Although Chinese early childhood education policies have high expectations for kindergarten teachers' play pedagogy, teaching and play are still discussed as a bifurcation in Chinese kindergartens' daily practice. To support Chinese kindergarten teachers' development of play pedagogy, this study conducted an educational experiment (EE) framed by…

Policies related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms have led to questions regarding how teachers can help cultivate inclusive learning communities where all children are supported and valued. In play-based kindergarten programs, teachers are tasked with ensuring goals for children's learning and development are…

Based on emerging literature on the important role of self-regulation in supporting learning, policy makers have made efforts to include self-regulation skills in practice and policy documents worldwide. Despite these efforts, there is limited understanding of what self-regulation is and how best to support these skills in the day-to-day life of…

Children's early understanding of mathematics provides a foundation for later success in school. Identifying ways to enhance mathematical instruction is crucial to understanding the ideal ways to promote academic success. Previous work has identified mathematical language (i.e., the words and concepts related to early mathematical development such…

This study contributes to our understanding of children's development of map-reading skills through a systematic 'step-by-step approach'. Utilising an ecological research design, we investigated how children perceive and utilise maps in a large-scale outdoor environment. A total of 156 children, aged 5-11 (both boys and girls), participated in the…

Rudolf Steiner's international Waldorf education is comparatively under-researched for a 100-year-old education movement which thrives globally. What is further unknown in academic educational circles is the specific study of the "feeling-life," the middle period of childhood in Waldorf education, of children aged 7 through 14. This…

This study aims to understand the experiences of preschool teachers' outdoor education experiences in their curriculum after taking the Outdoor Education in Early Childhood Course. In this qualitative study, grounded theory was applied to analyzing data that were collected through an open-ended form and individual and focus group interviews.…

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the student's experiences of social and emotional learning in a community-based youth soccer program grounded in the hybridization of the teaching personal and social responsibility model and the cooperative learning model. Methods: This research was guided by a case study design. Qualitative data were…

Spatial ability is a significant component of mathematical ability and a foundation for children to master mathematical knowledge. Although many studies have confirmed that technology can enhance children's learning, few have explored the use of technology in the area of children's spatial learning. In this study, we adopted a paradigm for…

Traditionally, children have generally been considered as developmentally immature and unable to experience spirituality. However, more recent studies seem to indicate the opposite. This article aims to: (1) explore how religiosity and spirituality evolve in the developing person; (2) describe the perceptions of children about God; (3) explore how…

Policymakers' reforms continue to narrow the landscape of early childhood education to a limited set of practices centered on improving children's academic performance. These changes not only influence the training preservice teachers receive but also impact their sensemaking of how to teach the students in their future classrooms. Such challenges…

Background: Studies assessing the effects of parenting programs have focused on interventions delivered through face-to-face modalities. There is a need for research to evaluate the effects of online parenting programs on child development, such as the BEM Program ('Play Teaches Change' in English), an online play-based parenting program that…

The literature on play and learning attests many developmental benefits for children. The Australian curriculum endorses play-based learning (PBL) as an age-appropriate teaching pedagogy. However, what enables or prevents PBL in the classroom is not well documented. The present study examined the responses of 334 teachers currently employed in…

A central aim of university teaching is to transform students' conceptual understanding of disciplinary knowledge. In order to achieve this, lecturers make decisions on subject matter and teaching approaches. However, there seems to be little attention for the role of subject matter pedagogy in university teaching. This study aims to explore a…

Responding to concerns that play is at risk in the early years of education, this article investigates teachers' current use of play in language and literacy instruction in Grade 1 and 2 Alberta classrooms. It addresses what teachers say they need to make play part of school-based language and literacy education. Survey findings show a recognition…