International research promotes the value of play for children’s learning and development. However, in early childhood education the development of national policy frameworks highlights a tension, and possible contradiction, between play for its own sake, and educational play. This paper explores these two positions, drawing on contemporary socio-cultural theories. Freely chosen play reflects children’s choices, interests and inquiries, and is understood as complex socio-cultural activity. Educational play focuses on curriculum goals and outcomes, and requires early childhood educators to plan for play in ways that direct children’s learning towards those goals. Recent research on children’s interests and inquiries offers solutions for pedagogical approaches that connect the curriculum as lived experiences, and curriculum as planned experiences, both of which reflect children’s cultural repertoires and peer cultures.
Objective: Child marriage gives rise to a wide range of problems for young girls whose psychosocial development is incomplete at the time of marriage. The objective of this case-control study is to compare a sample of girls who married at an early age with two control groups (i.e., unmarried peer adolescents and adults who married after 18 years of age) in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses. Method: A total of 120 female participants were included: the child marriage group (CM; n=40), adolescent peers (CG1; n=40), and adults married at ≥18 years (CG2; n=40). Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory I-II, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results: The CM group exhibited higher rates of lower parental education, lower family income, and a greater prevalence of extended/fragmented family structure compared with both control groups (p<0.05). The CM group also showed significantly higher rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with CG1 (p=0.022; p=0.012) and CG2 (p=0.004; p=0.012). Postmarital suicide attempts were more prevalent in the CM group than in the CG2 group (p=0.002). Conclusion: Child marriage was associated with lower socioeconomic and educational status, a higher prevalence of MDD and PTSD, lower self-esteem, lower perceived social support, and higher rates of suicidal behavior. These findings underscore the importance of preventive strategies, targeted mental health interventions, and strengthened social support systems for girls at risk of early marriage.
Early Childhood Education (ECE) provides core services and events that are vital to holistic growth, student achievement and children's future results. This research explored the obstacles that teachers are facing in primary schools to incorporate early childhood education. It used the descriptive survey research. The sample population was all district primary schools in the Punjab province, Pakistan. For data collection, a questionnaire was created. The results of the research found that most teachers were not sufficiently aware of the requirements for early learning. ECE-specific materials were not appropriate for the students. In addition, primary school teachers require more training and facilities in their schools for introducing ECE. The views of male, female, rural, and urban teachers were substantially different. Given the results, the researchers suggested that educators be made aware of early childhood expectations and pedagogical skills.
This study aims to find out the opinions and experience of teachers and teacher candidates on promoting creativity and creative thinking in the early childhood stage within the scope of the current preschool educational program. The method of the study is the basic qualitative research design. The study group consists of 25 preschool teachers employed in the province of Alanya in the city of Antalya, and 25 preschool teacher candidates who were students in their 3rd and 4th year at Akdeniz University, Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education. Open-ended questionnaire form was used for getting the opinions of teachers and teacher candidates. The data was analyzed within the principles of content analysis. According to the results of the study, statements on the prominence of creative thinking mainly emphasized the child being able to express her/his emotions and thoughts effectively, developing the child's problem-solving skills, forming cause- effect relationships, and being able to create a different point of view towards events and situations. As for developing creative thinking, the opinions that come to the forefront are going on trips with the children, conducting art activities, focusing on drama activities, conducting science and maths activities based on research, and motivating children to create authentic products with different materials. On the whole, teachers and teacher candidates expressed that the present preschool educational program has positive contributions to promoting creative thinking in children.
BACKGROUND Early marriage is a harmful practice associated with serious adverse health and social outcome. It is common practice in a male-dominated society. Ethiopia has legislative provisions and stakeholders advocating for the abolition of early marriage, however, the practice appears to continue due to perceived ideal age, which has not been monitored regularly. The aim of this study was to determine the ideal age at first marriage among adolescent girls and assess the role of influencers for early marriage in West Hararge Zone, Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS Descriptive analysis of the ideal age for first marriage was done as part of a large cross-sectional survey. Participants were female adolescent girls 13-17 years of age, male reference groups, and female reference groups. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Data were cleaned with (SPSS version 20) and analyzed by STATA/SE version 13 and summarized by descriptive statistics. A thematic data analysis approach was utilized to summarize qualitative data. RESULTS The reported mean ideal age at first marriage by adolescent girls was 16.96 (95% CI: 16.81,17.11). The qualitative component of the study also revealed that girls still marry between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Family, peer pressure, marriage intermediaries, and community as a whole were found to influence decisions of young adolescent girls to marry early. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the Ideal age at first marriage of adolescent girls’ in selected districts of West Hararge is below the legal age of marriage in Ethiopia which is 18 years. This implies early marriage is still common practice in this study area. Since the role of family, peers, religious and community leaders were found significant, in addition to young adolescent girls, working with all influential group and community as a whole could be necessary to decrease and eliminate early marriage Keywords: Ideal age at first marriage, Legal age, early marriage
Wasihun Edossa, Yemane Berhane, Alemayehu Worku et al.
Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) refers to education and childcare provided in regulated settings from birth to the start of primary school. This POSTnote summarises the evidence on the association between ECEC and children's development in England and the key factors that affect this. It also covers the impact of government-funded ECEC places on families and the sector, and stakeholder perspectives on public policy priorities.
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, Ria Bernard, Abbi Hobbs
This paper explores the relationship between early childhood education and brain development, highlighting how quality early learning experiences influence cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Drawing on neuroscience research and educational psychology, the study examines the critical periods of brain plasticity, the impact of structured and play-based learning, and the role of teacher-child interactions. Evidence indicates that early interventions and stimulating environments enhance neural connections, executive functions, and socio-emotional competencies. Practical recommendations for educators, parents, and policymakers are provided to optimize early childhood educational practices.
PURPOSE: Child marriage is associated with multiple adverse health and social outcomes. Although evidence suggests that child marriage is associated with reduced participation in personal and household decisions for women, less is known about the association between age at marriage and decision-making among married adolescent girls. This study assesses associations between adolescents' age at marriage and two dimensions of decision-making (participation and satisfaction) in the high early marriage prevalence settings of Niger. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a cluster-randomized control trial of a community-level program to increase the use of modern contraceptives among married adolescents in the Dosso region of Niger were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association of age at marriage with married girls' participation in and satisfaction with decision-making processes. RESULTS: More than half of married adolescents (N = 796) were married before reaching the age of 15 years. Older age at marriage was associated with adolescents' increased participation in decisions related to economics (adjusted odds ratio: 1.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.43) and health-care access (adjusted odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.40), but not with greater reported satisfaction with their control over these decisions. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that marrying as a very young adolescent places girls in even more disadvantaged positions regarding decision-making. These findings indicate the need to design programs targeted at addressing inequitable gender norms to reduce early child marriage and increase participation in decision-making. Further study of satisfaction with participation in decision-making is recommended, including consideration of whether it is related to gender norms for participation in decisions rather than actual participation.
Shweta Tomar, Nicole E. Johns, Sneha Challa et al.
Participatory research was conducted with adolescent girls and women in three isolated rural communities of Bangladesh to assess their perspectives and the role of social and gender norms on the construction of knowledge regarding menstruation, pregnancy and abortion. Norms of privacy and silence, local beliefs and a culture of shame held that the human body is 'natural' and does not require formal sexual and reproductive health care. Instead, participants sought out traditional healers and used herbal plants as natural remedies. Participants reported being restricted in performing religious activities, cooking and food consumption during menstruation. Because sanitary protection was expensive, women used old cloths to soak up menstrual blood and used them repeatedly without washing with soap or drying in the open air, due to shame and the fear of evil spirits. The local incidence of child marriage was high, which also limited women's agency and voice. Contraceptive use was irregular and inappropriate; none of participants or their husbands used contraceptives, resulting in unwanted pregnancy often followed by unsafe abortion. Programmes and interventions are needed that engage with women's experiences within the sociocultural context of studied communities.
Faisal Ahmmed, Mohammad Shahjahan Chowdhury, Sharif Mostafa Helal
BACKGROUND: Child marriage is a blazing global issue influenced by gender inequity, poverty, social norms, and insecurity. It has disastrous social, economic, and health-related consequences. Bangladesh ranks among the top ten countries in terms of child marriage, and rural girls are the most vulnerable group to it. Our study aimed to assess and compare the perception of rural adolescents and parents regarding child marriage, as well as focusing on the key factors governing such perception of the participants. METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study randomly selected four unions of Dhamrai upazila (Sub-district) under the Dhaka district as study areas. The study recruited 1030 participants (515 adolescents and 515 parents) from 515 rural households using a systematic random sampling method and specific selection criteria. Data enumerators collected data through face-to-face interviews using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire and obtained informed written consent from parents and assent from adolescents. The study assessed perception related to child marriage by 25 statements formulated based on expert opinions. These statements were further organized into four domains- social, economic, psychological, and environmental through thematic analysis. We categorized the perception as "support" and "do not support" child marriage using a scoring system ranging from 0 to 25, based on the responses to 25 statements by a two-level Likert scale. Participants who obtained scores of ≥80% were considered not to support child marriage. RESULTS: The current study revealed that 25.8% of adolescents and 27.0% of parents supported child marriage. Participants lacking formal schooling were 3 times (AOR 3.00; 95% CI 1.27-7.09, p = 0.01) and participants with primary level education were 2.69 times (AOR 2.69; 95% CI 1.27-7.09, p = 0.01) more likely to support child marriage compared to participants with at least higher secondary level of education. Parents and adolescents did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) in total and domain-specific perception scores. However, substantial differences existed in various statements across the domains, and maximum disagreement was found in the environmental domain. CONCLUSION: Supportive perception toward child marriage still exists in rural Bangladesh, and it is more prevalent among people with less or no formal education. Despite exceptions, both groups had overall similar perceptions regarding child marriage. Exploration of factors favoring support for child marriage and designing educational as well as community-based interventions specific and suitable to adolescents and parents is crucial to improve perception regarding child marriage.
Md Ziaul Islam, S. M. Sharf‐Ul‐Alam, Farjana Farha et al.
