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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between early childhood teacher candidates' empathic tendencies and social problem-solving skills. A total of 187 teacher candidates studying in the department of Early Childhood Education at Duzce University participated in this study. The relational research model, a quantitative research method, was used. The data of this study were collected through a personal information form, the Empathic Tendency Scale, and the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPÇE-SF). The researchers analyzed the data using Pearson Correlation and one-way ANOVA with the SPSS program. According to the findings of the study, the empathic tendency levels and social problem-solving skills of the early childhood teacher candidates participating in the research are at moderate levels. In addition, there was a moderate positive relationship between participants' empathic tendencies and social problem-solving skills. Finally, it is seen that the empathic tendencies of the participants do not differ according to personal data such as gender, educational level, mother's and father's educational level, family type, family attitude, number of siblings, and birth order. The participants' social problems-solving skills differed only by gender and number of siblings.

Background: The professional development (PD) of early childhood teachers is of strategic importance in higher education and the profession given the need to improve responsiveness and progress towards millennium goals. Aim: The purpose was to analyse classroom practices and teachers' experiences of PD programmes, through the theoretical lens of the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers to construct an authentic data-based model, which can be used to understand PD challenges and guide decisions about the improvement of education quality. Setting: The study was conducted in Gauteng with teachers from a selection of early childhood centres. Methods: A phenomenological inquiry explored the settings and practices of 23 selected teachers in Gauteng province. Interview and observation data were analysed for content categories and grounded theory articulations. Results: The main finding is that teachers facing everyday educational challenges benefit from school-based support and available media but need additional learning to advance their professional aspirations. The grounded theory analyses of the data highlighted that early childhood practices and articulated development needs are best explained as authentic caring. This was conceptualised metaphorically as garden spaces where careful tending, deliberate planning and various elements of nurturing knowledge may harmoniously be blended. The model extends prevailing theories of PD and the flipped ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. Conclusion: The model of authentic caring is a grounded theory articulation based upon beliefs of practising EC teachers. Contribution: The article provides a comprehensive online teacher professional development framework for EC teachers, emphasising authenticity, care and alignment with global educational standards.

Early education helping young children manage prejudiced attitudes towards themselves and others is urgent. Early childhood (EC) teachers in Saudi Arabia are making significant changes by applying an anti-bias approach to deal with such issues with young children. In the study reported on here we used a quantitative approach to explore anti-bias education, including an analysis of approaches to the cultural environment, which includes teaching practices and associated learning resources. Many teachers (n = 142) in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia contributed to this study by completing a questionnaire. Teachers' classroom practices, such as role-play, pictures, books, toys, and materials in teaching children the concept of antibias, were deeply explored. The results of the study show that the greater the previous experience of teachers in teaching children from a culture different from their own, the greater the application of the concept of anti-bias in creating the classroom environment. There is a need for further studies on the extent to which anti-bias education is being implemented on a larger scale in primary schools in Saudi Arabia.

This paper examines the relationship between early childhood music and maths. The emphasis is on children as intuitive pattern makers as they explore, categorise and imagine their worlds. We argue for the careful listening of childhood languages and reason that music and maths are expressive languages that young children use to investigate and experiment. This concept is based on Malaguzzi's idea of the hundred languages of children. Children's explorations of patterns, whether music, maths or other media will follow the principle of symmetry. We observe the intersectionality of language/s. Data are drawn from video and teaching materials prepared for early childhood teachers in-service training in Australia. Framing the discussion with Vygotskian and developmental theories we identify the patterns a child makes in a music discovery video and categorise the child's actions to combine both musical and mathematical concepts within the one action. The aim of the research is to revisit early childhood curriculum and pedagogy, rethinking sources of knowledge and the value of treating arts and sciences as being of equal importance as children discover and define their worlds.

