Early Childhood Education Journal最新文献

The purpose of the present study was to examine teachers’ practices for reading aloud informational texts to kindergarteners and describe whether these are affected by the different text structures. Ten (10) teachers working in public kindergartens located in different regions of Greece participated in the study. The sample teachers read informational texts that were created to represent the most common informational text structures: compare-contrast, description, cause-effect, problem-solution, and sequence. Read-aloud sessions were recorded and analyzed according to parameters that refer to well-documented read-aloud styles and ensure discussion quality and text comprehension. Indicative parameters were the timing of the discussion, teachers’ prompts and techniques for enhancing children’s language production, and their verbal participation in the text discussion. Data analysis showed that the teachers’ read-aloud practices stand more in favor of a dialogic reading style. Furthermore, the predominance of low cognitive demand questions and the children’s few initiatives to ask their own questions were representative of the discussion quality. There were also differences in the teachers’ read-aloud practices according to the structure of the texts, with the compare-contract structure being the most challenging one for the teachers and the children. The results of the present study have several implications for improving teachers’ read-aloud practices and kindergarteners’ text comprehension.

Given the increased diversity of the population in the United States and the importance of early science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, it is crucial to identify ways to reduce racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in STEM education. This is particularly important for children with disabilities with intersecting identities, who are more likely to experience opportunity gaps in STEM. One way to address the issue of inequitable STEM learning opportunities is to make sure that research on evidence-based strategies is conducted with a wide range of children with diverse needs and characteristics, so that they can be generalized in real-life settings. To date, little is known about the representation of participants in the early STEM intervention literature. This review analyzed demographic reporting practices and participants’ demographic characteristics in the early STEM intervention literature. The findings suggest that there is a lack of consistency in the reporting of demographic data, particularly regarding race and ethnicity. This inconsistency presents a potential challenge to the field, as it may hinder progress toward achieving equity and reducing disparities in early STEM education. This review highlights the urgent need to establish a consistent method for collecting and reporting participants’ demographic data.

Music and movement activities are universal in children’s play and socialisation and are fundamental tools to utilise in early years teaching. Early childhood teachers tend to value the positive role music and movement can play in their work, however teacher confidence to implement music-based activities varies, often due to a lack of professional learning opportunities. Findings from a study that trained and coached five early childhood teachers, with no prior formal music training, to deliver a specific rhythm and movement program are highlighted throughout this paper. Qualitative data gained through interviews articulates the teachers’ experiences of professional learning, the approach to building their skills and confidence in this area, and the key areas that led to success. Important elements of the professional learning approach included active participation, provision of a video resource library, the nature of the evidence-based and structured program, ease of access, and coaching and implementation support throughout. These key elements, identified as being successful in boosting teacher confidence to use music in their practice, may be readily taken up by other programs, and are transferable to other curriculum and pedagogical areas beyond music.

Story dictation and story acting are joint practices that were popularized some years ago by educator and author Vivian Paley and remain relevant today given their alignment with child-centred, play-based curricula. We review quantitative and qualitative research on these practices, with a focus on young children’s writing as it has been conceptualized in cognitive-linguistic and socio-cultural models. The studies reviewed demonstrate that story dictation and story acting augment children’s print and word awareness, motivate children to handwrite and spell (i.e., transcribe), and enhance vocabulary and narrative skills that are important to composing texts in both oral and written modalities. The practices also foster individual creativity and collaboration amongst children and can thus help teachers and children build a vibrant community of storytellers in their classrooms. In addition to elaborating on the diverse benefits of story dictation and story acting, the review covers ways that the practices can be expanded or modified to engage all children on the path to writing and guides readers to key resources. We conclude with issues that merit reflection by teachers or other practitioners wishing to implement story dictation and story acting in their classroom or other early childhood setting.

The domain of early childhood education has witnessed an increasing emphasis on developing coding and computational thinking (CT) abilities. Scholarly investigations have delved into appropriate approaches for enhancing these proficiencies within early childhood classrooms. The present study aims to investigate the impact of a digital story design program, or Design-Based Digital Story Program (DBDS), on the coding and CT skills of 5-year-old children. Specifically designed for children aged 3–6, the DBDS program aligns with constructivism principles, which promote experiential learning. Employing a case–control quasi-experimental design, the study employed pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments and a follow-up retest after one month. The intervention involved implementing the digital story design program over 11 weeks, with three sessions per week, each lasting between 60 to 90 min, targeting five-year-old participants. The findings reveal that the DBDS program significantly enhances CT and coding skills compared to a control group. Moreover, female participants exhibited more significant improvements in CT skills post-intervention than their male counterparts, while no significant gender-based effects were observed in coding skills. These findings suggest that the DBDS program effectively supports the cultivation of coding and CT abilities among young children, warranting further exploration in diverse educational settings and across various grade levels.

