Educators have a critical role in enhancing children's play interests within the classroom by determining the actions and context of their play. This study examined personal and professional characteristics associated with educators' self-reported play engagement preferences using a sample of Greek early childhood educators. One hundred…

This paper presents a teaching scenario designed to introduce preschool children to electricity, structured around the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). The study involves 18 children from an urban kindergarten with diverse backgrounds and learning needs. Over four weeks, children engage in interactive…

The article presents the results of a research in the field of Greek preschool education concerning the use of puppet theatre by teachers. The central question is: in what ways, but also on the basis of what educational/ pedagogical considerations, do teachers use forms of puppet theatre in the education of preschool children. The research was…

The aim of the current paper is to investigate the traces of socio-cognitive influences in kindergarten teachers' representations about the practices they tend to follow when they develop Natural Sciences activities in kindergarten. A quantitative approach was used, with the research tool being an electronic questionnaire that was completed online…

Coronavirus pandemic has imposed significant innovations in all aspects of our lives which were a respond to precautional measures to avoid COVID-19 spreading throughout the community. In many countries, Greece included, education shifted rapidly to a distanced form affecting this section of our lives as well. The present study attempts to…

Background/purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore three null hypotheses regarding the association between Greek preschool teachers' professional features with their knowledge and views of the official standards of early writing teaching which emphasize on real communicative purposes. Materials/methods: 494 teachers participated in an…

Outdoor play comprises a highly significant play category through which children learn, develop, express themselves, socially and physically interact with their surroundings. Research, however demonstrates outdoor play is not substantially utilized within Greek preschool environments. This study was conducted during the 2019 academic year, aiming…

This study took place in the University of West Attica, Department of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Greece, founded in 2018, which focuses on the learning, development and education of children under four years of age. Greece has a split early childhood education system, and there is minimal attention given to infant and toddler…

This study aims to research the phenomena of Racism and Xenophobia in pre-school education in the context of Greek reality through the attitudes and views of teachers who are the communicators of educational practice. The radical change in the racial and religious homogeneity of Greek education in recent decades as a result of globalization and…

Given that there is a lack of children's active involvement in the school design process, the aim of the present multimethod study was to gather data in relation to children's active involvement towards the improvement of their own school's physical environment. Over a period of three months, twenty-nine children aged 4-5 years participated in…

Acknowledging the fact that parental engagement is more beneficial during early childhood compared to other developmental stages many countries have institutionalised parental engagement. In Nigeria, the government has taken initiatives in order to involve parents in their child's development by encouraging the establishment of School Management…

Despite the plethora of studies regarding bullying worldwide, there are limited studies at the early childhood level. This article presents the results of a pilot study aiming at exploring preservice and in-service early childhood teachers' views on bullying in Greek early childhood settings. A total of 192 early childhood teachers completed a…

Recent research evidence has revealed that Greek preschoolers' physical activity (PA) levels are not satisfactory. Taking into account the amount of time spent daily in preschool settings as well as the finding that preschool appears to be a significant predictor of children's PA, the aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the role…

Teachers are important socializers and provide students with experiences to further promote their social-emotional competences or shift their pathways towards emotional and behavioral difficulties. These experiences may vary depending on teachers' perceptions of their own emotional intelligence (EI) and beliefs about social and emotional learning…

The present study focused on the intra-pair interaction of a pair of dizygotic twins with autism in pre-school age and explored: (a) the type of play and the level of symbolic play the twins prefer and are most frequently engaged with; (b) the attitudes the twins usually display; (c) the most frequent initiator of interactions; and (d) the way the…