This study explored early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers' visual gaze and related reflections on pedagogical actions during pedagogical activities in groups of children under three years of age in Finland. The data were collected from play and teacher-guided activities using mobile eye-tracking glasses, the retrospective thinking aloud (RTA) method, and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that even though the teachers were surprised about some aspects of the visual gaze metrics, they reflected on and gave reasons for their visual gazes on children. When observing gaze data from play, teachers explained the high amount of gaze by citing children's particular needs. When observing gaze data from guided activities, teachers reflected on children's unpredictable behavior and noted that the children's need for support in concentration was linked to more gazes by the teacher. The findings showed that both during play and guided activities, children seeking a gaze and the position of children in the classroom influenced the number of teachers' gazes. In the teachers' explanations of their visual gaze and related pedagogical actions, five categories were identified: protection; physical and emotional availability, teaching and learning; facilitation; and initiatives. This explorative study showed that teachers utilize their knowledge concerning children's individuality, development, and learning when they explain their decisions concerning their visual gaze and pedagogical activities with toddlers. The use of mobile eye-tracking technology is relatively new; therefore, its applications to ECEC are pioneering for the development of the field in relation to the practices and research of toddlers' groups and groups with older children in ECEC.

This phenomenological study explores the experiences of preservice teachers of color in a teacher education program at a predominantly white institution. Participants experienced feelings of isolation, being targeted because of their race, lack of multicultural education in the program, and feelings of tension in wanting to speak out and fearing the consequences of speaking out. Recommendations are given for improving teacher education programs to better meet the needs of preservice teachers of color.

Background: South African narratives of and by early childhood development (ECD) practitioners often focus on policies, practices and perspectives in research. While these are important for the development of the field, the voices of ECD practitioners, in this marginalised space, are silent. Aim: This article aims to understand: Who are the ECD practitioners? What are the conditions of their lives and livelihoods? How do they negotiate opportunities for employment, socioeconomic growth and further education and training? Setting: The study describes the marginality of ECD practitioners by narrating the lived experience of work and post-school education and training of one mature woman in the Western Cape. By narrating a single story, the stories of others unfold; working in similar circumstances and negotiating the same opportunities in the harsh reality of poverty and oppression. Employing a narrative methodology is a commitment to decolonising the practice of research, where voices of the 'Other' are centralised and amplified. Methods: An intersectional lens forms the theoretical grounding for this article with life history interviews as its primary form of data collection. Results: Adult women ECD practitioners are mainly poor, black and female. They pursue access into higher education to improve their lives and livelihoods. Conclusion: The intersections that shape their lives limit their opportunities for access and success. Contribution: The power of narrative research, displayed in this article, ensures that voice is used to move the lived experiences of black women ECD practitioners from the margins to the centre.

Background: A safe and inclusive indoor learning environment reflects different ways of knowing, actuality and thinking. In the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) context, indoor learning areas influence the exploration of teaching and learning activities. Aim: This article explored rural ECCE teachers' experiences of creating indoor learning areas as required by the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for children from birth to 4 years. Setting: Six purposively selected teachers from the three rural ECCE centres in KwaZulu-Natal province that transitioned to using the NCF participated in the study. Methods: A qualitative case study located within the interpretive paradigm was employed. Data that were inductively analysed were collected through semi-structured interviews with two teachers in each of the three centres. Transformative learning theory underpinned the study. Results: The study found that six teachers who desired to learn from each other engaged in a collaborative learning venture within their centres and complied with the NCF to create indoor learning areas in the interest of young children. Conclusion: The study argues that teachers shifted their insights from the challenges to achieving the objectives of the NCF. Thus, it questioned the assumption that rural teachers lack the knowledge to design learning areas. Contribution: Rural ECCE teachers are committed to learning for the development of young children.

While it began with a variety of narrative representations of writing personal experiences, since Ellis (2004; Bochner & Ellis, 2016), evocative, performative, and creative nonfiction forms of storying have coalesced to form contemporary autoethnography. For over a decade, Canadian arts education researchers have blazed trails to employ those forms of autoethnography as "learning stories" (Carr, 2001; Carr & Lee, 2012) to study teaching and learning practices in a variety of school and community educational contexts. Learning stories enable educators to reveal teaching and learning experiences that cannot be represented by, or communicated through, other research forms. The present inquiry, which begins with the story of an early childhood educator, is rooted in the fusion of evocative autoethnography and learning stories with arts-based research, particularly a/r/tography.

