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Social studies have been marginalized in early childhood education amid the prevalence of standardized testing and political issues. However, a comprehensive approach to early education, including social studies, is gaining attention. This article emphasizes the significance of incorporating social studies into early childhood curriculum, illuminating its potential to enhance children's cognitive and social-emotional development. The second important aspect of this article focuses on the role of social studies in literacy skill development through building background knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills of young children.

School readiness assessments in South Africa still predominantly focus on the assessment of cognitive skills. The Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR) was developed to bridge the perceived gap in assessing emotional-social skills as a domain of school readiness. An emerging body of research reports exists on the psychometric properties and factor structure of the E3SR. An initial validation study recommended a 6-factor solution instead of the theoretical 9-factor model that was proposed in the development of the E3SR. The E3SR (Revised) was also reduced in length. We report here on a pilot study of which the aim was to establish the reliability and construct validity of the E3SR (Revised). A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data from 9 pre-schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Pre-school teachers (n = 24) constituted the respondent group who completed the E3SR (Revised) screening questionnaires on Grade R learners (n = 394). Analysis was conducted on 321 completed screening questionnaires. With the data analysis we aimed to: a) summarise sample characteristics of teachers and children; b) establish reliability estimates; and c) establish construct validity and confirming the factor structure. Ethics clearance was given by the Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC) of the University of the Western Cape. The study adhered to stipulated ethics requirements. Data failed to show multivariate normality; however, this violation of normality was expected and was theoretically supported. The sample size (n = 321) was sufficient for factor analysis of a 36-item scale. All subscales showed excellent reliability: Cronbach's alphas ranged between 0.939 and 0.971. CFA results demonstrated a good model fit. The E3SR (Revised) was found to be reliable and valid for use. The use of a rigorous methodological process including the decision-making matrix represent good research practice that can be used in instrument development across cultures.

This cluster-randomized pre-post study examined the effectiveness of Character Playbook, a digitally delivered, universal social-emotional learning (SEL) program, in enhancing social and emotional knowledge and confidence among rural middle school students. Pre- and post-assessments and surveys measured students' knowledge and self-reported confidence related to social and emotional skills. The sample consisted of 128 students from two rural middle schools. Analyses of covariance with multiple imputations to account for missing data revealed that students who participated in Character Playbook demonstrated significantly higher knowledge and more positive confidence toward their social and emotional learning competency than the control group. These findings, with acknowledged limitations, suggest that Character Playbook holds promise as an effective SEL program for rural middle school students, but further research is needed for confirmation. The study provides valuable preliminary insights into how a brief, digitally delivered, universal SEL program could benefit students in rural classrooms.

The options for Artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in teacher education are increasing daily, but more is only sometimes better for teachers working in already complex classroom settings. This team discusses the increase of AI in schools and provides an example from administrators, teacher educators, and computer scientists of an AI virtual agent and the research to support student learning and teachers in classroom settings. The authors discuss the creation and potential of virtual characters in elementary classrooms, combined with biometrics and facial emotional recognition, which in this study has impacted student learning and offered support to the teacher. The researchers share the development of the AI agent, the lessons learned, the integration of biometrics and facial tracking, and how teachers use this emerging form of AI both in classroom-based center activities and to support students' emotional regulation. The authors conclude by describing the application of this type of support in teacher preparation programs and a vision of the future of using AI agents in instruction.

