Children are spending significantly less time outdoors in free play than previous generations, which has implications for children's development. This study explores parental knowledge, attitudes and the time children spend in outdoor free play. Parents or caregivers of children aged between five and nine years old (N = 82) completed an online…

A sense of belonging is well-established within the empirical literature as a fundamental human need. Enhancing belongingness in schools has become a focus for researchers and policy makers in such contexts. This paper outlines a range of research findings that have demonstrated the impact of a sense of belonging on wellbeing as well as other…

The drop off in physical activity (PA) for children has led to an increased focus on their PA engagement, due to the poor health outcomes often linked to this decline. Subsequently, stakeholders, across a variety of fields, have problematised and intervened in activity settings to address this decline. Many of these studies acknowledge high levels…

This longitudinal study modeled children's complex executive function (EF) development using the Groton Maze Learning Task (GMLT). Using a cohort-sequential design, 147 children (61 males, 5.5-11 years) were recruited from six multicultural primary schools in Melbourne and Perth, Australia. Race/ethnicity data were not available. Children were…

Immersive virtual reality (VR) is anticipated to peak in development this decade bringing new opportunities for 3D multimodal designing across all levels of education. The need for students to gain capabilities with multimodal texts--texts that combine two or more modes, such as spoken, written, and visual--is emphasised at all levels of education…

Understanding young children's attitudes towards mathematics provides insights into their lived mathematical experiences. It has long been recognized that attitudes towards mathematics have a profound influence on mathematical achievement. Despite the considerable amount of research into students' attitudes toward mathematics, limited research has…

Schools are often seen as a key setting for the provision of mental health support for children. This study aimed to explore the professional perspectives of primary school educators in Victoria, Australia, regarding how schools can support the mental health of their students. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 17…

Refugee students may come to schools with fragmented educational histories and other exile-related stressors, but many also settle fast, enjoy school and live rather ordinary childhoods. These more positive stories are not told because they get overridden by well-meaning but counterproductive stories of victimhood. This article presents a…

It is unlawful under the "Disability Discrimination Act 1992" (Cth) for Australian schools to discriminate against students based on disability. Yet discrimination against students with disability is on the increase in Australian schools, and so is the decentralisation and autonomy of schools. This scoping review set out to determine…

This project uses participatory inquiry methods with Year 2/3 students at Glenelg Primary School in Adelaide, Australia, to address a student-identified desire to learn outside more often. Through a seven-week inquiry, students selected areas around the school to explore, collected and analysed existing plant data, and delivered garden plans. The…

This study investigates nature connection practices in a nonformal place-responsive programme for primary school-aged children in Brisbane, Australia. The practices are explored in terms of their role in making visible the interconnectedness of humans, place and the more-than-human, drawing on posthuman educational theories and practice, in…

This research investigated the potential of learning analytics (LA) as a tool for identifying and evaluating K-12 student behaviors associated with active learning when using video learning objects within an online learning environment (OLE). The study focused on the application of LA for evaluating K-12 student engagement in videobased…

Projects have been used in primary school education for over a century. As managing projects has become increasingly critical in the workplace, educators have an opportunity to prepare young children with the necessary project management knowledge and skills to succeed in the future. However, in the absence of empirical studies, it is difficult to…

Internationally, there is an under-supply of intellectual capital to provide for STEM-related employment. One contributing factor is the low number of female students selecting STEM school subjects and careers. Despite the literature recommending students engage in STEM activities earlier, many initiatives are not implemented until high school.…

Teacher professional development in writing is an increasing area of interest due to the complex nature of the profession including learning needs of students and the demands of external assessment regimes in the contemporary landscape. However, professional development often denies the contextual experiences and expertise of teachers in favor of…