This three-year qualitative research study examined the knowledge and experiences of 20 early years educators while introducing Indigenous perspectives and pedagogies on Land-Based Learning in10 urban childcare centers. Educators were introduced to Indigenous perspectives and pedagogies through workshops with Indigenous speakers and Indigenous-authored picture books. These perspectives included the importance of supporting children to develop responsive and caring relationships to the Land for their own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of all their fellow creatures. Supported by their educators, the children increased their sense of belonging in the world, expressed gratitude for their fellow creatures, and recognized and enacted their responsibility to care for nature.

Children are born into a world today with a drastically changing environmental climate. When young people develop an emotional attachment and sense of identity with nature, they may be more likely to behave in less destructive ways toward the planet and possibly live with a sense of responsibility and respect for nature. This mixed method study aimed to measure to what extent 3- to 6-year-olds demonstrated environmental sensitivity, awareness, and preferences at a nature-based Montessori school in the upper Midwest of the United States and asked if age was an influencing variable. Young children's connection to nature in these categories was determined using a modified age-appropriate psychological games testing tool, field observations of the types of nature features and activities the children experienced indoors and outdoors, and interviews with the two lead teachers. Results indicated that this cohort of children demonstrated a moderate to strong connection to nature in all three categories. Age was an influencing variable measuring environmental sensitivity and some aspects of environmental awareness, but not environmental preferences regarding where to play. This study adds to the body of work conducted in early childhood education, environmental education, early childhood environmental education for sustainability, and Montessori education.

The personnel preparation of early intervention/early childhood special educator (EI/ECSE) candidates is a pivotal stage in supporting the development of professionals who can effectively work with young children with and at-risk of developmental disabilities, their families, and other service providers. This process encompasses a multifaceted approach to equip candidates with knowledge, skills, and attitudes/dispositions to successfully work within the field. This compilation article includes multiple authors of each section who share strategies, assignments, tools, and experiences to center the Initial Practice-Based Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (Division for Early Childhood [DEC] of the Council for Exceptional Children [CEC], 2020; hereafter referred to as the EI/ECSE Standards) and DEC's Recommended Practices (RPs). These strategies are shared through a "spiraling curriculum" framework, and progress from an awareness level to reflection of candidates' own practice. In addition, this article shares related resources to consider in planning for innovative coursework and practicum/student teaching opportunities. Specific examples of spiraling experiences to deepen learning through opportunities to introduce content aligned to RPs and EI/ECSE Standards are included.

Executive function skills are crucial for children in the 21st century, serving as indicators of their readiness for learning. Children with well-developed executive function skills can effectively accomplish various tasks, solve problems using diverse strategies, and collaborate with others happily. This research aims to: 1. Identify the necessity for fostering executive function skills among early childhood students in Nonthaburi Province. 2. Analyze the causes underlying the necessity to promote executive function skills in early childhood students. 3. Propose strategies to enhance executive function skills in early childhood students. The research consists of two phases. Phase 1 involves identifying the necessity for developing executive function skills among early childhood students, with a sample group comprising 12 volunteer kindergarten teachers randomly selected from 12 classrooms and 328 early childhood students aged 5 to 5 years 11 months (162 boys and 166 girls). The research instrument used is the MU.EF-101 assessment. Data analysis involves calculating the mean and standard deviation of T-scores for working memory, inhibitory control, and shift/cognitive flexibility. Phase 2 analyzes the causes of necessity and proposes strategies to promote executive function skills in early childhood students. The data sources for this phase are 12 teachers, and the research instruments include fishbone diagram recording forms and group discussion recording forms. Findings suggest that parental involvement is crucial in training children to perform tasks independently and in teaching children patience. Additionally, teachers should analyze children's behaviors to plan appropriate learning activities based on their context. Teachers must encourage children to think and make decisions independently, encourage when mistakes occur, and ensure the availability of suitable tools and toys that promote the development of executive function skills in early childhood students, which teachers or parents can conveniently utilize.

