Democracy based education has been a central part of policy documents in preschool in Sweden. Research in early childhood education have focussed on practicing democracy and on childrens’ influence, though with a lack of intergenerational perspective, which this article will discuss. The aim of this study is to explore everyday democratic learning processes framed by an intergenerational perspective, to understand democracy in a preschool context by the research question: How do preschool teachers describe the situated democratic learning processes? The article explores preschool teachers’ reflections on how their own adult-centric agenda limited or enhanced democratic learning processes in their daily practices, during meal-time situations, circle time situations and child initiated play. The theoretical approach is an intergenerational learning perspective problematized in the view of lifelong learning in terms of learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together. Central concepts are relational agency and democratic subjectification. Findings will be presented under categories of: A) Features of lived democracy that became visible in the critical incidents. B) The obstacles to children’s democratic participation. C) Teachers facilitate a lived democracy. Two conclusions are drawn; 1) situated democracy as parallel learning processes between teachers and children, 2) democracy is constructed in children-teacher-agency in situated practice and children’s impact has to be considered.
The present study investigates how children (6–9-year-olds) express political attentiveness through drawings, based on the prompt: What would you decide if you were prime minister for a day? The study explores which political issues children are engaged with and attentive to, and how they relate to individual versus collective concerns. The sample consists of 196 drawings, analyzed thematically, with attention to age and gender. The findings show that children display political attentiveness by articulating a wide range of decisions, from personal wishes to broader societal issues. The most salient variation lay in whether the children’s decisions served themselves, a collective, or others beyond themselves. Gender differences were notable: girls more frequently emphasized collective well-being and social justice, whilst boys often prioritized individual desires and self-empowerment. These findings suggest that gendered orientations toward politics may emerge earlier that previously documented. Although not necessarily indicating higher political attentiveness among girls, the results point to divergent orientation from an early age.
This paper aims to increase understanding of the professional development opportunities available to support the transformative capacity-building of early years practitioners. The context of this study was South Africa’s underprivileged Motheo district municipalities in the Free State province. The convergent mixed-methods design facilitated the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The sample size was n = 211; the participants were recruited through convenience sampling. The researcher tested two hypotheses to determine whether significant relationships existed between educational qualifications and years of teaching experience, and whether early childhood practitioners were aware of professional development opportunities available to them. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, and SPSS Version 25 was used for quantitative data analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data reveal that the practitioners were aware of professional development opportunities, though they did not take them up. Hypothesis testing revealed that the professional development opportunities available to practitioners were independent of their education qualifications and years of experience. The practitioners who participated in the research study seemed underprepared to deliver quality early childhood education services. This situation could change if they participate in relevant professional development opportunities.
In many early childhood education contexts, greater attention has been given to academic readiness and measurable learning outcomes, while opportunities for engaging with social issues, ethical questions, and critical inquiry have received comparatively less emphasis. As concerns have grown regarding the narrowing of educational aims, increasing attention has been given to interdisciplinary approaches that foster critical, ethical, and socially informed forms of learning. Within this context, this study introduces the MESH Pedagogical Module, an interdisciplinary module that integrates Media Literacy, Ethics, Sociology, and History and is designed to support children’s critical thinking, media literacy, and ethical understanding. Using a mixed-method design with a sample of 117 children, the study examined changes in children’s critical thinking, media literacy, and ethical understanding following the implementation of the module. Findings indicated significant gains in critical thinking scores among children in the experimental group. Changes related to media literacy were more limited, although teachers reported emerging awareness of digital content and increased questioning of media messages. Teacher interviews also revealed developments in children’s ethical understanding, particularly in their sensitivity to fairness, cooperation, and respect for others. Taken together, the findings highlight the potential of integrating media literacy, ethics, sociology, and history into early childhood curricula to create opportunities for interdisciplinary inquiry, dialogue, and reflection.
