Activist approaches to teaching resist neoliberal and white-centric approaches to education. Within such a framework, students can develop racial literacy and civic identity as activist citizens. In this case study of one classroom in a publicly funded democratic school, the teacher used activist pedagogy -- an approach that directly engages young…

Few studies have examined the experiences of Middle Eastern parents of children with autism. This study aimed to document the mental health of parents of children with autism in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and to understand its association with indicators of parental well-being. One hundred thirty-three parents across six cities located within…

Background: While there exists a large body of research on the benefits of play in supporting children's mathematical learning, the vast majority of such research has been conducted in early childhood or informal contexts, rather than formal K-12 schools. Moreover, this research has predominantly focused on adults' perspectives of children's play.…

Maths starts with children's first experiences of their world with understanding spatial relations, and then continues with their experiences to extend their learning. The learning process starts before formal education and moves along with school learning. As the first stage of formal learning, early years and early years teachers play an…

While the benefits of cross-age programming within youth have been understood for decades, such programs are rarely employed with curricula specific to social and emotional learning (SEL) or with a wide age range between the two groups of youth. This article describes the findings of a pilot implementation and feasibility study of the…

Permanent hearing loss (PHL) can influence a child's overall quality of life by affecting different developmental aspects including communication skills, academic skills, social functioning as well as involvement in various activities, such as participation in musical activities. Evidence shows that music can contribute positively to child…

This work investigated whether Mexican-American bilingual children and Mexican monolingual children (ages 4-6; N = 245) use Spanish varieties (Puerto Rican vs. Mexican) when making friendship judgments for themselves (1st person) and/or for others (3rd person), and whether children prioritize dialect varieties over race and gender categories. On a…

Background: Early childhood is seen as a critical period for developing psychological resilience, which is important for the development of young children's mental and physical health. Previous research has identified the value of STEM learning in early childhood education, but less research has focused on the psychological resilience of young…

This study aimed to develop the Experiential Learning Management Model (ELMM) based on the Reggio Emilia approach and evaluate its impact on creativity and social interpersonal performance in preschool children. A total of 69 children from a kindergarten in northeastern Thailand were divided into an experimental group (n=34) and a control group…

This article is based on a meta-approach to the results of two separate studies and concerns the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) in early childhood education. One of the studies focuses on how preschool teachers understand STEM and how it is taught in the…

To understand the use of early care and education (ECE) programs in New Jersey, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a representative survey of parents of children under age 5 (not yet in kindergarten) about their use of (non-parental) child care. The survey was conducted between May 25th and June 13rd, 2022, with…

Liminality, both etymologically and practically, is generally meant to be navigated through, not permanently occupied. The Disney "Descendants" series, marketed for ages seven to twelve, is an example of children's literature that engages with liminality as not only a lasting choice but also one of joy and reconciliation. The books…

Beginning early in life, children are exposed to people who differ in social status. In five studies, we investigate whether 3- to 6-year-old children recognize different dimensions of status (i.e., wealth, physical dominance, decision-making power, and prestige) and use these dimensions to inform their social judgments (preferences and resource…

In this commentary, pedagogical reflection is examined through the lens of a practitioners' personal memories of childhood play. The telling of these stories uncovers and describes the ways in which teachers' personal "play histories" and their reflections upon them could inform their facilitative relationship to, provision for, and…

For more than 25 years, a large percentage of young Australian children has been involved in arts and cultural experiences, but very little systematic information has been gathered to understand what they gain from these encounters. This article investigates young children's cultural engagement and wellbeing within a festival experience -- as…