Background: The recent migration of early childhood care and education function brought with it many changes that affect the workplace well-being of practitioners and centre managers, yet little research has reported on the voices and experiences of those working on the ground. Aim: To find out the current state of well-being of practitioners working in resource-constrained contexts to help us theorise how might they take action to improve it. Setting: Early childhood care and education centres in rural and township areas in six different provinces. Methods: The first author conducted 10 semi-structured focus group interviews with 80 practitioners recruited by collaborating researchers at various universities. All ethical protocols were adhered to. The focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and thematically analysed independently by the two authors before reaching consensus. Results: Two themes were identified: (1) participants experienced negative emotions arising from both internal and systemic aspects that were affecting their well-being. (2) Several factors promoted the well-being of practitioners despite their difficult circumstances. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it appears that close collaboration among practitioners within centres and, with other external stakeholders, was an important factor for enhanced well-being. Drawing from action learning theory, we suggest how practitioners can collaborate to sustain their well-being while addressing the challenges they face. Contribution: This collaborative action learning approach can be applied not only by ECCE centres, but to any organisation wishing to improve the well-being and practice of their members.

Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are encouraged to implement play pedagogies and their views of play as a pedagogy in rural settings have not been captured widely. They are the main role players in implementing play pedagogies for learners' learning and development. The commitment to play can be traced through theory and ideology in early childhood programmes internationally and in South Africa. Aim: This study explored the views and beliefs of the practitioners about the use of play pedagogy in rural ECD centres. Setting: Six practitioners from three rural primary schools in Limpopo, South Africa, participated in the study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews, document analysis and nonparticipant observation were used to collect data. Results: The participants found integrating play pedagogies when planning their lessons and assessing children's progress challenging. The results showed that ECD practitioners in rural centres lack the skills and material resources to implement play pedagogies. Conclusion: The study suggests that ECD practitioners in rural areas need professional development opportunities in the implementation of play activities as a teaching pedagogy. Contribution: These findings can be used to assist ECD practitioners in rural areas in implementing play pedagogies. Educators could use low-cost, locally available materials such as natural resources, recycled materials or everyday objects to create play-based activities that could involve indigenous songs and games relevant to the children's cultural and social context. They could collaborate with parents and community members to develop and implement play-based activities, leveraging the knowledge and skills of the local community.

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.

Health literacy should be developed from early ages, but students, including preservice teachers, hold misconceptions about micro-organisms. The objective of this study was to analyse the knowledge that a sample of 102 Early Childhood Preservice Teachers (PST) had about micro-organisms and about cystitis. The PSTs performed a series of activities that included an inquiry-based laboratory activity. Their knowledge about micro-organisms was assessed by pre- and post-questionnaires, and about cystitis, by analysing the responses to an open-ended pretest, the inquiry reports and the performance of the PSTs when changing nappies on dolls. Results show a better understanding about the micro-organisms at the end of the study. In the case of cystitis, in the pretest PSTs did not identify bacteria as agents, but they did after the inquiry activity, and they also mentioned the proliferation of bacteria. Nevertheless, only 32% of PSTs changed nappies coherently with the knowledge.

Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are essential in governing foundational aspects, such as gross motor development and participation in physical movement. Aim: This study aimed to determine ECD practitioners in Vanderbijlpark's awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines for children birth to 4 years. Associations between these ECD practitioners' demographic aspects and their determined awareness were also explored. Setting: This study included 50 ECD practitioners (M = 36.9 years) from nine ECD Centres (ECDCs) in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. Methods: A descriptive quantitative, cross-sectional design was followed. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and associations between practitioners' demographic aspects and their awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines. Results: Correct awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition was mainly observed for milestones acquired during the first year of life. Participants' awareness of screen time guidelines was relatively good, while their awareness of movement and sleep guidelines was poor. Having children, as well as the age of these children, respectively, correlated significantly with practitioners' knowledge of standing alone (p = 0.007) and jumping 2 feet (p = 0.046). Participants' work experience or training was not significantly associated with their determined awareness. Conclusion: The sample of ECD practitioners in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, did not have adequate awareness of gross motor milestones and recommended movement guidelines for children birth to 4 years. Contribution: Limited awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines amongst ECD practitioners' warrants development of knowledge through ECD-related training, CPD opportunities, and short courses.