This article outlines a series of mini-lessons designed to integrate interactive read-alouds, arts-engaged activities, and social-emotional learning (SEL) themes to support literacy development and socioemotional well-being in students. Each lesson pairs a carefully selected anchor text with a creative arts activity and online resources, aiming to foster engagement and holistic growth. SEL competencies such as identity exploration, impulse control, managing strong emotions, and responsible decision-making are emphasized. Practical strategies and implementation steps are provided to assist educators in integrating these approaches into their curriculum, promoting equity and accessibility while nurturing a positive classroom culture.

Shared reading sessions utilizing dialogic reading methods have shown promise in supporting children’s language development and comprehension, though variability in implementation among practitioners remains a concern. This study analyzed 33 videotaped, one-on-one dialogic reading sessions implemented by 14 Chilean preservice early childhood educators and children aged 1 to 6. In total, 1289 sequences were examined for adherence to the PEER structure (prompt, evaluate, expand, and repeat), prompt type, and rate and length of children’s answer. Results showed that, on average, PSECEs executed sequences of 1.75 steps, with only 5% of all sequences reaching the final step. Furthermore, the study investigated the types of prompts employed by PSECEs. Notably, 69% of the prompts included questions, with wh-word-initiated questions comprising 46% of the total questions. Within this category, 16% were classified as high-challenge. Merely 7% of all prompts featured high-challenge questions. Children’s response rates were notably higher for prompts containing questions compared to other types of prompts, as well as for those containing wh-questions compared to other question types. Moreover, children’s answers were observed to be longer in response to prompts including high-challenge questions in contrast to other prompt types. Implications of these findings and future lines of research are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education for all children, particularly for children with disabilities. Many preschools closed, offered distance learning or nothing at all, or operated in a hybrid format. We examined the impact of enrollment on young children’s social and emotional adjustment for children with and without disabilities, as well as caregiver stress during the pandemic as reported by 229 caregivers of 3 to 5 year old children. Respondents were predominantly White (n = 175) and female with high levels of education and income. In addition, 94% of caregivers were biological/parental caregivers. Children enrolled in preschool and who experienced in-person instruction received more favorable ratings of their social and emotional skills compared to those who were not enrolled or did not receive in-person instruction. However, the benefit of being enrolled and receiving in-person instruction disappeared when children had a stressed caregiver. Of note, children with disabilities had significantly higher ASQ scores than those without disabilities and caregivers with children with disabilities had a higher PSI score. Further research is needed to understand mitigation efforts employed by families and the unique experiences of culturally, linguistically, and racially/ethnically diverse children and their families.

As an increasingly recognized facet of early childhood development, the integration of play into early STEM education is garnering attention. This paper delves into the role of engineering play within early childhood education, emphasizing its application in natural playscape settings. The focus is on investigating the extent to which engineering play can spontaneously emerge in such natural settings. To explore this, we analyzed extensive video footage of preschool children engaging in play on these playscapes. Our findings reveal a spontaneous occurrence of engineering play, highlighting three illustrative cases. These cases provide valuable insights into how playscapes, complemented by strategic adult involvement, can nurture young children’s engineering skills and behaviors. The findings contribute to the growing evidence that young children are capable explorers, particularly in environments that offer a harmonious mix of structured and unstructured elements tailored to their developmental needs. This research has significant implications for early childhood education. It underscores the importance of incorporating engineering concepts into play-based learning and advocates for a nature-oriented pedagogical approach and curriculum. This approach not only promotes engineering thinking and practices among young learners but also advocates for a curriculum that nurtures these skills through playful, natural interactions.

This review examines the extant Australian literature on process quality in ECEC, which is understood as children’s actual experience within a childcare setting such as interactions between educators and children. A thematic analysis of empirical evidence from the 21 qualified articles reveals key characteristics of ECEC process quality studies, the benefits of process quality to child outcomes, and some factors influencing process quality. The review highlights the increasing interest in ECEC process quality in Australia and that process quality can be linked to children’s outcomes in the early years. It also underscores that outdoor environments and educators’ attributes such as personal experiences and qualifications stood out as the key supporting factors of process quality. More importantly, the review found that most of the process quality studies in Australia were conducted in metropolitan areas, and there were only two studies focused on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The paper calls for more actions to combine process quality with equity across types of ECEC services.