This literature review describes and analyses 19 peer-reviewed scholarly articles published between 2015 and 2020 that focus on the notion of the Anthropocene in early childhood education. The review is guided by two pairs of analytical concepts stemming from environmental history and the sociology of childhood. The results of the analyses are presented under the themes ‘entangled children of the Anthropocene’ and ‘extraordinary children of the Anthropocene’. These two categories of children recur in the reviewed articles, and a discussion follows about how these children pose different challenges to the purpose of education in the Anthropocene. The review concludes by noting research gaps in the current literature that would benefit from further analysis in future studies in the early childhood education field.
This literature review examines the research on early childhood education and care (ECEC) leadership and how leaders impact process quality in ECEC settings. Process quality refers to interactions and relationships between and among children and ECEC staff, and is a strong predictor of children’s learning, development and well-being. Research suggests that leadership plays a central role in improving and sustaining process quality in ECEC settings. This literature review presents findings about: 1) the functions, roles and structures of leadership in ECEC settings, 2) factors that may support or hinder leadership and its effectiveness, 3) working conditions and professional development for staff, and 4) how these factors might impact process quality. The results suggest that supports for ECEC leadership may be needed to strengthen areas such as leadership recruitment, preparation and professional development, credentialing and compensation, job design and further research.
BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists regarding the drivers of vaccination coverage and equity in Kampala city, despite frequent measles outbreaks, inequities in vaccination coverage, and the decline in vaccination coverage rates. This study was designed to determine vaccine coverage among children aged 12-36 months and to understand its demand-side drivers. METHODS: We utilized a mixed-methods parallel convergent study design. A household survey was conducted to quantify the drivers of vaccine coverage among households with children aged 12-36 months. We employed a multistage sampling approach to select households, using a primary sampling unit of an enumeration area. We conducted 30 key informant interviews, 7 focus group discussions, and 6 in-depth interviews with representatives from the immunization program, health workers, and parents residing in areas with low vaccine coverage. RESULTS: Of the 590 enrolled children, 340 (57.6%) were partially vaccinated, 244 (41.4%) were fully vaccinated and had received all the recommended vaccinations, and 6 (1.0%) had never received any vaccine. Of the 244 with all recommended vaccinations, only 65 (26.6%) received their vaccines on time. Access to vaccination services was high (first dose of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus [DPT1] coverage of 96%), but utilization decreased over time, as shown by a dropout rate of 17.3% from the first to third dose of DPT. The main driver of complete vaccination was the parents' appreciation of the benefits of vaccination. Among partially vaccinated children, the barriers to vaccination were inadequate information about vaccination (its benefits and schedule), vaccine stock-outs, long waiting times to receive vaccination services, and hidden vaccination costs. CONCLUSION: Vaccination needs to be targeted to all children irrespective of whether they reside in slum areas or nonslum areas, as most are under-vaccinated. Social mobilization and communication efforts should be tailored to the complexities of urban settings characterized by transient and diverse populations with different cultures.
Background The technological age of the twenty-first century has witnessed an upsurge in the demand for STEM education. Early childhood STEM learning and teaching has sparked attention among researchers.Purpose This study aims to provide a holistic review of current STEM research in Early Childhood Education (ECE).Sample We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 129 articles on early STEM education published in educational journals via Web of Science.Design and methods This study used VOSviewer to analyze and conduct a bibliometric analysis. Statistical analyses on publications included annual trends, grants, journals, publishers, research topic, publishing source, institutions, keywords, categories and classification, and researchers.Results The review found that (1) The majority of early childhood STEM research was conducted in developed countries such as the United States, Turkey, and Australia. (2) Key STEM literature in ECE studies tended to fall into major clusters such as STEM education, Robotics, and Mindstorms. (3) STEM in ECE studies were frequently associated with psychology in ECE.Conclusion The findings suggest a need for more multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies on STEM research in ECE and advocate for the inclusion of the STEM research in ECE from broader geographical contexts.
Montessori education was developed over 100 years ago, and persists as a marginal ‘niche reform’ of the standard model. Here I discuss two unresolved dichotomies in early childhood education – the tension between work and play, and between structure and freedom. I explain how Montessori collapses and thereby resolves the dichotomies, and does so in a contemporary theoretical frame – one that is dynamical rather than linear. I next describe the origins and functioning of Montessori preschool environments, outcomes from the most methodologically sound studies to date, and impediments to Montessori’s more widespread adoption. I also show how Montessori is a culturally responsive pedagogy, and conclude by return to the dichotomies and how Montessori makes sense for the modern era.
BACKGROUND: Polio, a debeilitating and potentially life-threatening disease, continues to pose a risk to young children globally. While vaccination offers a powerful shield, its reach is not always equal. This study explores socioeconomic and geographical inequalities in polio immunisation coverage among two-year-olds in Sierra Leone between 2008 and 2019. METHODS: The study utilised data from the Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey rounds conducted in 2008, 2013, and 2019 to examine polio immunization coverage among two-year-olds. The World Health Organisation Health Equity Assessment Toolkit software calculated various inequality measures, including simple difference, ratio, population-attributable risk, and population-attributable fraction. An inequality assessment was conducted for six stratifiers: maternal age, maternal economic status, maternal level of education, place of residence, sex of the child, and sub-national region. RESULTS: Polio immunization coverage among two-year-olds in Sierra Leone increased from 48.7% in 2008 to 77.1% in 2013, then declined to 61.2% in 2019. No significant inequalities were observed based on maternal age, child's sex or maternal educational level. Coverage was higher among children of mothers from the poorest households, and in rural areas. However, the main inequality identified was subnational inequality. CONCLUSION: The initial increase in coverage followed by a decline underscores the need for sustained efforts to maintain and improve immunization rates, particularly in the Western, Northwestern, and Northern provinces, where significant subnational inequalities exist. The absence of disparities related to maternal age, child sex, and education suggests that traditional demographic factors may not be the primary barriers to immunization; instead, geographic and socioeconomic contexts play a more pivotal role. This indicates that targeted interventions should focus on improving access to vaccination services in underserved areas, potentially through community outreach and mobile vaccination units. Additionally, the better coverage among children of poorer mothers and those in rural areas highlights the importance of understanding local dynamics and leveraging community strengths to enhance immunization uptake.
