A corpus of literature has argued the fundamental importance of learner engagement in early years' classrooms and identified the association between engagement and academic and social success. In the current education policy, educational theories typically influence curriculum development which, in turn, guides pedagogical practice. In the case of…

When young children with behaviour and mental health disorders do not receive appropriate specialised support their problems can escalate over time. Their parents find the transition to and early years of schooling stressful and difficult. This paper argues that case management can be an effective strategy for this group of children. Although…

This paper reports findings from an activity implemented in the final year of a 3-year longitudinal study of data modelling across grades 1-3. The activity engaged children in designing, implementing, and analysing a survey about their new playground. Data modelling involves investigations of meaningful phenomena, deciding what is worthy of…

One approach that is helpful in framing and facilitating effective and ethical rural education research projects is centred on ensuring that researcher-participant relations are respectful, responsible and reciprocal, predicated on the shared principles of CHE (connectivity, humanness and empathy). This approach derives from a strengths-based…

This article explores the use of children's photography as a method for conducting mathematics education research with young children. Collected as part of a study focusing on the experiences with measurement children have at the start of schooling, the photographs presented here were taken by children aged five and six years, from two Australian…

Within early childhood education two ideas are firmly held: that play is the best way for children to learn, and that parents are partners in the child's learning. While these ideas have been explored, limited research to date has investigated the confluence of the two--how parents of young children view the concept of play. This article…

The Council of Australian Governments released the National Early Childhood Development Strategy, Investing in the Early Years in July 2009 (COAG 2009). One of the key reform priorities in the strategy is to build better information and a solid evidence base, and establishing national outcome measures for early childhood development has been…

Many countries around the world have in place national early childhood curriculum documents for supporting educators, including Australia. It is timely for the field of early childhood education to consider the contemporary experiences of children from the twenty-first century in relation to how early childhood curriculum is framed. For instance,…

This paper reports on an analysis of teachers' talk of play-based learning and intentional teaching of mathematics. The participants in the study were two early childhood teachers in a pre-Prep program (the year before school). Teachers' talk of how they engaged in the interplay between children's play and the use of intentional teaching practices…

Increasingly, early childhood practitioners are faced with children who present with significant levels of oppositional and defiant behaviour. The management of this behaviour is often difficult and stressful. Efforts to minimise disruptive behaviour and to encourage more prosocial behaviour have very much revolved around the teaching of…

This edited international collection re-conceptualizes the place of early childhood education and care services (ECEC) within communities and challenges traditional approaches to family involvement and partnerships in ECEC. Using a range of theoretical positions, the authors present research-based discussions from five countries which challenge…

This paper considers the temporal aspects of the early childhood curriculum from a cultural historical perspective, and in doing so focuses on the role of play in early childhood education. Drawing on ideas derived from cultural historical theory regarding the historical basis of community practices and knowledge, the paper reflects on the type of…

This study aims to examine social competence of Chinese immigrant children and its associations with age, length of attendance in childcare, gender, generational status and proficiencies in English and Mandarin Chinese. One hundred Mandarin-speaking children aged three to five years from 15 childcare centres in Sydney were assessed by normed…

During the past three decades, extensive literature has accumulated on the early years of life for children. Research findings unequivocally agree that these years are a critical period of intense learning for children which provides the foundation for later academic and social success. This review explores the literature on the complex…

Early childhood education in Australia is currently undergoing a period of change and renewal. Times of change offer opportunities to revisit the perspectives of the past, to respond to current choices and challenges, and explore future opportunities within the national provision of early childhood care and education. Such opportunities also exist…