This article examines Early Childhood Studies students' enjoyment, confidence, and broader experiences of teaching mathematics to the under-fives. The underpinning, two-phase study took place in a university in England using online questionnaires and interviews, with this article focusing on the findings from the interviews. Drawing upon…

Exploring the perceptions and challenges faced by beginning teachers and kindergarten teachers in the realm of distance learning reveals critical insights into the evolving landscape of early education in a digital age. The present study explored the challenges and difficulties experienced by beginning teachers and kindergarteners in the context…

Research Findings: As the population of Hispanic children grows within U.S. preschools, it is increasingly important to understand how these classrooms facilitate school readiness, such as positive engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks, for Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLLs). A growing literature base indicates that DLL students'…

Student engagement is one of the most promising concepts in educational research today, as it has been positively correlated to a host of desirable outcomes and negatively correlated to a variety of undesirable outcomes. While there has been tremendous progress in advancing our understanding of student engagement including the developing of…

Using a self-reporting measure, the study examined IBA-related beliefs of Czech preschool teachers (n = 1,004). In addition, it explored the beliefs of teachers who strongly agreed (n = 564) and those who strongly disagreed (n = 67) with the implementation of IBA in preschool classes. The findings show that teachers within the full sample, as well…

Research Findings: Preschoolers' vocabulary skills and inhibitory control have been demonstrated critical for later school success; however, the ways in which the individual classroom experiences dynamically interchange with these skills is still unclear. In this paper, we examine the role of children's individual engagement with teachers, peers,…

Rich play enhances the child's engagement during play, and this improves the potential for learning. This study examines the place of sensory materials focused on visual and tactile stimuli (sensopathic material) during guided play to improve learning in the reception year. Interviews with teachers and observation of the children while playing…

Classrooms should be spaces where every child feels safe to bring their whole self to school. This book shows how to set up preK-grade 6 classrooms that support student agency, independence, and choice. The results of classrooms designed with these goals in mind include: (1) Greater student engagement with curriculum; (2) Students who know…

The study presented in this article shows some aspects of how children between the ages of three and five and their educators perceive and describe the educational environment in early childhood education in Sweden. The data is generated using "pedagogical walk-throughs" with the educators and "camera tours" together with the…

This study aims to explore in-service preschool teachers' attitudes towards and beliefs about geometry and its teaching and to investigate their knowledge of shapes and solids. The study uses a mixed descriptive approach employing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Thirty-four Israeli preschool teachers of children aged 3-6 from 34…

Student engagement is one of the most important factors of an effective classroom throughout the P-16 spectrum. Of late, many have attempted to define engagement and establish best practices for maximising it in the classroom. In the process, a number of sources have implied or encouraged a false dichotomy between engagement and compliance. This…

Early childhood care and education providers provide instruction to diverse learners, including children with developmental delays, but often lack training in the use of evidence-based instructional strategies to support children's meaningful learning engagement. This preliminary study examined effects of the Early Achievements for Child Care…

Computerized assessments and digital games have become more prevalent in childhood, necessitating a systematic investigation of the effects of gamified executive function assessments on performance and engagement. This study examined the feasibility of incorporating gamification and a machine learning algorithm that adapts task difficulty to…

Reliable information regarding interaction quality in preschools is essential because children's preschool experiences predict educational success. The Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS) is a new tool to assess interaction quality developed in the United States. Research on the validation of the factorial structure of the…

Despite numerous research findings that support play's positive impact on children's learning, pressure to pass high-stakes tests later in the elementary years has prompted a decrease in the amount of time for kindergarten play. While play proponents work to prioritize play in kindergarten, there is a dilemma. How can educators respond to the…