Early Childhood Education Journal最新文献

Early childhood digital pedagogy (ECDP) has been widely implemented and studied, but the empirical evidence has not been systematically reviewed. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the existing studies to understand the practices and profiles of ECDP and the redefined roles of teacher, child, and technology. Thirty-eight studies on ECDP published from January 2010 to October 2024 were collected from three academic databases: EBSCO, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Synthesis of the findings of these studies revealed that: Firstly, digital technologies increasingly hold transformative potential for instructional practices at the level of modification and redefinition based on the SAMR framework. Secondly, play-based, project-based, problem-based, and co-operative and collaborative pedagogy with constructivist tendencies are the trademarks of ECDP. Lastly, in pedagogical interactions, teachers, children, and digital technologies each play diverse roles. This review study sheds some light on the practical characteristics of ECDP, which can inspire the effective designs and implementation of ECDP in the future.

Early writing is an important early literacy skill related to later reading and writing development. Writing assessment and instruction, however, tends to focus on just part of early writing development, transcription (i.e., handwriting and spelling), whereas composing (i.e., text generation) is an essential component of early and later writing. In fact, several assessments of early writing do not include items that elicit composing and others provide composing items that are too challenging for early writers, yielding floor effects. This study provides evidence for a new approach for eliciting and scoring both transcription and composing from preschool age children. Study 1 provides evidence that within a structured and contextualized assessment in which children compose their own messages, young children can demonstrate transcription skills aligning with the skills they demonstrate on traditional writing assessments (e.g., letter and word writing). Study 2 provides evidence that the structured and contextualized assessment can elicit and score children’s transcription and composing skills such as relevance to the theme, idea generation, genre features, verbal-text match. These two studies provide evidence of item functioning for both transcription and composing items important for research and instructional practice.

This cautionary article urges general education preschool teachers to evaluate their responses to challenging student behavior. The manuscript delivers practical advice to improve teachers' responses to challenging behavior by refreshing their understanding of the various consequences that influence behavior recurrence. It highlights the need to avoid punitive measures that could harm teacher–child relationships and instead offer non-generic and function-specific consequences that support the child's needs and promote positive behavior development. By providing a review of the different types of consequences and real-life examples to illustrate their use, the article encourages teachers to consider the consequences they give, especially when a child's behavior changes in an unexpected direction.

This research delves into the dynamics of 5–6-year-old children’s interactions within makerspaces, which are emerging as innovative environments in early childhood education. Despite their growing popularity, there is a notable absence of research evaluating the activities in these spaces for young learners. To address this gap, we conducted a comparative case study, observing three kindergarten classrooms. Qualitative data, gathered through observations, questionnaires, and interviews, provided insights into the children’s makerspace experiences and the social processes in which they engage. The findings yielded two major themes. Firstly, some children, often marginalized in other classroom settings, assumed leadership roles within makerspaces, highlighting their unique knowledge and potential for leadership development. Secondly, gender differences emerged, with boys engaging in mimetic activities influenced by male role models, and girls pursuing goal-oriented approaches. These differences reflect the interplay between gender roles, societal influences, and early childhood learning in makerspaces. We conclude that makerspaces serve as powerful environments in nurturing both resilience and creativity among young learners. This research provides educators with a deeper understanding of how to harness the potential of makerspaces for promoting leadership, achieving gender equity, and unraveling pivotal social interactions—all vital components of contemporary education.

Race-related data are not routinely collected as part of the Canadian kindergarten teacher reported Early Development Instrument (EDI) data collection even though they could be used to inform provision of supports for students and educators. Therefore, the goal of our exploratory study was to gather an understanding of teacher perceptions regarding the assessment of items on the EDI in the context of children’s race, gender, and family status and teacher positionality. We conducted a series of four focus groups with educators (kindergarten teachers and designated early childhood educators) from a school board in Ontario, Canada. The major themes identified were: (1) intersections of social identity; (2) systemic biases and preconceived expectations; (3) educator reflections on feelings, attitudes, and circumstances; (4) teacher-child-family relationships; and (5) teacher training, education, and administrative resources. Our findings suggest that educators’ assessment may be influenced and informed by their perception of their own and their students’ identity. Potential of a bias might be reduced by adequate training and education.