Purpose: A novel, Project- and Collaborative Learning-based educational method is proposed, implemented and evaluated in this paper. The aim is to exploit hands-on laboratory modules in Vocational Education in order to experientially introduce students to green, ecofriendly practices and the principles of sustainability and circular economy. Besides their apparent individual and social benefits, such knowledge and skills are also expected to raise qualifications and employability of Vocational Education graduates. Methods: The proposed method is tested through a quasi-experimental methodology, via an educational intervention with a class of Vocational Lyceum students, in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. The learning content focuses on the reclaiming and reuse of operational components from damaged electrical/electronic equipment at end-of-life stage. Through repeated Analysis and Synthesis phases, students learn to extract, measure, classify and reuse operational components either to repair similar equipment or to design and construct novel devices. Results: Evaluation is carried out via closed and open type activities as well as by observation sheets of the teacher. Learning outcomes are evaluated through knowledge post-tests of the closed type while social/emotional outcomes are evaluated through questionnaires. Evaluation results indicate that the proposed method does produce cognitive and social/emotional skills gains for the students. The development of metacognitive skills and the stimulation of imagination and innovative thinking in the students is also observed by the teacher, but not formally evaluated due to practical constraints. Conclusions: The proposed method is implemented and pilot-tested with positive results both as to the cognitive and as to the social/emotional domain -- yet, these results are of an indicative value, due to the limited scale of the educational intervention. Future research is necessary in order to evaluate the proposed method in extent and possibly compare results across education grades or engineering fields, as the method is generic enough to be easily adaptable for different ages/grades and engineering/technical fields of study.

This article examines the negative effects social media has on adolescents' health and well-being, and how it impacts their academic life. Research was conducted by using scholarly search engines to locate several articles that examined the effects of social media use on adolescents within the last ten years. After reviewing the articles, five main themes emerged: social media's impact on (1) social-emotional health, (2) mental health, (3) physical health, (4) academic performance, and (5) the effect of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from the literature review show the adverse effects of social media on adolescent social-emotional, mental, and physical health, and student academic performance. This review of the literature concludes by observing that adolescents are struggling with problematic social media use and need to learn responsible self-regulation tools and strategies. Future research should consider how to effectively protect and limit students from having to experience these adverse effects, while promoting a healthy and responsible balance of life online and in-person.

As the demand for opportunities to learn English grows throughout the world, parents and educators are looking for innovative ways to engage students in English-learning opportunities. Perhaps your school or municipality will seek to initiate an English Camp to be on trend with this growing need. Or perhaps, like many go-getter teachers, you wish to initiate such a program on your own. This article explains the basics of designing and organizing a themed English Camp. The process is illustrated by examples from camp programs that were designed as Open Educational Resources (OERs) by English teachers in Belarus, beginning in 2021. The programs are the product of a course organized and facilitated by the authors of this article.

The present study examined the mediating role of self-regulation in the relationship between preschool children's anxiety and life skills. Children's anxiety, self-regulation, and life skills were assessed using the "Children's Anxiety Scale-Mothers' Form," "The Self-Regulation Skills Scale for Children aged 4 to 6 (Mothers' Form)," "The Early Childhood Life Skills Scale," and the data obtained from 303 participants who participated in the survey were tested through PLS to SEM. Although preschool children's anxiety is not directly related to life skills, self-regulation fully mediates the relationship between anxiety and life skills. The results provided preliminary evidence for the mechanism by which children's anxiety affects self-regulation and life skills. These findings suggest that the relationship between anxiety and life skills varies according to children's self-regulatory abilities. The findings have practical implications for supporting the development of self-regulation in preschool children.

Background: Early childhood is a formative period during which distinguishable development has projections of bearing desirable outcomes within an individual. Hence, physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social independence are healthy components of a typical child's development that early childhood development (ECD) educators deem essential for Grade R readiness. Aim: This article aims to explore ECD educators' perceptions of typical 4-year-old learners' aspects of development and how this supports their readiness for Grade R. Setting: This study was conducted in an ECD centre in a marginalised rural context of the Mandlankala area, Empangeni, north of Zululand. Methods: An interpretive qualitative case study methodological design framed within Bronfenbrenner's person-proximal processes-context model was adopted. Purposive convenient sampling was used to select three ECD educators from an ECD centre. Semi-structured interviews and learners' physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social behaviour observations were used to generate data. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Findings revealed that early childhood educators perceive 4-year-old learners' readiness for Grade R differently based on criteria such as their personalities based on developmental milestones and the educator's experience in the field and training. Conclusion: This study concluded that the learner's level of physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social development influences their readiness for Grade R. Contribution: School readiness skills allow school teachers to expand and further develop learners' skills in the specific areas of social interaction, play, language, emotional development, physical skills, literacy and fine motor skills.

