors influencing early childhood development in low-income, urban South African settings, from a social ecological perspective. Individual interviews were conducted with 15 caregivers of 3-5-year-old children; a reflexive thematic analysis approach was adopted. In the family and home…

Background: The need to examine mathematics subject supervisors' roles in ensuring quality performance in mathematics learning is evident in the declining performance of learners in mathematics. This is attributed to various variables such as inadequate supervision, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate and obsolete resources, disillusioned teachers…

Peer-effects research finds that preschool children's language growth is associated with classmates' skills and that children with disabilities especially benefit from classmates with higher skills. The current study estimates the amount of "peer language resources" individual children access through their classroom-based peer social…

Research Findings: Children's capacities for complex socio-moral reasoning carries across domains; similarly, children's aggressive behaviors changes as a function of context. However, with a few exceptions, little research has considered children's socio-moral reasoning and aggressive subtypes in concert. The goals of the current study were to…