Montessori education has existed for more than 100 years and counts almost 16,000 schools worldwide (Debs et al., 2022). Still, little is known about the implementation and fidelity of Montessori principles. Measuring implementations holds significant importance as it provides insight into current Montessori practices and because it is assumed…

Early childhood education (ECE) intervention programs nowadays are the core of the educational disadvantage policy in the Netherlands. They offer institutional compensatory activities to young children who lack educational stimulation in the home environment. Target groups mainly comprise children from deprived socioeconomic backgrounds and of…

Research has demonstrated that teachers working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are proficient in offering emotional support to young children, but markedly weaker when it comes to instructional support. We conducted a controlled experimental study in the Netherlands, to investigate the effects of targeted in-service training on…

This paper, based on interviews conducted for the "Early Childhood Oral History Project," draws on oral life-history interviews with 14 prominent early childhood researchers who have been active since the 1970s within diverse European countries. A common theme across the interviews is the key role that collaborative research between…

Interest in the professionalisation of childcare workers is growing, as the responsibility for children's upbringing and development is extended from the family area to early childhood education and care institutions. This sector is subject to intensified guidelines, where the overprotective tendency in society towards children has resulted in…

Research Findings: Drawing from a Dutch sample of 113 Dutch children (M age = 37 months, SD = 3.5) from 37 early care and education classrooms (19 child care centers and 18 preschools), this study examined whether the relation between classroom emotional and behavioral support and children's observed social integration and positive mood in a play…

Against the backdrop of growing international concern for a narrowing view of early literacy, this study was initiated to determine how teachers of four-year-olds view their task of fostering early literacy. This paper reports on the first steps to design and validate an instrument which captures teachers' perceptions of early literacy content…

Because professionalism in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is measured by standards relating to caring, men in the field are often held to expectations associated with female behaviors. This research examines the tensions arising from this encounter and explores alternative solutions which male ECEC workers around the world have…

There is growing evidence among researchers and international organisations that quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), and ultimately the outcomes for children and families--especially disadvantaged ones--is dependent on well-educated and competent staff, and that a lack of higher pre-service training can be partly compensated by…

Though popular among children outside of school, Dutch teachers often struggle to offer technology integrated activities in the kindergarten classroom. Because involving teachers in development of technology integrated activities can support their implementation, this study examines teachers in the role of re-designing such activities. Two case…

This study examines professional development activities for students and teachers in two Dutch professional development schools (PDSs). The PDSs consist of a partnership between the kindergarten classes of the elementary school and accompanying playgroup (with children aged 4-6 and 2.6-4, respectively), a teacher's training college and a research…

In "contextual learning theory" three types of contextual conditions (differentiation of learning procedures and materials, integrated ICT support, and improvement of development and learning progress) are related to four aspects of the learning process (diagnostic, instructional, managerial, and systemic aspects). The resulting…

As part of a larger, longitudinal study, examined how effectively teachers were able to establish an orderly classroom climate, an emphasis on basic skills acquisition, and a pupil monitoring system in 28 Dutch kindergartens. Found wide differences in the ability of teachers to establish these curriculum components. (MDM)

Examined effects of ethnic background on group interaction and student-teacher relations by observing 273 Turkish, Surinam, and Dutch 4-year olds and their teachers in 29 Dutch schools. Found Turkish and Surinam pupils were less involved in group activities than Dutch children and, in play situations, teachers appeared to give more attention to…