This study discusses the structure of Ibn Sina's thought and its contextualization in the contemporary era from a subjective point of view referring to aspects of soul purification. Ibn Sina divides the human soul into three parts, they are: "nabatiyyah," "hayawâniyyah," and "insâniyyah" souls. According to Ibnu Sina, human morals are in the "nabatiyyah," so the education that must be taught is education related to morals, cleanliness, and the arts, this education is carried out at the Early Childhood Education level. When the child is in the "hayawaniyyah," that is when the child can respond and move through sensing, then the student is in a state of stimulation through understanding the Qur'an, especially reading, and interpreting it, followed by lessons to be able to study, analyze and be critical of the meaning from every verse of Allah SWT, both "kauliyyah" (the Qur'an) and "kauniyyah" (the universe). In the "insâniyyah" soul, the child is endeavored to be educated so that they can integrate intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intelligence, to create an integrative education, they are education that can unite the dimensions of service ("al-'Amilah") and spiritual ("al-'Alimah"). This literature review confirms that to achieve the goals of Islamic education, the educational model that is applied wherever possible leads to purification of the soul, because with a pure soul the process of entering knowledge into students' souls will be easy. An educational perspective that places purification of the soul as an offer of Islamic education in the contemporary era. Keywords: Education, Ibn Sina, Purification of the Soul, Contemporary

The emotional well-being of individuals is largely dependent on the quality of their social relationships, as acknowledged by self-determination theory and the belongingness hypothesis. While the significance of high-quality relationships for teachers has received increasing attention in empirical research, little is known about the impact of social relationships on student teachers' emotions in the practicum, especially from a quantitative perspective and considering multiple relationship qualities simultaneously. Research on this topic is highly topical as emotions have been found to be important drivers both for professional behaviour in the classroom and professionalisation processes in general. Against this backdrop, our study examined how the quality of social relationships between students in class, mentor teachers, and fellow student teachers influences the development of emotional experiences of student teachers in a school practicum. We conducted an online survey with 203 Austrian student teachers studying secondary education, inquiring about their emotional experiences and social relationships before and after their practicum. The results revealed that the quality of relationships with students in class was the most influential factor determining changes in student teachers' emotional states during their practicum. These findings emphasise the importance of cultivating positive relationships with students in the classroom, especially during the school practicum in teacher education.

Family involvement has been identified as a mechanism that explains the differences in academic performance and well-being between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The implications of family involvement in students' non-academic outcomes have often been overshadowed by a focus on the academic domain. This study focuses on one type of non-academic attributes which is currently most critical to navigate in school and beyond: social-emotional development. In addition to that, the potential mediating role of school engagement in the association between family involvement and students' social-emotional development remains to be explored. This study aimed to investigate whether family involvement was associated with students' school engagement and social-emotional development and to clarify the underlying mechanism in the relationship. The sample consisted of 170 students from 8 to 17 years old and their parents who live in economically vulnerable situations and experience social exclusion. The analyses were performed using Jamovi statistical software and a GLM Mediation Model module. To address the research objectives, a series of mediation analysis were performed to fit the hypothesized relations among the study variables. The mediational analysis suggested that home-based family involvement could not predict students' social-emotional development, and that the effect of home-based family involvement on students' social-emotional development was fully mediated by school engagement, a variable not included in previous research. The results suggest that families who are actively engaged in their child's education at home positively influence students' level of participation in school, which, in turn, promotes the development of students' social-emotional competences.