Ethnic inequalities within the children's social care system remain a concern in the United Kingdom, with evidence that children from certain “minority'’ ethnic groups enter care at rates higher than their proportion in the general child population. While some ethnicities, including Black and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, face heightened intervention, others such as children from Asian communities, are underrepresented. Children’s social care in the United Kingdom refers to the statutory services provided by local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are at risk of harm. This research reports the quantitative findings from Phase 1 of a larger sequential mixed-methods study. The quantitative phase consisted of an online survey of 244 professionals across children’s social care. The survey explored patterns in the professional perspectives, training experiences, and knowledge, providing an empirical foundation for later qualitative phases. This study responds to limitations in the evidence base, including inconsistencies in how ethnicity is recorded and interpreted in children’s social care, by examining patterns of ethnic inequalities where certain groups experience disproportionate intervention, unequal outcomes across referrals, assessments and longer-term care experiences. Descriptive and inferential analyse revealed that 39.8% of participants had witnessed ethnic inequalities and 53.3% reported racial prejudice within the system. Cultural misunderstandings, poverty and inadequate training were identified as key influences. Professionals from marginalised ethnic backgrounds were more likely to recognise inequalities. Findings highlight gaps in cultural competence and workforce training, indicating the need for stronger professional development and culturally informed policy.
Parental empowerment plays a critical role in supporting foundational learning, particularly in rural and marginalized contexts where access to educational resources is often limited. This study examines the impact of a Parental Empowerment and Engagement intervention on parental capacity, engagement behaviours, and home-based learning support in early childhood development and education centers in the Mbeere regions of Embu County, Kenya. A cluster-randomized trial involving 244 parents from 24 ECDE centers was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The program aimed to equip parents with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to actively support their children’s learning both at home and in collaboration with schools. The findings indicate significant improvements across multiple dimensions of parental engagement. Participation in creative learning activities increased by 40.6%, the development of home learning materials by 28.1%, and engagement in reading and writing activities by 27.2%. In addition, parent–teacher communication improved by 26%, contributing to more consistent information sharing on children’s learning and well-being. Parents also initiated a range of community-driven activities, including classroom renovations, provision of playground equipment, and school feeding programs, reflecting increased involvement in supporting school environments and resources. Collectively, the intervention strengthened parental capacity and engagement practices, leading to more supportive home learning environments and enhanced collaboration between parents, teachers, and the wider community. These findings emphasize the importance of parental empowerment as a strategy for improving learning support systems in underserved contexts and highlight its potential to contribute to more equitable and sustainable educational development.
This study examines the implementation of the U.S.-developed Pyramid Model for Promoting Social-Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children within a Canadian early learning and childcare context, using Policy Borrowing and Lending Theory as the guiding framework. Drawing on three waves of focus group interviews with 18 early childhood educators and 10 Pyramid Model coaches conducted between 2023 and 2025, the study explores how a globally disseminated, evidence-based intervention was adapted and localized within a provincially regulated early learning system in a Canadian province. Findings reveal that the transfer of the Pyramid Model involved far more than procedural training or technical implementation. Instead, the process required reconciling structural and curricular differences between the imported model and the province's early learning curriculum framework, navigating linguistic and cultural gaps across bilingual communities, and exercising professional agency to reinterpret and indigenize the model in practice. Educators and coaches engaged in active negotiation—filtering, translating, and hybridizing elements of the model to ensure cultural relevance and pedagogical coherence. By situating these findings within Policy Borrowing and Lending Theory's conceptual categories of cultural misalignment, local reinterpretation, and resistance, this study contributes to broader understandings of educational borrowing in early childhood policy. It underscores that effective cross-national transfer of evidence-based frameworks depends not only on fidelity to design but also on contextual responsiveness, cultural translation, and the empowerment of local practitioners as co-creators of innovation.
