While many factors can influence children's sense of security, little research has examined the role of empathy ability in the association between parenting style and sense of security. The present study aims to examine whether empathy ability mediates the relationship between parenting style and sense of security among 3-6-year-old Chinese…

Proprioceptive kinaesthetic control underpins motor movements of developing children and can be influenced by several factors. The main aim of this study was to establish proprioceptive kinaesthetic coordination differences in six-year-olds from different school quintiles, of different genders, and with different handedness. A total of 193…

Even though environmental sustainability (ES) efforts are becoming a critical concern in education (UN, 2015), there is sparse empirical research into children's views about ES. This qualitative case study explores young Maltese children's (aged 3-7 years) perceptions of how ES can be achieved. Data were generated from semi-structured interviews…

Young children often struggle with referential communications because they fail to compare all valid referents. In two studies, we investigated this comparison process. In Study 1, 4-7 year-olds (N = 114) were asked to categorize pairs of objects according to their similarities or differences, and then identified a unique quality of one of the…

This study investigated play perceptions and practices reported by 298 Hong Kong mothers of children aged two to six. Content analysis was conducted to categorize the views of participating mothers from thirteen kindergartens, with a focus on exploring differences in mothers' socioeconomic status and their child's gender. The results showed that…

This study adopted a case study design with mixed methods to examine Chinese kindergarten children's body size perceptions. Forty-two Chinese kindergarten children between ages five and six were interviewed through child-friendly language. Results showed majority of children could describe the image provided to them and explain the differences…

Educators and parents increasingly report the influence of digital culture on the daily lives and relationships of young children. Contemporary young children are growing up in a world saturated with digital technologies. Adapting to this phenomenon, the existing classroom is evolving into an environment that supports the interface between digital…

Refugee children often face disruptions to their education before and during displacement. However, little is known about either levels or predictors of refugee children's literacy or about their attitudes toward reading in low- or middle-income countries. To address this, we conducted in-home literacy assessments using the Holistic Assessment of…

Although young children in Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia are often involved in learning in outdoor natural environments, research on their knowledge and attitudes towards plants is limited. Botanical literacies in young children involve developing knowledge and curiosity about plants, formulating questions about plants, and…

Along with emerging literacy and numeracy, spatial skills and reasoning set the foundation for young children's school readiness and early education. This study explored introducing an innovative curriculum for promoting young children's spatial learning in Morogoro, Tanzania. Four hundred twenty-eight children from 21 schools participated; 11…

This paper analyzes the risks to child development and school readiness among children under age 6 in Pakistan. Drawing on a nationally representative telephone survey conducted in the midst of a global pandemic, between December 2021 and February 2022, we present the first nationally representative estimates of child development for children…

When storytelling is combined with play-based activities, it can provide an effective stimulus for early literacy. The present study investigated the effects of a structured storytelling approach on the development of young children's literacy and digital literacy skills. Three classes in two public kindergartens participated in an experimental…

How does teacher-child interaction quality in early child care and education settings influence the development of social-emotional skills in children at around two to three years of age? We measured the quality of interactions on the side of the child care teachers (N = 9, CLASS Toddler) and assessed self-regulatory skills through an individual…

Performance-based tools to assess school readiness domains such as Approaches to Learning are lacking in Low and Middle-Income Countries such as Kenya. This study aims to develop the Kenyan version of the FOCUS app (Finding Out Children's Unique Strengths), a game-like computer tablet assessment of two Approaches to Learning domains: mastery…

This research explored how young children's research participation can be enhanced when an interactive narrative approach is embedded within research to enhance children's consent to participation and their understanding of the research process. The context for this research was a 1-h, science outreach programme delivered into Australian…