Individuals with ADHD report diminished emotion regulation capacities and adversity in childhood detrimentally affects emotion regulation development; however, how positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and whether and how social support are related to PCEs and emotion regulation for those with ADHD is unknown. Objective: To identify direct and indirect associations between PCEs and social support to emotion regulation outcomes in adults with ADHD. Method: Adults with ADHD (n = 81) reported PCEs, current social support, and emotion regulation. Conditional effects modeling examined the direct and indirect relationships between PCEs and emotion dysregulation through social support. Results: Higher PCEs were indirectly related to improved emotion regulation through increased social support generally ([beta] = -0.70, 95% CI [-1.32, -0.17], and specifically through belonging ([beta] = -0.43, 95% CI [ -0.87, -0.05], self-esteem ([beta] = -0.61, 95% CI [-1.08, -0.27], and tangible social support ([beta] = -0.50, 95% CI [-1.07, -0.02]. Conclusions: PCEs may protect emotion regulation in adults with ADHD through social support, possibly through facilitating social connections, increasing access to social support, and sustaining emotion regulation strategies

Leveraging data from a longitudinal study of Chinese families (n = 364), this research aims to understand the role of secure base script knowledge as a cognitive mechanism by which early caregiving experiences inform adolescents' friendship quality and feelings of loneliness. Results showed that observed maternal sensitivity at 14 and 24 months old was negatively associated with adolescents' self-reported conflicts with close friends ([beta] = -0.17, p = 0.044) at 15 years old, and this association was partially mediated by their secure base script knowledge assessed at 10 years old. Further, secure base script knowledge moderated the link between adolescents' friend conflict and feelings of loneliness ([beta] = -0.15, p = 0.037). The results support a cognitive script perspective on the association between early caregiving experiences and later socio-emotional adjustment. Furthermore, this study adds to the developmental literature that has previously focused on more stringent and authoritarian aspects of parenting in Chinese families, thereby contributing to our understanding of how sensitive and supportive parenting practices contribute to socio-emotional development outside of Western contexts.

Physiological synchrony is an important biological process during which parent-child interaction plays a significant role in shaping child socioemotional adjustment. The present study held a context-dependent perspective to examine the conditional association between parent-child physiological synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment (i.e., relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation) under different (i.e., from highly unsupportive to highly supportive) emotional contexts. One hundred and fifty school-age Chinese children (M[subscript age] = 8.64 years, 63 girls) and their primary caregivers participated in this study. After attaching electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, parent-child dyads were instructed to complete a 4-minute conflict discussion task. Parent-child physiological synchrony was calculated based on the within-dyad association between parents' and children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) levels across eight 30-second epochs. Parental emotional support, child relationship quality with parents, and child emotion regulation during the discussion task were coded by trained research assistants. Supporting our hypotheses, parental emotional support moderated the relations of parent-child RSA synchrony with both child relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation. Furthermore, the Johnson-Neyman technique of moderation indicated that the associations between parent and child RSA synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment indicators shifted from negative to positive as the parental emotional support became increasingly high. Our findings suggest that parent-child physiological synchrony may not be inherently adaptive or maladaptive, highlighting the importance of understanding the function of parent-child physiological synchrony under specific contexts.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate the experiences and perspectives of parents of highly and profoundly gifted children in developmental and cultural contexts. A purposive sample was selected from parents who are members of networks and organizations serving highly and profoundly gifted students. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 parents. Data were analyzed using the six-step approach of thematic analysis and revealed eight overarching themes including (a) self-efficacy within sociocultural contexts; (b) feelings of confidence; (c) role in fulfilling children's needs; (d) decisions and actions related to children's giftedness; (e) development of the parent/child dyads; (f) sense of belonging within the larger community; (g) impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their child's gifted education; and (h) resources needed to facilitate children's social-emotional and academic needs. Implications inform educators, counselors, and communities of the lived experiences of parents and their need for a sense of support and belonging.