Early encounters with failure can serve as a double-edged sword for children, offering either valuable learning experiences or posing challenges to future achievement. However, a significant research gap remains regarding how parents coach their children to cope with failure. This study developed a novel survey to measure parents’ coaching strategies in response to children’s failure in math, reading, and extracurricular learning activities, and explored their associations with child mastery motivation and predictors. A sample of 145 primary caregivers (87% biological mothers) of children aged 4 to 7 (mean age = 6.02, and 45% boys) was recruited both locally and online in the US. Primary caregivers completed an online survey. Factor analysis was utilized to identify parents’ coaching strategies, and multiple regression analysis was adopted to examine the predictors and outcomes of these strategies. We identified three distinct coaching strategies: Emotion-Coaching Strategies, Persistence Strategies, and Permissive/Minimization Strategies. Emotion-Coaching and Persistence Strategies were positively correlated with children’s mastery motivation, including object-oriented persistence, mastery pleasure, and general competence. Conversely, Permissive/Minimization Strategies were linked to lower mastery pleasure and higher negative reactions to failure. Furthermore, parents' and children's personal traits predicted parents’ coaching strategies. Specifically, parents’ grit and children’s effortful control were related to Emotion-Coaching Strategies, while parents’ failure mindsets, grit, and perfectionism correlated with Persistence Strategies. Family income significantly predicted Permissive/Minimization Strategies. The findings highlight the complexities of parental coaching approaches and their implications for fostering resilience in children facing failure in their learning journeys.
This study explores how kindergarten principals in Indonesia perceive gender issues in relation to the teacher recruitment process. Employing a qualitative approach, the study involved focus group discussion with four principals and individual interviews with three others, guided by socio-cultural theory. The findings reveal that although all principals recognized the value of male teachers, they faced competing challenges in hiring them. These included beliefs that the profession is more appropriate for women, fears of potential harassment, and concerns about masculine teaching styles. Deeply embedded gender stereotypes and dominant social norms that position men primarily as breadwinners further discouraged principals from hiring male teachers. Consequently, early childhood education environments remain gender-homogeneous, sustaining gender imbalances and inequality. Since this study involved only female principals in West Java, future research should include a more diverse group of participants and broader geographical contexts to better understand male teacher participation in Indonesian early childhood education.
This article expands Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model by integrating biological and ecological processes—particularly microbial life—into its core concept of proximal processes. Drawing on host–microbiome research and the concept of the child-as-ecosystem, we reconceptualize the developing person as a multispecies being embedded within nested ecological systems. Through four interdisciplinary encounters—spanning social stratification, family separation, socialisation, and environmental health—we demonstrate how microbial diversity and ecological entanglements shape children’s development, well-being, and learning. We argue that BEM’s human-centered framework must evolve to reflect multispecies interdependencies and ecological realities, especially in the context of biodiversity loss and climate change. This rethinking has direct implications for early childhood education, research, and policy, offering a more ecologically attuned model of development.
This study interviewed 131 kindergarten children in China regarding their perspectives on body size-related bias and associated behavioral tendencies using a case study design. Results showed that body satisfaction was prevalent among this group of young children. Similar to studies conducted in Western cultures targeting young children, body weight bias was evident among this group of Chinese kindergarteners with a strong preference for thinner body types, regardless of their genders. Qualitative findings indicated that weight bias could influence children's behaviors, with a tendency to select friends who either share similar body sizes or have slimmer body types. Meanwhile, children with higher body weight may be perceived as a “protector” prototype, a distinctive discovery and contribution to current literature. Findings also suggested a significant peer influence on body size perception, with family members also playing a role. However, the absence of media influence in the current study highlights the need to reconsider the tripartite model’s applicability in non-Western cultural contexts and distinct age groups, offering a unique contribution to the body image literature with young children.
The aim of this study was to explore the career-related intentions, experiences, and perceptions of ECE graduates to better understand persistent childcare staffing shortages and educator turnover. Recent graduates of an Early Childhood Education diploma program at an Ontario college participated in a small-scale, mixed-method pilot study; 56 completed an online questionnaire and 18 participated in a follow-up individual interview or focus group. Results demonstrated that Early Childhood Education was the first choice of program for most participants, but for varied reasons that were not necessarily associated with the intention of being an early childhood educator as a long-term career. Rather, the educational credential was seen by some as a stepping stone leading to something else, and this intention was present pre-program. Those recent graduates interested in current and future employment in early childhood had already experienced barriers to staying, casting doubt on the efficacy of government strategies to address ECE shortages and retention challenges.
