Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is an emerging field of research within early childhood education and care across the world. It aligns with approaches to support early learning and skill development, given the recognition of the importance of the first five years of life. In this study we explored the framework documents in Australian early childhood education to understand more about STEM in early childhood education and care. Our study is interested in the frequency of STEM, as well as the meanings associated with STEM with regards to child learning. We engage with a content analysis, looking at latent as well as manifest coding. Key themes emerge associated with the absence of some STEM areas, compared to others, as well as the positioning of STEM learning areas. More specifically, digital technologies dominate the other three disciplines of STEM. It is anticipated that by providing policy understanding, conversations can commence to support the implementation of STEM in early childhood education and care.
Organizational climate is a concept that may affect individual behaviors, attitudes and well-being in organizational life as well as explain why some organizations are more productive, effective, innovative and successful than others. The concept has been investigated in many disciplines such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, and management for years and was first considered in education at the end of the 1960s. Since then it has been researched in the field of education in many studies. In this paper, the organizational climate of early childhood centers is examined according to the opinions of early childhood teachers. The Early Childhood Work Environment Scale was used to obtain the data. Participants were a total of 214 teachers who work in public early childhood centers in an urban school district of Turkey. Teachers reported on their opinions of ten components of organizational climate: Collegiality, professional development, director support, clarity, reward system, decision making, goal consensus, task orientation, physical setting, and innovativeness. Results showed that collegiality is at the highest level among the components and the most negative opinion was expressed for the professional development component of the organizational climate. The findings are discussed in the light of the related literature. Suggestions for educators, researchers and decision makers are provided.
ABSTRACT This review was undertaken with the objective of knowing how the curriculum of early childhood education has been problematized by national and international researchers. Once the stages of delimitation of the research universe were concluded, the research corpus was constituted of 30 articles, between national and international. After analyzing the productions, they were grouped by semantic approximation, thus originating four conceptual categories: curriculum and early childhood education; the lived curriculum; early childhood education and the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base for Children's Education (BNCC-EI); the challenge of accepting childhood times. The similarity of the identified problems, their aggravating factors, the perpetuation of some of them, having challenged teachers and researchers throughout the history of early childhood education, underlie and provide, in themselves, a rich, forceful and representative material of the reality of early childhood education in the Brazilian and international context.
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analysis the publication trajectory relation information on early childhood education from 2000-2024. This because Early Childhood Education (ECE) is crucial to child development that sets the foundation for children well-being. Design/methodology/approach – Using bibliometric analysis approach, data was extracted from Scopus database with information on publication status such as authors, country, sources, affiliation, keywords, and references which is key for this study. Further analysis using Vosviewer was conducted to provide a visual mapping for keyword, author and citation. Findings – Publication analysis on Early Childhood Education (ECE)) research from 2000 -2024 has seen a significant increase in 25 years from just 27 in 2000 to a high of 546 in 2023. This growth reflects an expanding interest in early childhood education research Research limitations/implications – The time frame of this study from 2000-2025 is limited to publications in a 25-year period only. In this limited time frame, this study may have not included seminal work in the field of early childhood education. Originality/value –This study will provide a holistic view on the numerous studies on early childhood that link high-quality early education to better academic outcomes, im-proved social skills, and enhanced emotional development later in life This study will aid sustainable growth in the future development of the new generation of workforce.
Ramzia Albakri, Shaikhah Al-Ainati, Abdul Rahman Bin S Senathirajah, Norhafiza Binti Abd Aziz, Rasheedul Haque, Rajneesh Kumar Srivastava
The importance of young children learning about the natural environment has been recognised in policy and curricular frameworks around the world. Moreover, there has been a call for children to spend more time outdoors and to reconnect with nature. However, the distinct construct of nature connectedness has not been examined in detail in relation to early childhood education. This article aims to bring together environmental psychology literature and early years’ policy in an attempt to make the case for nature connectedness becoming a distinct goal in early childhood curricular frameworks. Furthermore, it aims to highlight gaps in the research literature and offer clear directions for future research.