This study examines longitudinal associations among reading skills, math skills and emotional well-being in a Finnish sample (n = 586) followed from the end of comprehensive school (Grade 9, age 15-16) to age 20. In particular, we determine whether the associations between skills and well-being are mediated by self-concept beliefs. In Grade 9, the participants' reading fluency, PISA reading comprehension and math skills were assessed in classrooms, and questionnaires were used to assess self-concept (global and skill-specific) and internalising problems. At age 20, questionnaires were used to self-report emotional well-being and educational attainment. The results showed no direct predictive association between academic skills and age-20 emotional well-being, while indirect effects from academic skills on emotional well-being were found for reading skills through reading comprehension self-concept belief and educational attainment and for math skills through global self-concept belief. In addition, adolescent global self-concept and internalising problems predicted age-20 emotional well-being. The results suggest that adolescent self-concept beliefs and internalising problems, rather than academic skills per se, can predict emotional problems in young adulthood.

Purpose: The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a group-based social skills training program for adolescents on the autism spectrum. Although the program has been shown to be effective in improving social skills in autistic adolescents, evidence of its effectiveness from the Mandarin-speaking Chinese population is sparse. The present study used a non-randomized, pre- and post-intervention research design to investigate the feasibility and cultural validity of the program, as well as examine the moderators of intervention outcomes. Methods: Thirty-three autistic adolescents with intelligence quotient above 70 (M[subscript age] = 13.57, SD[subscript age] = 1.43; Male: Female 25:8) and their parents received 14 concurrent 90-minute sessions. Adolescents' autistic traits, challenging behaviors, emotional functioning, socio-cognitive process, social environment factors (school support), and caregivers' well-being were evaluated. Results: The findings suggest that with minor adjustments, the Mandarin version of PEERS® was generally acceptable and feasible for autistic adolescents and their parents. PEERS® may improve the social skills knowledge, reciprocal communication abilities, and emotional well-being of autistic adolescents. Also, participants with a higher level of school support, and parents with lower perceived subjective well-being at baseline may gain more benefits from PEERS®. The cultural adaptation and acceptability of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® were discussed. Conclusion: This feasibility study (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200061417, 2022-06-23, retrospectively registered) provides a basis for further randomized control trials of the Mandarin version of PEERS®.

Background: Valid and reliable instruments for measuring emotional development are critical for a proper diagnostic assignment in individuals with intellectual disabilities. This exploratory study examined the psychometric properties of the items on the Scale of Emotional Development--Short (SED-S). Method: The sample included 612 adults with intellectual disabilities (M[subscript age = 37.35, SD[subscript age] = 13.27; 59.8% males). Item validity analysis comprising sensitivity and specificity rates and discriminatory power were determined. Results: The relative mean frequency of 'yes' answers to all 200 items was 29.5%. The mean sensitivity rate was 67.5% and the mean specificity rate was 79.3%. Most items (85.0%) showed good discriminatory power with the adjacent stage(s), especially between SED-1, SED-2, SED-3 and SED-4. Particularly in SED-4 some items showed weaknesses in the differentiation between these stages. Discussion: This study adds to previous validation studies by showing that most SED-S items have psychometrically sound properties.

With a sample of 470 kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong, this study first examined these teachers' emotion regulation strategies assessed by a newly adapted scale, the Kindergarten Teacher Emotion Regulation Scale. Then, the study adopted a person-centred approach and conducted the latent profile analysis, identifying different profiles of teachers' use of the emotion regulation strategies. It also examined the relationships between these profiles and teachers' self-efficacy and two contextual antecedents, instructional leadership and trust in colleagues in kindergartens. The study validated a three-dimensional measurement of kindergarten teachers' emotion regulation in Hong Kong, namely cognition-focused regulation, (negative) emotion-focused regulation, and behaviour-focused regulation. Moreover, it identified four profiles of kindergarten teachers' emotion regulation strategy use with distinctive characteristics, and revealed some significant relationships between teachers' emotion regulation and self-efficacy as well as school contexts. The findings highlight the role of beneficial school climate in eliciting teachers' effective emotion regulation and thereby enhancing their self-efficacy.