Mind-wandering occurs when thoughts become unrelated to the task at hand, a phenomenon commonly experienced by adults and children. Recent research has revealed that mind-wandering can negatively impact children's learning. However, no studies have explored parents' perspectives of their children's mind-wandering, despite the crucial role parents play in supporting children's learning. This study investigated how parents of children in the first years of formal education perceive and manage mind-wandering during school tasks. Three online focus groups were conducted with parents (N=7) from the island of Ireland. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in the development of five themes: 1) Mind-wandering is a typical, positive element of learning in children, 2) Mind-wandering is more likely to occur in certain circumstances, 3) Children tend to share the content of their mind-wandering, providing parents with valuable insights, 4) Parents adopt a trial-and-error approach to the management of mind-wandering, 5) Parents’ frustration with mind-wandering arises from time constraints. Although parents generally feel confident in the management of mind-wandering during learning activities, they expressed concerns about future challenges as homework becomes more demanding. These findings can inform further research by acknowledging parents' expressed needs, so that children can be adequately supported before mind-wandering impacts their learning.
The importance of high-quality early childhood education programs in young children’s learning outcomes is well established. However, minority and Indigenous children are widely underrepresented in these programs. Early childhood education programs that implement culture-based education and encourage family partnerships are designed to support Indigenous children and their families. One such program is Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program and Preschool, a Family-Child Interaction Learning program in Hawaiʻi, created to support Native Hawaiian families who historically experienced homelessness and poor educational outcomes. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of literacy and language professional development for program educators by examining associated language outcomes in a sample of Native Hawaiian preschool-age children (N=45) from a low-socioeconomic, high-risk community. Results revealed significant improvements in both expressive and receptive language, as measured by the formative GOLD® assessment system and the standardized Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 5th edition. Compared to other similar programs serving low-socioeconomic-status minority populations, children enrolled in Ka Paʻalana demonstrated higher language scores. Given the small sample sizes and lack of control groups, results should be viewed as exploratory. Nonetheless, this study serves as an initial examination of the potential outcomes associated with Ka Paʻalana educators’ language and literacy professional development, Ka Paʻalana’s Family-Child Interaction Learning program model and its Hawaiian culture-based education approach to promoting language development, and fostering cultural appreciation in a diverse, at-risk community.
This study explores preschool teachers’ perspectives on home visit practices as a means of strengthening school–family collaboration in early childhood education. Home visits are increasingly recognized as an effective tool for building trust, supporting children’s social–emotional development, and promoting continuity between home and school environments. Despite their potential benefits, the implementation and perceived impact of home visits vary widely across educational contexts. Using a descriptive qualitative design, this study examined the experiences, perceived benefits, and challenges reported by 10 special education teachers working in public early childhood institutions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. These are analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings indicated that teachers view home visits as a valuable practice that enhances communication with families, provides insights into children’s home lives, and strengthens teacher–parent partnerships. Teachers reported that home visits support children’s adaptation, classroom behavior, and academic readiness by fostering a sense of security and familiarity. However, they also identified several challenges, including time constraints, workload, safety concerns, and limited parental participation. Teachers emphasized the need for institutional support, structured guidelines, and professional development to implement home visits more effectively. Overall, the study highlights that while home visits contribute meaningfully to early childhood education, sustainable implementation requires systematic planning, administrative support, and clear standards. These findings may guide policymakers, school administrators, and practitioners in designing more comprehensive and effective home visit programs.
The research literature on assessment policies in ECEC typically differentiates performative assessment regimes affected by neoliberal reforms, and social democratic assessment regime that highlights a holistic approach and democratic and local decision making concerning the focus of assessment. It has been suggested that this dichotomy between Anglo-Saxon and Nordic models may be a discursive tool created by authors from within the English language context to critique their own context rather than a description of actual practices. To shed more light on this scholarly discussion, this article introduces a concept 'micro-regime of assessment' to refer to a set of rules, practices, or arrangements related to assessment at a small or localised level, rather than at a broad national or international level. In particular, we ask what kinds of micro-regimes of assessment we can identify in ECEC in Finland and what kinds of interlinkages we can find between the background characteristics of ECEC teachers and micro-regimes of assessment. Assessment practices that teachers used were measured using an online questionnaire. The sample of this study consists of 1,194 participants from 834 ECEC centres. By using latent profile analysis, we identify four micro-regimes of assessment that are 1) technocratic-enthusiast, 2) fragmented, 3) enabling and 4) conflicted regimes. By using multinomial logistic regression analysis, we show how work experience and education were connected to the likelihood of micro-regime membership. In sum, the variation in assessment regimes relates to the aim of assessment, institutional arrangements for governing, and the kind of epistemic community that is involved in evaluation processes. The variation occurs at both the national and local levels. Our evaluative mindsets and the ways in which people make evaluation fit into local traditions, practices, and beliefs seem to emerge as part of local regimes.
