This dissertation in practice (DiP) seeks to influence two main issues, first parents have a limited knowledge about play and second play is on the decline in homes and schools. It has been suggested that parental beliefs, education, and income levels have some influence on a parents' ability to engage in purposeful play (Ivrendi & Isikoglu,…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate gendered play in early childhood settings by examining how preschool educators' perceptions of gender create spaces that support gender exploration and expression. The study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What are pre-k teachers' perceptions of gender? 2. How do pre-k…

Studies of play often involve face-to-face research with children in settings such as homes, schools, and playgrounds. The COVID-19 pandemic affected children's play in many significant ways; yet, traditional in-person research methods were not possible due to restrictions such as lockdowns, school closures, and social distancing. "A National…

Background: International literature has underlined the complex interplay between genetic and environmental variables in shaping children's emotional-behavioral functioning. Objective: This study aimed to explore the dynamic relationship between children's Dopamine Transporter (DAT1) genotype and methylation, and maternal and paternal affective…

The aim of the study was to examine differences between Norwegian male and female preschool staff according to physical activity (PA) levels during preschool hours. Using a mixed-method design, accelerometers were used to examine objectively measured PA level among male and female preschool staff, while observations, interviews and questionnaires…

There is a growing consensus in early childhood education and care (ECEC) that intentional teaching is pivotal for deep level learning, especially when teaching scientific concepts. However, intentional teaching alone does not always account for how educators communicate their intentions with children. To bridge this gap, we explore the…

From a child-centered perspective, this article explores the practices of children's self-organized play-communities in institutional everyday life in Danish early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, based on a phenomenological non-participant-observational study with a duration of 16 months involving two kindergartens (Bernstorff,…

As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically…

This study examines how 31 middle-school children conducted multimodal analyses of video games. Over four consecutive days, students played video games for 30 minutes and then wrote written reflections about the multimodal symbols within the game and how these symbols influenced their interpretation and decision-making processes during gameplay.…

How children experience the major transition from pre-school to compulsory schooling influences their immediate and future success and wellbeing. This complex process of change and adaptation is impacted by school readiness policy drivers, which prioritise children's performance and achievement. Pedagogic and curriculum progression shifts from…

This paper reports on the South African findings from an international mixed methods study between the LEGO Foundation, Dubit and the Universities of Sheffield (England) and Cape Town (South Africa) on young children's learning with digital technology. The findings of the study, the first of its kind in South Africa, show the consistency of…

In 2001, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued "Guidelines for Preschool Education (GPE) (trial version)" to call on early childhood practitioners to use a child-centred and play-based approach to teaching and learning. In order to implement the requirements, many kindergartens in China have carried out the play-based kindergarten…

Schools need effective, generalizable, and socially valid social skills interventions to better support the social inclusion and peer relationships of their students on the autism spectrum. We evaluated a Pivotal Response Treatment-based, naturalistic social skills intervention implemented daily by school personnel in reverse inclusion school…

This article has as its focus the life and thinking of the practitioner and theorist Norman MacMunn (1877-1925), whose experimental work in a number of schools outlined a new conception of freedom and one that drew initially upon the thinking and practice of Maria Montessori. It explores how MacMunn used these new psychological ideas to develop…

Musical play is a vital aspect of children's musical cultures. As the social and cultural experiences of children change over time, their playful engagements with music may reflect these shifts. The purpose of this oral historical research was to explore girlhood musical play experiences over the course of a span of approximately 80 years (ca.…