Journal of Childhood, Education & Society (JCES)
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162 research outputs found
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(Un)familiar materials: Using dis/assemblage to think critically about race and racism
Full text linkThis study investigates how white educators engage with justice-centered pedagogies and practices in early childhood spaces. It is situated in the Southwestern United States where local/state/federal contexts are attempting to silence Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives and enact violence towards communities of Color. Rooted in Critical Whiteness Studies as a critique of white supremacy, this work interrogates past-present-future histories of white immunity and domination while forefronting the resistance of communities of Color across time, place, and space. The focus group session shared here is part of a larger study that uses photovoice and arts-informed analyses to move white early childhood educators across-between-within-beyond allyship, activism, and co-conspiracy. Coming together as critical friends to unearth and confront enactments of race, racism, and whiteness«antiBlackness in early childhood spaces, co-researchers dis/assembled familiar-now-unfamiliar-to-be-familiar-again materials to make sense of previously-taken photographs. This individual and collective artmaking moved co-researchers with/in spaces of un/certainty – both with artmaking and speaking about race and racism. This study illustrates how artmaking set the stage for bravery, positioned co-researchers as critical friends, and provoked critical reflexivity. In doing so, it asserts dis/assemblage as a literal and metaphorical re-making process through which white educators build, break, and re-build art, themselves, and their early childhood spaces. This article calls for researchers to engage with methods and analyses processes outside of the whitestream and posits analytical artmaking as pivotal to whitewomen’s critical reflexivity
Teacher’s perceptions of usefulness of online PD resources
Full text linkDespite the rise of online professional development (PD) for early childhood educators, few studies have examined their perceptions of the usefulness of learning resources. We developed an online PD centered on teacher-child interactions, based on the critical features of high-quality PD. The PD was composed of 10 units with a variety of learning resources, including video lectures, research notes, testimonials, classroom videos, quizzes, reflection activities, and sharing activities. We examined teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness of such learning resources and explored potential differences based on key demographic variables. Participants were 137 in-service Hong Kong kindergarten teachers. Evaluation surveys and semi-structured interviews were utilized after course completion. Classroom videos, which provided real-life examples, were perceived as most useful resource to improve teaching practices. Participants also considered video lectures, research notes, and testimonials as extremely useful resources, and reflection activities and sharing activities as useful resources. Quizzes emerged as the least useful resource, especially when these involved fact-based questions. Teachers’ perceptions were not influenced by their demographic backgrounds. We conclude that teachers place a higher emphasis on online PD resources that offer practical examples compared to those focus on theoretical knowledge and self-reflection. The current study filled an important gap in the early childhood teacher education literature, specifically in the area of online PD, offering theoretical, practical, and policy-related insights
Policy reform in Israel: Perceptions of Arab Palestinian kindergarten teachers
Full text linkThe research investigated the perceptions of kindergarten teachers in Arab Palestinian society concerning the contribution of the latest Israeli government education reform entitled the "New Horizons" reform to provide additional material enabling assessment of the reform\u27s efficacy and attainment of its goals in Arab Palestinian kindergartens. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results concerning the benefits of the reform and indicated that educators had both positive and negative views concerning its different elements. A qualitative research study gathered data from semi-structured interviews with 16 Arab Palestinian kindergarten teachers. The findings indicated that the teachers were dissatisfied with the reform, indicating different negative aspects of the reform: burdensome work, intensive work, and lack of autonomy for the teachers, unsuitability of the programs for the kindergarten\u27s workday and its structure. Although teachers indicated that the reform had a positive influence on the children\u27s achievements and their progress, it also generated pressure on the teachers. The research findings clarify the way in which the reform is seen by these Arab Palestinian kindergarten teachers and points to the need for further studies, which will investigate kindergarten teachers\u27 work in the local and global context
Climate anxiety in early childhood: A state-of-the-art review
Full text linkAs the climate crisis intensifies, young children are increasingly exposed to psychological stress linked to environmental change, manifesting in emerging forms of anxiety, sadness, and guilt. Although climate anxiety in children is gaining international recognition as a legitimate mental health concern, little is known about how these emotions specifically develop in children under the age of eight. This paper presents the first comprehensive state-of-the-art (SotA) review of research on climate anxiety in early childhood, systematically mapping current knowledge, identifying key conceptual and methodological gaps, and proposing priorities for future inquiry. Findings reveal that empirical studies in this area remain scarce, are often adapted from adult-centered frameworks, and predominantly situated within Euro-Western contexts. The review argues for developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and interdisciplinary approaches that seriously engage with both the emotional experiences and agentic capacities of young children. By highlighting critical gaps and outlining future research directions, this review lays the foundation for a more inclusive, child-sensitive, and globally relevant research agenda on climate anxiety in early childhood
Seeking a ‘we’: Access policies to baby rooms for cultural and neurodivergent diversities in Chile
Full text linkEarly Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) has gained increasing relevance in advancing social justice. Since 2006, Chile has implemented a policy-expansion to broaden access to baby rooms, prioritising disadvantaged families as a means of contributing to this goal. Drawing on international reviews of access to ECEC and baby rooms, key factors have been identified that inform policy development and deepen the understanding of the complex entanglements surrounding access. This study adopts an intercultural, decolonial, radical anti-racist, and critical feminist approach to explore how cultural and neurodivergent diversities access baby rooms, and how forms of structural racism persist within Chile’s public provision system. In-depth interviews were conducted with directors and educators, along with group interviews with mothers or caregivers, across eight extreme cases of baby rooms inaugurated after 2006, reflecting different types of provision and geographical areas. The findings reveal decolonial and radical anti-racist practices that resist structural racism and highlight forms of pedagogical commitment and democratic transformation aimed at fostering an inclusive “we”, exemplified by food practices that resist monocultural norms
