Early Childhood Education Journal最新文献

{"title":"Impact of a Structured Shared Book Reading Intervention on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Preschool-Age Children: An Exploratory Study","authors":"Lisa B. Cipolletti, Amy Murdoch, Jennifer Keelor","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01920-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01920-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study sought to examine the use of a structured, shared book reading intervention on preschool-aged children’s vocabulary knowledge using a multiple-probe across stimuli (book) single-case design. Participants included children from two preschool classrooms of three- and four-year-old children at a childcare center located in the Southeast. Across four storybooks, children in both classrooms (<i>n</i> = 12) received the whole-group component, and a small group of children (<i>n</i> = 5) was selected for the small-group intervention. Children were selected for the small group intervention based on their score on the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI) Language Index screener and a researcher-created expressive measure of target vocabulary (EVM). Each week, children in the small group received three additional lessons that included explicit vocabulary and listening comprehension instruction, the use of representational gestures, and intentional opportunities for different types of practice. Each week, receptive and expressive vocabulary assessment probes measured whether the taught vocabulary was learned. All small-group participants showed increased vocabulary knowledge across the four storybooks from baseline to intervention. These results suggest preschool children benefit from explicit small-group vocabulary instruction within shared storybook reading.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"85 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143884293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Creative Approaches for Inclusive STEM Learning in Early Years","authors":"Sabela Fernández Monteira","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01922-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01922-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This research aims to contribute to the field of inclusive early childhood education. It is a case study that explores creative approaches to STEM (science, technology, education, and mathematics) education in the context of an inquiry-based design project. The participants are three children (two girls and one boy, 6 to 7 years old) with diverse cognitive abilities and their teacher. The children created and tested prototypes, identified problems and developed solutions. The two research objectives are to examine children’s creative products and processes; and to identify the features of the pedagogical approach that supported their engagement in the project. The data set consists of classroom video recordings and pictures, unstructured interviews with the teacher, and field notes. Results show that all children were able to successfully develop original and functional products through creative processes. In addition, the teacher’s strategies that supported the children’s performances are identified. Her practices were responsive and positioned the children’s emotions at the center of teaching. It is suggested that a creative approach, paired with tailored scaffolding in an emotionally safe environment fosters inclusion.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143880347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effective Practices in the Croatian Early Childhood Intervention Service: What Have We Learnt from its Implementation?","authors":"Tea Čivrag, Sonja Alimović, Natalija Lisak Šegota","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01913-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01913-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The inclusion of children with neurodevelopmental disorders or children at risk of such disorders and their families in early childhood intervention programmes must be initiated and implemented in good time so that the most sensitive phases of child development and the emotional support of parents can be optimally utilised. Every country has their own protocol for informing parents about early childhood intervention services and different approaches to working with children and families. To identify the best possible approaches, we conducted semi-structured interviews with professionals working in the field of early childhood intervention and compared our findings with the international context and previous research. The professionals interviewed for this purpose emphasised the importance of initial team assessments, consistent recommendations to parents, and the implementation of different methods to support the needs of the children and families. Considering these and previous findings, we argue that it is critical to develop a framework of consistent guidelines for all service providers and to find a common language and assessment methods between the different professions and institutions that provide early childhood support. Furthermore, it is important to identify a key person to act as a source of information about the needs of the child and family and to coordinate co-operation between systems. Such measures would enable parents to receive timely, coherent, understandable and useful information that meets the needs of their family, as well as holistic support for a child from all systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143878077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ruler by Steps (RbySteps): Exploring Length Measurement with Young Children Through a Sequential Ruler Construction","authors":"Ariadna Gómezescobar","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01915-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01915-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Measuring lengths with a ruler poses a challenging task for young children, who often struggle with issues related to identifying the unit on the measuring instrument and interpreting the starting point of the measurement. This study introduces RbySteps, a didactic sequencing proposal designed to address these difficulties by simulating the step-by-step construction of a ruler, significantly including the elements of the ruler: numbers, marks and units. A total of 36 children enrolled in the final year of early childhood education (5–6 years old) participated in the study, of whom 19 were assigned to an experimental group and utilized RbySteps, while the other 17, constituting the control group, followed a conventional length teaching format. Following the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated enhanced proficiency in measuring lengths with a ruler, whereas the control group showed no similar improvement. This leads to the proposal of a Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) for length measurement with a ruler based on RbySteps.