Research on African American youth's emotional development provides an incomplete understanding of the cultural influences that shape emotion-related skills such as emotion expression, regulation, and understanding. In this article, I propose the multiple cultural frameworks of triple quandary theory to characterize the nature of mainstream cultural experiences and minority cultural experiences in current research on emotional development in African American youth. I also discuss Afrocultural ethos as an aspect of African American cultural experiences that shapes African American emotional development, using affect and orality as examples that can be explored and embedded within emotional development research. Finally, I describe important factors for researchers to consider in the study of Afrocultural ethos in affective developmental science.

In recent decades, researchers' interest in the role of emotions in individual political learning has grown. However, it is still unclear whether and how discrete emotions are associated with political learning. Through a cross-disciplinary systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis, we reviewed which discrete emotions have been analyzed in the context of political learning so far and meta-analytically synthesized how these emotions relate to political learning. We addressed this question by synthesizing associations between discrete emotions and various aspects of learning about political matters, such as political attention, information seeking, discussions, knowledge, and knowledge gain. The final dataset included 66 publications with 486 effect sizes, involving more than 100,000 participants. Most of the effect sizes were based on negative-activating emotions (65%; mainly anxiety, 32%, and anger, 19%) and positive-activating emotions (32%; mainly enthusiasm, 15%), while studies on positive-deactivating emotions (e.g., contentment) and negative-deactivating emotions (e.g., sadness) are largely lacking. We uncovered small positive associations (r = 0.05 to 0.13) for activating emotions, of both negative (especially anger) and positive valence (e.g., enthusiasm, only in cross-sectional designs), but no associations for negative-deactivating emotions. We discuss theoretical implications and recommend future research to include previously unconsidered emotions in order to extend existing findings.

The learning and developmental losses from preprimary program closures due to COVID-19 may be unprecedented. These disruptions early in life can be long-lasting. Although there is evidence about the effects of school closures on older children, there is scarce evidence on such losses for children in their early years. This article is among the first to quantify the actual impact of pandemic-related closures on early child development, in this case, for a sample of young children in Chile, where school and childcare closures lasted for about a year. We use a unique data set collected face-to-face in December 2020, which includes child development indicators for general development, language development, socioemotional development, and executive function. We find adverse impacts on children in 2020 compared to children interviewed in 2017 in most development areas. In particular, 9 months after the start of the pandemic, we find a loss in language development of 0.25 SD.

This study aimed to understand the ways in which college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience and develop their understanding of emotions and emotional wellness. Semi-structured interviews with college students with IDD were conducted. The research team utilized consensual qualitative research (CQR) to analyze interviews and came to consensus in generating domains, core ideas, and a cross-analysis to answer the research question, "What are the experiences of college students with IDD in developing an understanding of emotions and emotional wellness?" Findings suggest college students with IDD have experience developing and maintaining their emotional wellness, though they may experience barriers prior to and during college enrollment. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Despite initiatives by key actors in the last two decades, Early Childhood Development in Ghana, measured by physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional development of children up to 8 years of age, remains poor. This study aimed to assess Ghana's Early Childhood Development (ECD) status and determinants by analyzing the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017/18 data. Among the 3801 Ghanaian children (35-59 months; 1880 males), 42.7% were developmentally on track in literacy-numeracy, 93.6% in physical, 68.2% in social-emotional, 82.3% in learning, and about 67% in at least 3 of the 4 domains. Multiple logistic regression analyses suggest a positive association between ECD and female sex of children, their age, mothers' attendance in any ECD programs, mothers' educational qualification, and household wealth. On the other hand, evidence of a negative association was observed between ECD and child disability, stunting status of children, maternal disability, the number of days children were left alone for more than an hour, and residence in a rural area. The level of maternal education may be implicated in ECD policies as it affected several ECD domains.

