The Anthropocene is a geo-stratigraphic unit of the upper Earth's layers, impacted by human disturbances, but also humankind's historical record, and children's place to live on. It is an unfinished narrative. This study explores how garden and soil-related activities with kindergarten children, guided by well-informed teachers, may have the…

This paper takes a 'networking of theories' approach to understand the complexity of the phenomenon of agency. We examine an episode, where a kindergarten teacher and nine children work on an addition problem, from three different perspectives: Valsiner's zone theory; Radford's theory of objectification; and Pickering's dance of agency. Our…

The kindergarten staff comprises one teacher and two permanent staff members: an aide and a fill-in teacher. The study tracks the tactics that teachers use to motivate staff members to do their jobs effectively, in view of their considerations in choosing these tactics and the way staff members perceive them. The study is based on a multiple case…

This article explores single-mothers' experiences regarding the schooling of their children. Because most research on home-school relations has been derived from samples of two-parent families, little is known about single parents' perspectives on their children's education. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight single mothers in Hong Kong…

Early childhood inclusion for disabled children is a priority area as jointly stated by United Nations' and European Commission's policies. Educators have a crucial role in supporting all children's learning by working cooperatively with parents. However, their internalized ableist/disablist beliefs and misconceptions can inhibit the process of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of culturally responsible music teaching (CRMT) from the perspective of U.S. music teachers working in various formal settings. "Cultural responsibility" is an emergent concept regarding teaching and learning that (a) connects with students' cultural frames and lived experiences, (b)…

This study investigated the relationships between perceived teacher empowerment, job satisfaction, and organizational climate among 206 randomly sampled kindergarten teachers in Shanghai, China. Chinese versions of the School Participant Empowerment Scale, the Teacher Work Satisfaction Survey, and the Organizational Climate Scale were validated…

This pilot study used a quasiexperimental design to evaluate the Whole Inclusive School Empowerment (WISE) project providing educational psychology services to kindergartens to support students with diverse learning needs. There were eight intervention kindergartens that received WISE educational psychology services and eight control kindergartens…

The primary aim of this study was two-fold: 1) to identify information communication technology (ICT) acceptance of kindergarten parents that influence parents' deliberative belief and empowerment by applying the socio-technical systems theory as theoretical framework; and 2) to examine the mediated effect of deliberative belief between ICT…

In this article, the author braids storytelling with oral life history interviews, Chicana Feminisms, and portraiture. The piece centers the portrait of Ms. Sotomayor, a veteran elementary teacher, who through her stories shares with us pedagogies of pain, trust, autonomy, and empowerment. These glimpses of her life journey as a Nepantlera offer…

While cultivating "student voice" is more common in the adolescent years, the early years are an ideal and worthy time to listen and honor the voice of young people, before they are "schooled" in more formal practices of discussion and debate. Teachers can actively listen to young people, and support their capacity to be civic…

In classroom spaces on a daily basis, students are encouraged to express who they are as learners and demonstrate their own understanding of their learning. Students' ability to contribute to their own learning is an essential characteristic of an engaging classroom space and supports high academic achievement. The authors' work highlights one…

It is estimated by the year 2030, over 40% of the K-12 population in U.S. schools will be children whose first language is not English (Shin & Ortman, 2011; U.S. Census Bureau, 2007;). This shift has negative academic consequences for emergent bilingual students (EBS). Schools (K-12) unable to meet the needs of EBS contribute to these…

This cross-case qualitative study draws on poststructural notions of identity to explore the relationship between multimodal literacies of young children and their becoming identities. Although research focuses on the products or texts of multiliteracies, more research is needed to examine shifting identities in the process of students creating.…

This article investigates the perspectives of seven adolescent Latinx students in relation to being bilingual and bicultural, and to their former K-8 elementary school, which offered a variety of culturally sustaining practices, including campus-wide use of both Spanish and English and a dual language program. Within this qualitative case study,…