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143875879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing the Effectiveness of a Social and Emotional Skill Program for Preschool Children","authors":"Carla Conceição, Joana Cadima, Ana Camacho, Diana Alves","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01909-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01909-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Socioemotional skills in children and youth are vital for protecting against risk factors and promoting prosocial behaviors. Schools play a crucial role in addressing socioemotional issues, with preventive programs enhancing student socioemotional development and fostering positive school environments. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the DROPI program, developed based on principles from the CASEL model, to promote social and emotional skills in preschool children in Portugal. The study involved 345 Portuguese preschool children (aged 3–6 years) from 16 preschool classrooms across 9 kindergartens. Using a quasi-experimental design, participants were divided into intervention and control groups and assessed at pre- and post-intervention stages. Direct assessments were conducted for vocabulary and emotional knowledge using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 and the Portuguese version of the Emotional Knowledge Assessment Scale, respectively. Additionally, teachers and parents assessed children’s self-control, cooperation, assertiveness, and responsibility using the Portuguese version of the Social Skills Assessment System. Results indicated a significant increase in vocabulary and emotional knowledge over time in the intervention group compared to the control group. The intervention group also significantly improved self-control, reported by both teachers and parents, as well as cooperation and assertiveness as assessed by teachers. This study reinforces the importance of implementing programs that aim to enhance socioemotional development in early childhood.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143878079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Analysis of Home as Portrayed in Asian/Asian American Children’s Picture Books","authors":"Jinhee Kim, Tai Lew","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01923-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01923-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scholars have documented that home is a significant theme in children’s literature, serving as a place where protagonists either stay or from which they leave. Children can also learn about home through picture books introduced in their classrooms. However, they may experience discrepancies between their lived home experiences and the representations of home in picture books, as they bring diverse notions of home to school. Despite this, there is a paucity of research examining how home is presented and portrayed, particularly in the context of Asian American children’s lives. This study explores the representation of home in Asian/Asian American children's picture books, focusing on how these books address home within the spectrum of multiplicity and mobility. By analyzing 26 books published in the U.S. between 2000 and 2023 featuring Asian/Asian American child protagonists, the data analyses reveal that the concept of home encompasses both materialized and affective aspects, often intertwined in complex ways. The study also highlights that representations of home tend to be monolithic and intertwined with stereotypes of Asians/Asian Americans. This research encourages early childhood education teachers to critically examine the complexities of home, especially beyond those based on Western middle-class values, and offers implications for authors, illustrators, and researchers.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143863040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Childhood Educators’ Pedagogical Knowledge for Effective Practice in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Contexts","authors":"Leonardo Veliz, Zuocheng Zhang, Somayeh Ba Akhlagh","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01912-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01912-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study reports on qualitative research that examined the perceived pedagogical challenges and opportunities that early childhood educators face in attempts to deliver effective practice in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. Framed through the lens of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), the study examined data from 9 participants with a view to developing a nuanced understanding of the perceived knowledge they possessed for effective practice in diverse contexts. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews which addressed two overall dimensions of preparedness and practice for diverse contexts. One dealt with perceptions of pedagogical readiness, involving the role of academic/professional training (either at university or vocational levels) in relation to development of PCK, skills and dispositions. The second addressed systemic issues or challenges influencing, or interfering with, educators’ capacity to provide effective practice in diverse settings. Findings revealed that while educators claim to possess a somewhat adequate level of preparedness for diverse contexts, this does not necessarily stem from professional training but rather from experiential knowledge gained through practice. Findings also revealed a range of (systemic) constraints such as lack of time, unequal distribution of resources or professional development that impact educators’ capacity to cater to the diverse needs of children.