Lifespan is a pool of stories that, in the beginning, sets the tone. It lays the foundation for students' long-life learning, attitudes formation, behavioral modifications, and shapes the trajectories of students' early childhood development (an important thread of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 4.2 bedrock on "access to quality early childhood development, care pre-primary education" till 2030 with specific thread 4.2.1). Predominantly, a child's healthy dynamics nail down to his/her cognitive development and emotional regulations are excogitated as a building block that gets a load on the teachers' socio-demographic attributes. They are tossed around a supreme indicator and paramount countenance which works as an appetizer and nurtures infants' cognitive and emotional empathy in schools. Knuckle down to the excellence of teachers' socio-demographic attributes, the authors iced on the cake through quantitative ex-post-facto research leading to the positivist paradigm, on a sample of randomly selected 800 participants. The current research is planned in the sweat of the authors' brow to ramify how teachers' socio-demographic attributes prioritizes to promoting early childhood development and transitioning children's cognitive and emotional empathy into school. After obtaining unfetter and unrestricted permission from the authors and ensuring ethical considerations, the researchers piloted a questionnaire to confirm Cronbach's Alpha reliability statistics 0.798, 0.805, and 0.797. After applying the regression analysis technique, the researchers unmasked that teachers' socio-demographic attributes affected 78.10% of children's early childhood development, 59.70% of cognitive, and 72.40% of emotional development. Based on the results, the present research recommends that the Government of the Punjab has a lot on their plate through hiring experienced staff and providing them with induction and in-service training with good incentives to promote extra children's social, emotional, cognitive and intellectual growth for empathy in schools. Moreover, the current quantifiable stumbling blocks might be examined through conducting qualitative and mixed-method research in public and private educational institutions; a burning dilemma neglected since independence and is a cause of concern for stakeholders.

The alexithymia hypothesis posits that specific aspects of the autistic socio-cognitive profile, namely emotion recognition difficulties, can be explained by the increased prevalence of alexithymia in autistic populations. However, this hypothesis has largely been tested in adults. We tested whether co-occurring alexithymia could account for associations between autistic traits and two key domains of socio-emotional cognitive functioning in adolescence. Participants were 184 (44% male) children aged 10-16 years with and without a diagnosis of autism (n = 75 autistic), who completed experimental measures of emotion recognition and theory of mind. Parents completed assessment of autistic traits and alexithymia. Pre-registered analyses tested associations between autistic traits and socio-cognitive task performance, and whether including alexithymia as an additional predictor changed the nature of the association between autistic traits and task performance. Results showed participants with higher levels of autistic traits performed lower on emotion recognition and theory of mind tasks, and that these associations were not significantly altered by including alexithymia in the models. Results suggest that more work is needed to understand the applicability of the alexithymia hypothesis in younger populations, but that at least in young adolescents and when using parent-report measures, alexithymia may not be associated with emotion recognition or theory of mind ability.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Social-Emotional Assessment Measure (SEAM) (33-66 months), which is designed to assess social-emotional difficulties and behavior disorders in young children. In this case, the SEAM was translated and back-translated. The sample included 2477 preschoolers (1256 boys; M[subscript age] = 57.57 months, SD = 10.93) residing in Shanghai, China. In summary, the results presented a 10-factor model that showed a good fit for the SEAM (33-66 months). Ultimately, the analyses demonstrated adequate internal consistency, reliability, and convergent validity. These findings indicate that the SEAM (33-36 months) is appropriate for use in Chinese preschool populations.

The "1,2,3,emoció!" is a universal preschool program of emotional education for children aged 3-5 years that has positive effect on emotional competence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this program specifically in 3- to 5-year-old children with autism spectrum conditions. The effectiveness was evaluated during the first year of implementation (school year 2018-2019) in Barcelona. We conducted a cluster randomized community trial, with schools as units of randomization. The children's level of emotional competence was evaluated with the validated Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire (score range from 30 to 180). We designed a linear regression model for paired measures. The dependent variable was the final Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire score adjusted by the initial score, sex, and grade. The sample consisted of 49 children with autism spectrum conditions, of which 11 were girls. Children in the intervention group showed an increase from the initial score to the final score that was almost three times higher (16.1) than the increase observed in children in the comparison group (6.6). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant, with 8.9 points (95% confidence interval: 1.2-16.6) attributed to the intervention. We conclude that the "1,2,3,emoció!" universal program has the potential to be effective in children with autism spectrum conditions.