The purpose of this study was to examine which early childhood (EC) teachers’ qualifications (i.e., degree, major, and teaching experience) are linked to teachers’ Metacognitive Awareness (MA) and science teaching efficacy, and to investigate the relation among EC teachers’ MA components and science teaching efficacy. A total of 153 Head Start teachers from eight U.S. states completed validated surveys that measured their science teaching efficacy and MA. Results from multilevel ANOVA and regression analysis showed that teachers with an early childhood education background were more positive about their ability to teach science, more mindful of their teaching strategies, and more likely to self-evaluate their teaching as compared to teachers without an EC education background. Also, teachers who were more aware of their teaching strategies and instructional goals, and monitored their teaching practices reported higher confidence in their ability to teach science. Our results revealed the role of MA in early science teaching efficacy and highlighted the importance of supporting EC teachers’ professional development, particularly for those whose backgrounds are not in EC.

The experience of joy and shared joyful moments benefits children’s learning, development and wellbeing. The arts engage the senses, imagination and creativity in meaning making and expression of ideas. Learning through the arts is often collaborative and embodied. This paper reports on a study which explored the use of arts-based practices in teaching writing with children mostly aged seven to nine years. Teachers intentionally adopted arts-based practices to reconnect with active, embodied and creative ways of exploring content and connect multiple ways of meaning making for children. This research affirmed that children benefitted from intentionally adopting arts-based practices to help facilitate student’s writing.

Given that social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for children’s current development and future success, effective teaching can enhance this process. This qualitative study investigated which competencies were prioritized most frequently in social and emotional teaching (SET), why, and how. Data collection included: (1) observations of three preschool teachers’ SET in their interactions with children over six days during typically occurring indoor and outdoor activities at a Reggio-inspired childcare center in the United States; and (2) individual interviews with these teachers. The research team coded 75 critical instances of SET for evidence of CASEL’s five social and emotional competencies (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making). Additionally, these instances were analyzed according to (Ng and Bull, International Journal of Early Childhood 50:335–352, 2018) four teaching strategies (setting a positive tone, suggestion of solutions, task allocation, and extension). The findings reveal that the teachers: (1) intentionally modeled and taught Relationship Skills most frequently; (2) demonstrated the congruence between beliefs about SEL and practices of SET, especially in relationship skills as promoted in a Reggio-inspired context, and (3) applied an integrated approach to SET by setting a positive tone in all activities, with the most frequent instances occurring during circle time, followed by center/play time, and then mealtime.

This qualitative case study explores the affordances of home-based multimodal literacy activities through the case of Mason’s (pseudonym) home writing experiences, a six-year-old bilingual kindergartener. Utilizing a play-based family literacy framework, the study examines 15 handmade mini-books created by Mason, revealing three key themes: (1) agency, creativity, and joy in Mason’s writing, (2) the cultivation of his bilingual and bicultural identities, and (3) the development of multimodal literacy through artistic representation. The study emphasizes the importance of recognizing writing as a playful and meaningful activity, advocating for an inclusive early childhood writing pedagogy that connects home and school literacy practices. By highlighting the interplay of children’s diverse interests, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and personal experiences, the research underscores the transformative potential of literacy education to empower young learners from diverse backgrounds. This study provides insights into the role of home-based literacy activities in nurturing children's literacy development, positioning writing as an engaging and joyful practice.

With a view of children as social negotiators, this study explored how preschool children’s voices were nurtured through the implementation of an early-writing/applied phonics approach called Kid Writing (KW). The approach encouraged children to compose writing from their lives as they were guided by an adult who scaffolded the writing process. An analysis of classroom observations, focus groups, and children’s work samples revealed the extent to which preschool children’s voices, motivation, and writing capabilities were supported. Imperative to children’s success as writers in this study was the expansion of preschool teachers’ views of what counts as writing. By legitimizing the full developmental continuum of children’s early writing attempts, including scribbling, mark-making, drawing, and early letter formation, the results of this study documented what young children are capable of when they are empowered to self-express through their joy of writing. The findings disrupt the notion that preschool children are not ready to write. Rather, children’s overall literacy learning is supported by providing opportunities for preschoolers to write from their lived experiences.