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143857541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘Books Together’, a Dialogic Book Sharing Programme: Adaptation and Feasibility Testing of Online Delivery","authors":"Judy Hutchings, Claire Owen, Anwen Rhys Jones, Margiad E. Williams","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01898-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01898-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Even before the COVID-19 pandemic the numbers of children entering mainstream education with speech and language learning needs, was significant. Without additional support, these children are at risk of poor academic attainment, mental health difficulties and social problems. This study investigated the feasibility of online delivery of the ‘Books Together’ dialogic book sharing programme. School closures due to COVID-19 meant that parents, initially recruited for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the “Books Together” programme, were offered an online version. Participants were 44 parents of 3–5-year-old children. An online weekly survey and end of programme questionnaire explored parental responses to the programme. Measures of child language, child behaviour, social-emotional ability, and parenting competence were collected at baseline. The same measures were collected at follow-up, except the child language measure which could not be collected due to COVID-19 restrictions. Online deivery was feasible with 79% of parents completing the programme (mean 6.06 of 7 sessions attended). Parents reported high satisfaction (80 – 97%) with various components of the programme and all reported continuing to book share with their children. The programme achieved significant post-intervention increases in parenting competence and well-being and child prosocial behaviour and social/emotional ability. The programme is low-cost and can increase the parenting strategies that build children’s linguistic abilities. Results suggest that the online programme is as effective as the group based version. The results of this and the previous group based version of the programme justify a larger trial comparing the two delivery modes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Relationship Between Engineering Habits of Mind and Self-Regulation Skills in Children","authors":"Ahmet Erol, Mustafa Erol, Merve Canbeldek","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01916-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01916-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated the relationship between engineering habits of mind (EHoM) and self-regulation (SR) skills in 5- to 6-year-old children. The study employed a relational survey method and included 25 teachers and 400 children in their classrooms as participants. Data were collected using validated scales measuring engineering habits of mind and self-regulation skills and were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis. The study’s findings revealed a significant positive relationship between engineering habits of mind and self-regulation skills. Self-regulation components such as attentional flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control are moderately positively related to systems thinking, optimism, creativity, collaboration, communication, and attention to ethical considerations, which are components of engineering habits of mind. Our findings contribute to the studies on self-regulation skills and engineering habits of mind, which are increasingly prevalent in early childhood.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"240 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143832428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tools for Assessing the STEAM Learning Affordances and Quality of Outdoor Learning Environments of Childcare Centers: A Systematic Review","authors":"Nazia Afrin Trina, Muntazar Monsur, Nilda Cosco, Stephanie Shine, Leehu Loon, Ann Mastergeorge","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01911-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01911-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) learning is directly connected with children's cognitive development. Measuring the cognitive advancements of young children is more challenging than that of older ones because young children experience vast variations in the different personal, developmental, and environmental factors affecting their learning behaviors. Also, much learning in the early years is informal in nature, posing added challenges in systematic assessment. There are several assessment tools available for evaluating childcare settings and assessing science learning within the context of the classroom, but none for assessing outdoor learning environments. However, research shows that the outdoor physical environment of early childcare facilities has a long-lasting influence on cognitive development as well as on the quality of STEAM learning for children. There is a critical need for systematic tools to assess formal and informal early STEAM learning outdoor environments to advance both fields of early childhood education and design. This systematic review aims to document all existing tools available for assessing (a) the quality of the childcare outdoor environments and (b) the quality of STEAM learning of children aged 3–5 outside the classroom context, addressing the current lack of reliable and valid assessment measures in this emerging field. The synthesis of information from a selection of 20 studies revealed that STEAM-based outdoor learning at the preschool age is a relatively new topic and that there are no assessment tools or indicators that can assess the available opportunities in the outdoor physical environment and their affordances of STEAM learning activities and activity settings in early childhood environments (e.g., childcare centers, family care homes, or preschools). This deficiency demands more research in the areas of systematic environmental assessments of landscape design indicators in early childhood settings to advance spontaneous STEAM learning behaviors in the early years.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143782379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}