Looking beyond enrollment rates: The long-term influence of preschool science curricula on children’s science achievement
Full text linkThis study provides evidence that what happens in preschool (i.e., preschool curriculum) can have long-term consequences years later. In the current study, we seek to answer the question of whether the inclusion of science in the preschool curriculum is associated with fourth- and eighth grade science achievement scores. Based on science achievement data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2015 and 2019 cycles), the quality of preschool science learning opportunities showed long-term impacts on science achievement at the fourth grade level. Even after controlling for enrollment rates, the quality of the preschool curricula was a statistically significant predictor of fourth grade science scores with a high effect size (d=0.74). The observed impacts, however, appeared to diminish by eighth grade. Results from this study suggest that science concepts and skills should be an integral part of preschool curricula and curricular frameworks, and policy makers should allocate resources to provide well-designed preschool education programs with high quality curricula
Children’s experiences: The institutional grip of evaluation in Swedish school-age educare
Full text linkSwedish school-age educare has, in the last 25 years, undergone extensive reforms with revised goals for work in practice and new working conditions. The reforms and changing conditions seem to have challenged practice in terms of quality. Since 2010, instead of programme evaluation for generating knowledge about the expected benefits for children of attending school-age educare, quality and evaluation have been regulated in the Education Act 2010:800(2010) as decentralised, continuous, ongoing systematic quality work led by school leaders and teachers themselves. The aim of this study was to examine the norms and the social order forming evaluation in school-age educare practice, including how staff think institutionally about evaluation, how evaluation is classified and categorised and identifying institutional shadows. The article is built on interviews with 53 staff members in twelve different centres. The interviews were analysed using Mary Douglas’ (1986) theory about how institutions think. The analysis contains a careful reading of interviews through a theoretically informed institutional lens and has resulted in different categories of evaluation in SAEC, as well as the identification of an institutional shadow. Children’s experiences is discussed as the institutional grip and shadowing goals and results in evaluation. Finally, it argues for institutional change
The naturalistic teaching process as an inclusive practice: Preschool teachers\u27 perspectives
Full text linkAccording to the Ministry of National Education, 2013, children with diverse needs have the right to receive their education in environments designed to meet their needs and allow them to interact with their peers. Instructional programs that can meet all children’s needs are one of the suggested programs during the implementation of inclusive programs. The Naturalistic Teaching Process is a recommended method in this context. The Naturalistic Teaching Process is a natural instructional process that allows children to acquire and reinforce new skills. This study aims to define the perspectives of preschool teachers who have children with diverse needs in their classrooms on the Naturalistic Teaching Process. Semi-structured interviews collected the data. Fifteen preschool teachers participated in this study. The data analysis employed an inductive approach based on content analysis. The study findings indicate that preschool teachers tend to follow a child\u27s lead when setting educational objectives for children with diverse needs and developing an individualized educational program. Additionally, the study defines preschool teachers\u27 abilities as inadequate for collaboration with families and specialists. Preschool teachers partially use the strategies and techniques, environmental arrangements, and prompts used in the Naturalistic Teaching Process, but they do not apply them systematically, indicating a need for teacher training in these areas
A systematic review of studies investigating quality of inclusive preschool classrooms
Full text linkInclusion of young children with disabilities in early childhood settings that are primarily designed for typically developing children is a recommended practice. Although several reviews have summarized the literature focused on the quality of preschool classrooms in general, extant literature does not include a study that specifically summarized results of studies focused on investigating quality of inclusive preschool classrooms. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify studies focused on examining quality of inclusive preschool classrooms, determine characteristic features of these studies and summarize information about the overall quality of inclusive preschool classrooms. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using a 27-item coding system developed by the researchers. The findings reveal a lack of consistent reporting of classroom demographics and teacher characteristics across the studies. Furthermore, the review identifies inconsistencies in reporting practices related to the roles and training of individuals conducting classroom quality measures, raising concerns about data reliability and validity. Additionally, the findings suggest areas for improvement in instructional support in inclusive classrooms, calling for strategies to enhance teacher training and professional development. The results underscore differences in preschool classroom quality across countries, emphasizing the necessity for global efforts and tailored interventions to improve early childhood education quality
An international scoping review focused on gifted and talented children: Early identification and inclusive education
Full text linkGifted and talented children should be identified at an early stage and provided with opportunities to thrive, flourish, and develop in inclusive education. Inclusive education refers to a sense of belonging, and development to one’s fullest, including talent development. This international scoping review aims to investigate contextual and environmental factors contributing to well-functioning inclusive education, with a particular focus on early identification of gifted and talented children. The Bioecological model for human development and the Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent constituted the framework. Twenty-three (N=23) research articles were included and two thematical analyses were conducted. Regarding early identification, five influential factors (i.e., themes) were created: Knowledge about giftedness and talent; Opportunities for all children to demonstrate their abilities; Identification strategies; Collaborations; and Teacher education and professional development. Regarding well-functioning inclusive education, five factors (i.e., themes) were created, which, in addition to early identification, will also play a role; these were: Policies recognising inclusion and gifted and talented children; Appreciation of diversity; Additional educational provisions; Peer interactions and learning; and Home-school partnership. A factor model for early identification and well-functioning inclusive education targeting giftedness and talent is presented, and suggestions for practitioners and further research are provided