In this article, the authors problematize the dichotomization of play and learning that often shapes the agenda of early childhood education research and practice. This dichotomization is driven in part by the tendency to define learning in terms of formal learning (i.e. learning as an outcome of direct instruction and school-based approaches that…

In early childhood education, a long-standing debate exists around issues related to school readiness and the transition to school. This paper describes an action research project implemented by teachers in an urban Australian preschool which gathered multiple stakeholder perspectives about school transition. The project was initiated to support…

When we consider the ultimate goal of bringing innovation to our education programs, a key consideration is whether or not we are helping our students themselves become innovative, creative thinkers and actors.

The pedagogy of theatrical play is a relatively new educational approach within the school system. Aim is to examine teachers' opinions of theatrical play as a method which can provide opportunities for students with autism to interact with others in a fun and supportive environment. Twelve teachers who are selected by purposive sampling (M = 40.6…

Young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate behavioral deficits and excesses that can adversely affect their play skills. Teaching children with ASD to use activity schedules with embedded scripts have led to increased appropriate game play with other children with autism and typically developing peers; however, there is sparse…

This article presents an applied educational program for early years children with three thematic objectives, i.e. empathy, disabilities and visual arts. The program took place in Children's Museum of Thessaloniki and focused on the reflection between the text and image generally. The participants were twenty children from 4-8 years old, as the…

This guide to understanding school readiness in young children is essential reading for early years practitioners. It explores the concept of school readiness by unpicking what the term means for children and how we can define it in the context of the characteristics of effective learning. This includes ideas for promoting playing and exploring,…

The rate of digital media usage among eight to 18-year-old students, since late 1990s, has risen by over 30%, yet the official acceptance of such technology for educational outcomes remains limited. Due to such a remarkable growth of digital media usage in absence of formal educational recognition, researchers began to explore how specifically…

With the emergence of more narrative-focused video games, this study attempted to better understand how college students construct meaning through these interactive experiences as a means of understanding social and cultural differences and perspectives. This study explored how playing narrative-focused video games may interconnect with college…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the practical use of video cameras during a study with young children. Design/methodology/approach: This paper investigates the use of video cameras in a research study of young children's utilisation of semiotic tools to communicate during play interactions in a Francophone preschool classroom in…

The main aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of university graduate working mothers who have 36-60 months-old children of the quality of the time spent with their children. In the study, the phenomenology design was used among qualitative research techniques. The study group consisted of 32 mothers selected by using a maximum variation…

Mothers' provision of utterances with internal state words has been shown to influence infants' acquisition of internal state vocabulary and has been proposed to foster preschoolers' theory of mind development. In this article the authors examine maternal internal state speech during free play with infants at 13, 17, and 21 months. The study…

Background: Literature reveals that guided play promotes the development of visuospatial abilities essential for learning to read, write and do mathematics. However, most of these findings have focused on older children who are already literate, and the tests and the instruments used were designed for children in Western contexts. Aim: As there is…

Assessment of communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is challenging in an unfamiliar clinical environment due to their limited verbal output and inadequate motivation to communicate. To analyze whether the communication sample recorded at clinic represents the child's competence and performance, this study compared…

This article examines the research literature to determine whether the provision of quality early childhood education (ECE) lowers the risk of a child developing special education needs (SEN) and mediates the intensity of support for children with an identified exceptionality. Schools play a crucial role in reducing developmental gaps assessed at…