Gamification has emerged as a transformative pedagogical strategy in early childhood education, fostering cognitive and social skill development through interactive and reward-based learning mechanisms. This study investigates the impact of gamification on kindergarten students' cognitive and social skills using a mixed-method experimental design involving 150 children (ages 4–6). Participants were divided into an experimental group (n=75) exposed to a gamified learning environment and a control group (n=75) following traditional instructional methods. The study employed pre-test and post-test assessments alongside Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) for quantitative analysis, while qualitative insights were obtained through classroom observations and teacher interviews. Findings reveal that problem-solving skills significantly influence attention (β = 1.00, p < 0.001), whereas memory skills have no statistically significant effect (β ≈ 0, p = 0.50) . Post-test results indicated that students in the gamified group showed substantial improvements in problem-solving (Pre: 60.1 → Post: 82.3, p < 0.001) and attention span (Pre: 55.4 → Post: 79.8, p < 0.001) compared to the control group**. Additionally, 88% of teachers reported enhanced student motivation, and 95% of children found gamified learning more engaging than conventional approaches. These results underscore gamification's efficacy in enhancing problem-solving skills, attention, and motivation among young learners. The findings highlight the importance of integrating adaptive gamification frameworks into early education curricula to optimize learning experiences. This study contributes to the growing body of research on digital pedagogical strategies and offers valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to implement evidence-based gamification interventions in early childhood education.
OBJECTIVES: To estimate geographical variations of child immunisation at the regional level in Senegal, to identify individual and contextual factors that could explain these regional discrepancies, and to measure their effects. METHODS: Data come from the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Senegalese Demographic and Health Survey, a national survey targeting women aged 15-49, with a questionnaire focusing on health and reproductive issues including their children's immunisation status. We restricted the analysis to children aged 12-23 months (n = 4955) and conducted a multilevel logistic regression to assess individual and contextual factors associated with complete immunisation coverage. RESULTS: The complete immunisation coverage rate of children was estimated at 68% and ranged from 41% in the region of Kedougou to 83% in the region of Dakar. The inter-regional variance was significantly different from zero (P = 0.006) in the empty multilevel model. It decreased by more than half (57 %) after adjusting for individual factors but remained significantly different from zero (P = 0.010). Regional variations of complete immunisation rates drastically decreased and were no longer statistically significant (P = 0.343) after adjusting for the following regional factors: population density, density of hospitals, literacy rate and proportion of health facilities with an antenatal care service. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding health policies designed to improve childhood immunisation and to reduce related inequalities, our results highlight the need to take into account both individual and contextual factors, with a focus on rural and deprived areas where children are at higher risk of incomplete immunisation.
Sébastien Cortaredona, Rokhaya Diop, Valérie Seror et al.
The overall interest in the present paper is equal early childhood education (ECE) in terms of educating multilingually. Instead of monoglossic bilingual education directed to some children, or monoglossic monolingual education directed to children despite language background, education for recognising and creating multilingual practices for all children is reasoned in terms of global early childhood education (GECE). The reasoning is grounded on a sociocultural understanding of learning, research on holistic multilingual education and the concept of play-responsive teaching. In the paper, a framework with principles for GECE – ECE characterised by multifaceted language ecology – is put forward. The principles concerning (i) conditions, (ii) learning contents and (iii) teaching tools are formulated to provide premises for and to be evolved through empirical research. The paper contributes to the contemporary challenge of implementing multilingual teaching approaches. Legitimising multilingual teaching in practice is considered a question for research in collaboration with teachers and professional development.
BACKGROUND: Child health and gender inequalities are significant global public health issues that demand immediate action, particularly in South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) countries where both challenges are prevalent. This study examines the association between women's empowerment and child vaccination coverage in 11 SSEA low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: Using population-level cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys across 11 SSEA countries, we developed an Individual-Level Women's Empowerment Index (ILWEI) based on three dimensions of women's empowerment: decision-making autonomy, attitude towards intimate partner violence and social independence. A three-stage mixed-effect individual participant data meta-analysis was employed to assess the association between ILWEI and childhood immunisation coverage. RESULTS: In India, 81.28% of women reported participation in three to four decision-making areas, followed by 62.07% in Bangladesh. Full immunisation coverage ranged from 32.43% in Afghanistan to 63.30% in Bangladesh. The association between women's empowerment and vaccination coverage varied across South and Southeast Asia, with the strongest positive associations observed in Pakistan. However, mixed or negative associations were found in countries such as India and Timor-Leste. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that in several SSEA countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, the Philippines and Afghanistan, higher levels of individual women's empowerment are positively associated with an increased likelihood of childhood immunisation coverage. However, in countries such as India, Myanmar and Timor-Leste, higher women's empowerment was associated with lower odds of childhood immunisation, highlighting potential contextual or systemic barriers that may hinder vaccination uptake. This underscores the critical role of women's empowerment in enhancing childhood vaccination intake while also emphasising the need for targeted interventions to address country-specific challenges. Coordinated, multifaceted strategies are essential to empower women and thereby support the immunisation of children across regions.
Abdul Ghani Khatir, N.M. Mujeeb Rahman, Tolulope Ariyo et al.
