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IntroductionPsychological wellbeing is an essential indicator of early care and education (ECE) teachers’ positive practices across countries. Moreover, previous studies suggest that teachers’ wellbeing and practice may be indirectly associated via emotion regulation. However, teachers in various contexts demonstrate different patterns of psychological wellbeing, emotion regulation, and emotional responsiveness, and the ways these factors associate with each other also vary.MethodsThe current study investigates whether the indirect associations between ECE teachers’ psychological wellbeing (i.e., emotional exhaustion, job-related competence, and personal stress) and their responsiveness toward children’s emotions via emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal and suppression) appear differently in two national contexts, the United States (US) and South Korea (SK). Multi-group path analysis was conducted to compare the mediation models between US teachers (n = 1,129) and SK teachers (n = 322).ResultsWe found significant indirect associations among wellbeing, emotion regulation, and responsiveness in both countries. However, significant associations were more prominent among SK teachers, and the patterns of indirect associations had substantial cross-country differences. Furthermore, the roles of reappraisal and suppression emotion regulation found to be different among ECE teachers in SK and US.DiscussionThe cross-country variations in the associations among wellbeing, emotion regulation, and responsiveness suggest that differential policy efforts and intervention strategies are needed for ECE teachers in the US and SK.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of discrimination and hate crimes against minority populations including international students have soared in the U.S. This study explores the relationship between international students' perceived discrimination and their self-reported overall health and the role of social support and positive emotions in such relationship. In total, 203 international students studying at two U.S. universities participated in an online survey. The results indicated that: (1) when international students perceive higher levels of discrimination, they experience lower levels of positive emotions and have lower levels of perceived social support; and (2) positive emotions were significantly associated with both psychological distress and physical health. Perceived social support was only significantly associated with physical health not psychological distress. We also provided meaningful implications for higher educational institutions that strive to enhance international students' overall health.

"Research Findings": The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand parents' perceptions of changes in early care and education (ECE) in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. Thirty-three parents of young children who attend three different types of ECE programs (i.e. kindergartens, childcare centers, and non-accredited programs) participated in a 30-minute semi-structured interview. Through an applied thematic analysis, three major themes were generated: Structural Changes in ECE Settings, Support from ECE Programs and Teachers, and Changes in Parents' Perceptions of ECE. Parents reported that they wanted their voices to be heard going through the changes in ECE settings. Some parents expressed concerns about the changes and were not satisfied with support provided by ECE programs. However, when ECE programs maintained regular communications, parents felt grateful, and parent-program relationships remained uninterrupted. "Practice or Policy": The findings highlight the importance of recognizing parents as a meaningful part of the ECE community, understanding and addressing parents' perceptions, and engaging parents in the frequent and open communication. Understanding parents' perspectives can potentially improve the quality of ECE programs and promote high-quality parent-program relationships. Continuous efforts are needed to further explore parents' perceptions in ECE research and practice.