Education for sustainable development is one of the key components of the 2030 Agenda. Previous research emphasizes the importance of access to education as early as possible in accordance with the goals and contents of sustainable development. It is assumed that educational policies have incorporated education for sustainable development (ESD)…

In recent years, there has been considerable investment at the European Union level in expanding early childhood education and care (ECEC) facilities. In line with this quantitative substantial initiative, research and social policies are increasingly focusing on the quality of such facilities. High quality depends, among other things, on…

In the paper, we argue that fostering the autonomy of children in kindergarten contributes to the positive effects of the individual's autonomy later in life. Various sources substantiate the assumption that there is a relationship between the child's autonomy and the autonomy of educators. In the paper, we identify and investigate how preschool…

In Slovenia, the concept of media literacy has been integrated into the formal education system, including early childhood education. The Preschool Curriculum sets certain goals to be followed in educating preschool children on media-related topics. Research done in other Member States of the EU points to the conclusion that the actual…

This article introduces the results of a research survey that involved 443 preschool and classroom teachers. The objective of the investigation was to discover teachers' views on making picture book reading a part of the teaching process, how picture book reading was incorporated, and how a productive visual response to a picture book was…

This paper presents a qualitative research which implements the Delphi method on a sample size of 25 preschool teachers and their assistants in Slovenian preschools regarding their beliefs on self-regulated learning in the preschool. The goal was to determine how preschool teachers and their assistants define their own self-regulated learning,…

The study addresses the emotion of anger in preschool teachers -- its frequency, the circumstances of its emergence, and strategies for its regulation -- as well as the occurrence of mental health problems in preschool teachers and their connection to emotion regulation. The sample comprised 143 preschool teachers from various kindergartens in…

This article presents the findings of a research study examining the impact of creative puppetry activities on aggressive behaviour in preschool children. The aim of creative drama was to allow for experiences that help children understand interpersonal relations, put themselves in another's shoes and see alternative possibilities of behaving or…

Educators' self-efficacy influences their practice and thus determines the quality of teaching in early childhood education and care (ECEC). This study analyzed educators' self-efficacy to teach physical education (PE) and the differences between pre-service and in-service early childhood educators. Early childhood educators (N = 381) completed a…

Engineering thinking enhances real-world learning; it emphasises system thinking, problem finding and creative problem solving as well as visualising, improving, and adapting products and processes. Several studies have investigated how pre-service preschool teachers acquire their knowledge of technology and engineering; however, a clear…

With the new paradigm of the sociology of childhood the traditional notion of childhood as a developmental phenomenon has been replaced by the recognition of childhood as an integral part of society and culture rather than simply an antecedent, and by the need for children to be regarded as significant contributors to our society and culture. The…

The paper is built on premises that teachers' attitude is one of the most important factors of implementing inclusive education and it focuses on preschool and primary school teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education. The purpose of the study was to establish what attitude Slovenian preschool and primary school teachers hold towards…

The article takes as its starting point the public debate about the newly proposed Family Code in Slovenia in 2009. Inter alia, the Code introduced a new, inclusive definition of the family in accordance with the contemporary pluralisation of family life. This raised a number of questions about how--if at all--various families are addressed in the…

The implementation of foreign languages in preschool education has prompted the need for qualified teachers. However, most recent studies report a gap between the supply of qualified foreign language teachers of young learners and the demand for such teachers as foreign languages are introduced earlier and earlier. The authors of this paper…

The paper describes some findings about teaching foreign languages (FL) in a pre-school setting obtained from the Network Innovation Project (NIP). The aims of the NIP were to research and practise the most effective teaching approaches and organizational models in teaching and learning of FL in pre-schools. The objectives were to determine how…