In this article I explore the emotional resources activated by single mothers to support their adolescent children's educational journeys. Mothers' emotional work is often regarded as something that mothers must do (Gillies, 2006). However, this view does not recognise the power and influence that mothers exert to create opportunities for educational success. By centring the mother as the head of her family and drawing on the concept of emotional capital as a legitimate and valuable resource within single-mother families, it becomes possible to show how mothers in a low socio-economic community invest in their children's schooling. This article is based on a qualitative case study of single-mother families from a South African community. The findings show that the single mothers maintained strong bonds with their children, which enhanced perceived support and contributed positively to their education. Maintaining open communication channels, demonstrating authoritative parenting, and communicating pride in non-academic qualities were significant emotional practices that served to maintain these strong bonds. By engaging in these practices, these single mothers from low-income contexts activated their emotions strategically to support their adolescent child's education.

This study explored how past students who attended the Learning Support Zone (LSZ) in Maltese secondary schools perceived their attendance at the LSZ and its impact on their home and work environments. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven adults who attended the LSZ when they were in secondary school. Thematic analysis was used to elicit a set of themes. The findings highlight the multiple struggles that students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) face. The narratives highlight the positive impact of the LSZ and its staff, but the families of these students were hardly involved. Social skills, independent living skills, and emotional literacy taught at the LSZ are believed to have helped these youths enhance their motivation and perceived self-worth and deal with adversities more effectively both at home and at work. The key recommendations of the study are the re-evaluation of inclusive policies within schools, consideration of the perspective of the students, better understanding, and monitoring of students with SEBD within schools, and more active involvement of all relevant stakeholders, especially families.

Adolescent behavior now occurs offline and online. Frequently studied and treated independently, the relationship between offline problem behaviors and online risk taking is not well understood. This study asked whether there are any problematic behaviors predictive of online risk taking by high school students. Using a 2009 dataset of 2,077 high school students grades 9-12, five areas of offline problematic behaviors were examined: Academic problems, anxiety, behavioral wrongdoing, bullying, and social-emotional. Nine binary results were classified as online risk: Sexting, online harassment (perpetrating and experiencing), visiting sex sites, talking about sex, receiving sexual pictures, meeting offline, anything sexual happened, feeling nervous or uncomfortable. Behavioral wrongdoing (fighting, school suspension, trouble with police, theft), emerged as a significant predictor appearing in all nine models, followed by bullying experience (bully or victim) in six models. Identifying common problem behaviors that predict online risk taking are key components in developing strategies to promote adolescent health and well-being.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how knowledge of giftedness impacts self-concept of gifted adolescents. Guided by Sirgy's (1997) Self Congruity Theory and Shavelson et al.'s (1976) multidimensional hierarchical self-concept model, data collection was undertaken using semi-structured interviews with 11 Australian gifted adolescents and their parents. The collected data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four key themes emerged: (a) expectations from self and others, (b) the source and solutions to challenges, (c) the stigma of giftedness, and (d) parental involvement. In the findings, advanced knowledge of giftedness was associated with a more intense experience of stigma and a more internal locus of control. In addition, understanding giftedness was found to empower the parents of gifted students for more efficacious advocacy and support to cater to the needs of their gifted children.

This study examined parental perception of the importance of friendship and five other educational outcomes from 101 Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Results showed Chinese parents considered friendship less important than social skills, emotional development, and physical skills and motor development. Unlike the results from previous studies, Chinese parents ranked friendship as the second least important outcome. Children's age rather than educational setting impacted parental perceptions. The findings suggested cultural contexts may have influenced parental perceptions of the importance of different educational outcomes, and future research on the influence of cultural contexts is warranted.