Abstract There have been misconceptions about the purpose of early childhood education and early childhood centers and how the program is designed. Many people believe that the early childhood education process is easy because young children do not really learn, but simply spend their time playing at early childhood centers. As a result, many people believe they can teach their child without the assistance of an early childhood center but what caregivers don’t know is that there is more to Early Childhood Education than just playing games. Early Childhood Education helps young children give them a head start on giving the child the skills they need to successful later into their academic career and throughout life. The purpose of this paper is to explain that early childhood education, in conjunction with a strong family or home support system, can accelerate a child’s learning and overall development. Both these areas are critical to helping children reach important physical, cognitive, socioemotional and language milestones that are key to their development. This paper will explain how early childhood centers operate to ensure that all children reach their appropriate developmental milestones, while providing broader support to families as well. Finally, this paper will provide a brief explanation of the difference between an early childhood center and a daycare center in order for people to be informed of the differences between how both centers operate and eliminate misconceptions that they are the same. Keywords: Early Childhood, Physical, Socio-Emotional, Cognitive, Language, milestones, family, early childhood center, home support, development
This study discusses the use of artificial intelligence in early childhood education from the perspective of Islamic religious education. The background of this research emerged because AI technology began to be used in children's learning, but it was not fully aligned with Islamic moral values and teachings. This study aims to explain how AI is used in early childhood learning, identify opportunities that can be utilized, and identify challenges that arise in its use. The method used is qualitative with a literature study approach, which involves collecting and reading various journals, books, and scientific sources related to research topics, and then analyzing them by grouping, comparing, and compiling findings so that they are easy to understand. The results of the study show that AI can facilitate learning to be more interesting, fast, and in accordance with children's abilities through media such as games, videos, chatbots, and smart learning systems. AI makes it easier for teachers to prepare materials and understand children's development. However, challenges such as the risk of misunderstanding religious teachings, reliance on technology, reduced social interaction, and ethical and data security issues exist. In Islamic religious education, AI cannot replace the role of teachers because teachers guide morals and set direct examples. Therefore, AI should be used as a tool that remains under the guidance of teachers and parents so that learning runs well without leaving religious values.
Gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls is pervasive and has negative consequences for sexual and reproductive health (SRH). In this systematic review of reviews, we aimed to synthesize research about the SRH outcomes of GBV for adolescent girls and young women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). GBV exposures were child abuse, female genital mutilation/cutting, child marriage, intimate partner violence (IPV), and non-partner sexual violence. PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus searches were supplemented with expert consultations, reference-list searches, and targeted organizational website searches. Reviews had to contain samples of girls and young women ages 10-24, although inclusion criteria were expanded post-hoc to capture adolescent-adult combined samples. Twenty-seven reviews were quality-rated. Study-level data were extracted from the 10 highest quality reviews (62 unique studies, 100 samples). Reviews were mostly from Africa and Asia and published between 2011 and 2015. We found consistent associations between GBV and number of sexual partners, gynecological conditions (e.g., sexually transmitted infections [STIs]), unwanted/unplanned pregnancy, and abortion. Some types of IPV also were associated with greater use of contraception/STI prevention. Addressing GBV is essential to improve SRH for girls and women in LMICs.
Rose Grace Grose, Julia S. Chen, Katherine A. Roof et al.
This text presents the main characteristics of mindfulness practice and seeks to draw a parallel among some aspects of didactics for early childhood education. Research suggests that mindfulness practice has had a positive impact on the adult population. While surveys on the use of mindfulness with children are scarce at present, this type of research is increasing among educators and psychologists targeting primary school level and beyond. In this article, we present the methods by which mindfulness practice can be applied in the teaching of nursery and pre-primary school children. In some instances, there is evidence that activities present in the Montessori Method can be borrowed and developed in accordance with the principles of the Mindfulness training. This article outlines how typical activities, such as sensory-motor practice, selective attention exercises and the exercises of practical life can be applied in the mindfulness training. Teacher training is another aspect to consider when applying mindfulness practice in the nursery school classroom.
Abstract Background: Child marriage is deeply ingrained in Nigerian tradition, culture, and religion, and the country has one of the highest rates of child marriage globally. The objective of this study was to examine the occurrence and characteristics of coerced marriages among girls married before turning 16 in Borno, Nigeria. It perceives premarital unions as a substantial violation of human rights, particularly affecting the independence of adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in three local government areas (LGAs) situated in Borno, Nigeria, namely Konduga, Jere, and Maiduguri Metropolitan City LGAs. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 210 female participants aged between 15 and 49, who were married before reaching 16, from 1989 to 2019, to gather data. Data analysis was done using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.0, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Results: The incidence of forced marriage among girls under 16 years old was recorded at 23.8%, notably higher during the period spanning from 1980 to 1989 at 37.5%. Among respondents currently married, approximately one-fifth (23.1%) disclosed being coerced into marriage. A higher proportion underwent forced marriage during the ages of 9–12 years, accounting for 33.3%. Moreover, a considerable portion of respondents with no formal education (28.6%) and those who attended Qur’anic schools (25.5%) were compelled into marriage. The prevalence of fistula among girls married early stood at 8.6%, with 10.6% among those not subjected to forced marriage and 2.0% among girls who were coerced. Among early married girls, 20.5% reported facing ill-treatment from their spouses, with a higher proportion (30.0%) among those coerced into marriage compared to those not coerced (17.5%). Additionally, gender-based violence from family members was notably more prevalent among girls forced into marriage (32.0%), with a significance level of P < 0.05. Conclusion: Efforts directed toward reducing the prevalence of girl-child marriage in Nigeria should focus on tackling entrenched cultural norms that differ among ethnic groups and religious beliefs. The public health implications encompass gender-based violence, abuse, and the breakdown of marriages.
Felix Olaniyi Sanni, Olumide Faith Ajani, Elizabeth A. Sanni et al.