This study examines how three Chilean preservice early-childhood teachers configured their Professional Teacher Identity during a shared pre-practicum critical incident. Using a narrative-oriented qualitative design, we analysed two rounds of interviews, reflective writing on possible selves, and a co-construction meeting. A WhatsApp disclosure by a peer—who was both a preservice teacher and a parent— was followed by leadership action and culminated in the removal of two participants from their placement. Reflexive thematic analysis showed three recurring tensions: (1) emotional labour, as candidates balanced authenticity with expectations of professional self-regulation; (2) micropolitical agency, as vertical authority structures limited opportunities for dialogic participation; and (3) personal–professional boundary work, as parent, student, and future-teacher identities collided. Conceptually, the study demonstrates how possible selves and self-discrepancies shaped interpretations of the incident and the perceived attainability of desired professional futures. The findings point to practical implications for initial teacher education, including structured critical-incident learning, preparation for digital family–school communication, and reflective supervision that integrates work with possible selves.
As a response to the global impact of educational technology, the incorporation of technological tools into Chinese kindergarten settings is increasing. However, this has created a tension between using interactive technologies to increase student engagement, while still aligning with national early childhood education standards which advocate for hands-on, culturally responsive forms of learning. This study applies Activity Theory to better understand this systemic tension, while exploring the integration of a mobile app entitled "Preschool Treasure" within kindergarten settings. Through a qualitative single case study approach and drawing upon multiple data collection methods, including interviews with 6 teachers, 20 video observations of classroom practices, and policy document analyses, this study examined the relationships among digital tools, educational agents and 1 educational institution. The study revealed that contradictions between the design of the app and its pedagogical objectives have become educational possibilities instead of educational barriers. This research illustrates how the educators perceived the imperative to modify their pedagogical intentions during the incorporation of the application into their practice. By exploring a new application of mobile technology in Chinese kindergartens, this research highlights key drivers of sustainable integration: user engagement, cultural adaptability, and teacher professional autonomy. The study presents a pathway towards educational technology co-design that is collaborative and supports educators' contextual and curricular priorities.
In this study, we explore how teachers communicate and construct educational ideals concerning evil and emotions to children in the context of Finnish pre-primary education, and how this contributes to the processes of villainification; making out-groups represent evil and/or anti-villainification; contributing to complex understandings of evil. To understand this construction and communication, we focused on a single case that illuminated how two pre-primary education teachers formulated educational ideals concerning evil. For this purpose, we analyzed two data sets by utilizing discourse analysis. The first set consisted of five interviews with the teachers dealing with the topic of evil and education. The second data set included video recordings of two related educational sessions conducted by the teachers with children. The results show that the ideals were constructed and communicated by discursive practices without direct usage of the word “evil”, and these mainly contributed to anti-villainification processes. To prevent a strict binary of good and evil and following polarization in society, more direct exposure of evil is needed in education. In this way, the children can be more aware of the villainification and anti-villainification processes they are involved in through education.
This study explores the role of parent-teacher collaboration on the social and emotional learning of kindergarten children. The background shows that home-school collaboration is crucial for children's early SEL, but the mechanisms and challenges in non-Western contexts have not been fully revealed. The study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to conduct semi-structured interviews with 8 parents and 10 teachers in a kindergarten in Hebei Province, China. The results showed that parent-teacher collaboration improved children's self-efficacy, emotion regulation and interpersonal communication skills through two-way positive feedback and contextualized collaborative guidance, but differences in educational concepts, communication barriers and trust issues restricted the effectiveness of the collaboration. The study recommends building a structured collaboration framework to systematically support the development of children's social and emotional learning and provide empirical reference for home-school collaboration in early education.
