Using action research, this study examined the professional development of teachers through the reflections that kindergarten teachers obtain from children's voices and the relevance between the working environment and teachers' reflection at teacher conferences in Japan. Four teachers participated in the study. Data sources included teachers'…

In the present paper, I explore some of the concrete manifestation of autonomy support in natural childcare and early childhood education settings, under the organising framework of self-determination theory. More specifically, I present the ways in which early childhood educators shape the space of natural settings and use the affordances of the…

The current longitudinal study used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to examine a model of development that emphasizes early caregiving environments as predictors of social emotional competence (including classroom competence). This path analysis…

In the Maltese context, the nation-wide roll-out of State kindergarten provision in the mid-70s and the rapid increase in childcare services for under three-year-olds over the last two decades were initiatives driven by efforts to entice women to the labour market. National research to determine short and long-term effects which these services…

Using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (n = 1364), we examined how experiences in early childcare (ECE) and in families from 6 to 54 months predicted the development of first-grade prosocial behaviour (PSB), a core component of social and emotional success. SEM analyses revealed several key pathways: (1) both ECE process quality and…

This occasional paper is the seventh in a series on the National Quality Framework (NQF). It explores the quality of children's education and care services based on the socio-economic status of the area in which they are situated. The Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) is…

The study focused on challenges and gaps faced by children during the transition period from early childhood development (ECD) to primary education and possible solutions to them. It adopted the qualitative methodological approach through the use of Focus Group Discussions with councillors, education officials, child care workers, chiefs, parents…