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The diversity, originality and significance of early childhood research is reflected in this latest edition of the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. Eight papers on eight very different topics are [...]

THIS PAPER SUMMARISES THE reporting of early childhood (EC) research practices through a meta-analysis of 10 scholarly international EC education journals. The analysis included 506 peer-reviewed primary research articles published between 2009 and 2012 (inclusive) involving young children between the ages of birth and eight years. These were reviewed for child status within research, researcher perspective of children involved in research and respectful research culture within EC research. This review provides a broad picture of how young children are currently being involved in research and whether an ideological shift towards more participatory approaches is filtering through to EC research practice. The results indicated that for child status, 96.6 per cent of articles positioned young children in traditional roles as non-participant objects of research (64.6 per cent) and semi-participant subjects (32.0 per cent). Only 3.4 per cent of studies positioned children in inclusive, participatory roles as social actors (3.0 per cent) and co-researchers (0.4 per cent). Similarly, for researcher perspective, 70.2 per cent of articles were identified as research conducted on children, with the remaining 29.8 per cent as research with or by children. In terms of research culture, 89.7 per cent of articles were non-respectful by focusing on what children could do for the research, rather than valuing the children themselves. These results highlight a gap between rights-based EC research literature and the way in which research is being reported with young children. A new Rights-based Research Accountability Framework is presented to assist researchers in understanding how well their research upholds children's rights principles and what areas need to be addressed to transition towards more inclusive approaches., Introduction Notions of 'childhood' have changed profoundly throughout history. Currently, early twenty-first century children are being afforded rights that would have seemed inconceivable merely a generation ago. Today's ideas about [...]

THIS PAPER PRESENTS A comprehensive review of reporting practices of research ethics in 10 scholarly international early childhood education journals. Peer-reviewed primary research articles published between 2009 and 2012 (inclusive) were reviewed for reported parent consent, child consent and institutional ethics approval. Of the 506 articles identified as relevant, 49 per cent reported parent consent (with a range across journals from 23-66 per cent), 19 per cent reported child consent (9-40 per cent) and 16 per cent reported institutional ethics approval (6-23 per cent). Only 24 per cent of articles specified the type of parent consent, while only 11 per cent of articles specified the type of child consent. These results highlight considerable under-reporting of ethical procedures in early childhood education research journals, and in those who do report there is a lack of detail. The potential benefits of increased reporting of ethics are discussed in relation to the Rights of the Child movement and journal editorial and author guidelines., Introduction Educational research involving children is highly regulated to protect its vulnerable, at-risk participants. However, can the same be said about the publication of this research? As readers of academic [...]

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is to describe two case studies of classroom-based teaching interventions, conducted by final-year pre-service teachers, which were successful in assisting young children with autism engage in and learn literacy through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The 10-day interventions were carried out as part of a two-year Master of Teaching course at an Australian university, and were designed to identify specific learning needs in young children, and then implement targeted interventions. The two cases described here show how ICTs were successfully used to create multimodal texts to support the literacy learning and engagement of young children with autism. The first case involved an intervention that employed two iPad apps--which were not intended specifically for children with autism--to support the literacy learning and engagement of a five-year-old. The second case involved the use of Microsoft PowerPoint on a laptop to develop multimodal non-fiction texts to improve an eight-year-old's attitude to, and engagement with, reading. Each intervention was found to be effective in improving the participating child's literacy achievement and engagement. Each used multisensory and student-centred approaches that acknowledged the children's strengths and interests, with ICTs being used to transform teaching and learning tasks. This article illustrates the successful drawing together of pre-service teachers' technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK), as well as their knowledge of the children concerned, to devise evidence-based interventions using ICTs to assist young children with autism to engage in, and learn, literacy., Introduction Young children with autism bring specific strengths and challenges to the classroom, which will be outlined in the literature review below. Teachers are required to find effective mechanisms to [...]

CHILDREN HAVE IMMENSE CURIOSITY, a thirst for knowledge and a questioning attitude. They are innate scientists. The challenge for early childhood educators is to fuel this curiosity through the provision of appropriate learning experiences and an engaging environment within early learning centres. This paper presents a detailed case study of how a pre-service teacher implemented forensic science as a form of scientific inquiry, in a preschool classroom for four-year-old children. Using the theme of We're going on a (forensic) bear hunt!, a series of integrated and engaging experiences was delivered that allowed the children to solve the class mystery of who left behind the (bear) footprints. This paper describes the concept, process and skills of scientific inquiry, outlines the basic principle of forensic science, provides a detailed description of the children's learning experiences, and interprets these experiences in relation to developing children's scientific inquiry skills: exploring and predicting, observing and recording, using equipment, using observation as evidence, and representing and communicating. It also illustrates how young children can readily engage in inquiry-based learning; educators, however, must provide the opportunities and support to stimulate this learning. In summary, the paper argues that a complex topic such as forensic science can be successfully implemented with young children, highlighting the competence of these children., Introduction Because of their immense curiosity, thirst for knowledge and questioning attitude, young children are innate scientists (Howitt, Morris & Colvill, 2007). Science becomes a part of children's everyday experiences [...]

As I drove to work, thinking about how to introduce this editorial, a glorious rainbow appeared in the sky. The vibrant colours reminded me of a kaleidoscope. It then struck [...]

Welcome to a new year and to a new volume of AJEC. If it Is possible to find one theme to fit the 13 articles in this issue, it would [...]