"I think I can, I think I can' puffed "The Little Engine That Could." The American folktale taught the value of optimism and hard work reflecting a growth mindset belief about abilities. A growth mindset positively impacts academic achievement, motivation, and children's agency for learning. Few studies have explored how early…

Young children's engagement in Education for Sustainability has focussed predominantly on their participation in environment-based initiatives or practices. Reasons for this include a notion that wider dimensions of sustainability, including social, political and economic areas of concern can be too complex and overwhelming for young children.…

Handwriting is an important daily occupation for children. When assessing children's handwriting, it is recommended that clinicians use objective handwriting performance tests as well as solicit children's and parents' perspectives to promote client-centered practice. However, it remains unknown to what extent objective handwriting performance…

This paper considers the pedagogical collaborations between early childhood teachers in kindergarten (4 years) and the first year of school (5 years) in one Australian State. We report on a year-long project that brought these early childhood teachers together as we asked them to design STEM learning ecologies that would not only support new…

Research into young children's understanding of bullying in the early years of schooling is limited. The current study examined young children's understanding, explanations and reasoning behind whether behaviours represented in cartoon scenarios depicted bullying or non-bullying incidents. Seventy-seven children aged 4-8 years from one…

Fostering children's engagement in regular recreational reading beyond independent skill acquisition is beneficial to promote continued literacy engagement. Regular recreational reading is associated with both literacy skill acquisition and maintenance across the life span. Children's perceptions of the importance and value of reading can…

This study explored the views of participants who completed a 5-week, online, interactive, family-based, salt reduction education program (Digital Education to LImit Salt in the Home). A secondary aim was to explore the views of school staff on the delivery of food and nutrition education in schools. Children aged 7-10 years, their parents and…

This paper will focus on children's views on their making and design capabilities. There is a paucity of research investigating learning in makerspaces particularly for younger children. Theoretical ideas based on constructionism (Papert), Vygotsky (socio-constructivism) and Dewey's pragmatic, inquiry based and reflective learning underpin this…

The importance of recognising, valuing and respecting a child's family, culture, language and values is increasingly articulated in educational policy. Diversity and inclusion are central themes of the guiding principles of early childhood education and care in Australia. Children's literature can be a powerful tool for extending children's…

While the benefits of interactive reading opportunities, such as reading aloud and being read to, are well established, little is known about children's attitudes toward, and perceptions of these practices beyond the early years. Research in this area can inform literacy instruction aimed at encouraging enjoyment and continuance of this practice.…

In Australia, intercultural understanding has been prioritised in education and curriculum documents at both federal and state levels. Alongside this educational priority, schools have also been encouraged to demonstrate 'engagement' with 'Asia', such as through a partnership with another school in the Asia-Pacific region. My research findings are…

The Federal Government's recent Building the Education Revolution program resulted in, among other features, the creation of over 600 new school libraries in Queensland alone. This paper reports on a component of a research project carried out with students in six primary schools and one secondary school that benefitted from the program,…