The new multimodal reading ecosystem currently contributes to the proposal of forms of mediation that take into account the hybridization of digital and analog paradigms. In this context, illustrated books intended for children can constitute an area of interest, since their discursive and aesthetic codes contribute to the development of multimodal reading strategies and to the positioning of the child reader before the information, at the same time that they generate pleasant reading and knowledge-building experiences. Accordingly, today's publishing market requires a learning process from the mediator in order to develop the corresponding strategies with which to approach children's books. Previous research has focused on the book trailer as a virtual epitext for the promotion of publications, and it has analyzed the identity of this tool to demonstrate its effectiveness in the promotion of reading. Along these lines, and with the purpose of verifying how this tool behaves in the introduction of future teachers to children's books, an intervention is proposed that is based on the creation of book trailers. A total of 860 students from the Early Childhood and Primary Education teaching degree programs participated in the intervention. It included qualitative research that analyzed the documents/epitexts created by the students, written reflections within the framework of this project and the discourse collected "a posteriori" in interviews and discussion groups on the experience. The results reveal the potential that creating book trailers has for introducing teacher trainees to illustrated children's books within the framework of the digital society.

Early literacy skills are essential for children's academic development. This research used a comprehensive approach that included observations, assessments, and interviews with children and educators from various kindergartens, which involved 1040 children and 99 teachers from 71 early childhood institutions. The comparison of difficulties in pronouncing letters was measured through observation and assessment of children's ability to recognize the shape and pronounce of letters using augmented reality digital flashcards with a companion application called KIDOPA. The results show that children have difficulty saying the letters b, d, m, w, p, q, n, u, x, and z while reading letters. These difficulties are linear with the teacher's understanding of the importance of teaching literacy to children.

In theory, collaboration is a key component of education in Aotearoa New Zealand. In practice, however, cross sector collaborative relationships are not so easily established or maintained, even when collaboration is 'mandated' through government policy. This research explores the perspectives of nine teachers from one Kahui Ako/Community of Learning (Kahui Ako), who discussed the successes and challenges they experienced when collaborating across sectors. With commitment to collaborative work, the research participants were able to cross the borders that exist within and extend beyond the education sectors, exploring exciting new frontiers of leadership and learning. The teachers' experiences were analysed using a social learning theory lens, highlighting the complex nature of cross-sector collaboration. It is hoped this research will support other education communities to evaluate the effectiveness of their own collaborative endeavours.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of a distance professional development course, within the framework of the Preschool Situational Self-Regulation Program (PRSIST), on the knowledge, beliefs, and skills of early childhood education teachers about self-regulation skills. One of the qualitative methods, the case study, was preferred for the current study. The research was conducted with 5 early childhood education teachers, working in a city in middle Anatolia, Turkey. The teachers attended the synchronous distance professional development course 1 day a week for 5 weeks. The total duration of the five sessions was 120 minutes. Interview forms, reflective journals, and documents were used as data collection tools. As a result of the research, it was found that the course had positive impact on teachers' knowledge, skills, and beliefs about self-regulation skills.

This research aimed to: 1) investigate the components and performance indicators for organizing experiential activities that foster life skills among early childhood students, particularly those taught by teachers under the Office of the Basic Education Commission of Thailand; 2) examine the current state, desired state, and the needs of supervision models for teachers to develop experiential competency that promotes life skills in early childhood students; and 3) enhance the supervision models for developing experiential competency, specifically focusing on promoting life skills among early childhood students taught by teachers under the Office of the Basic Education Commission of Thailand. The research is divided into 3 phrases. Phase 1: examine the components and indicators, targeting a qualified group of 9 experts selected through purposive sampling. This selection is based on the appropriateness assessment using the components and indicators evaluation form. Phase 2: investigate the needs of the supervision models. The sample group comprises 320 early childhood teachers, selected through multi-stage random sampling using a questionnaire with a 5-level Likert scale. Phase 3: developing the supervision models. Nine qualified experts selected through purposive sampling examined the appropriateness of the supervision models. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, assessments, and observations. Average, standard deviation and Priority Needs Index (PNImodified) were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed the following: (1) The components and indicators of life skills serve as standards for teachers in organizing experiences that promote life skills for early childhood students. There are 5 components and 23 indicators, categorized as follows: 1) Decision-making with 5 indicators, 2) Problem-solving with 5 indicators, 3) Analytical thinking with 4 indicators, 4) Empathy with 4 indicators, and 5) Communication with 5 indicators. Overall, the proficiency level is rated as the highest. (2) The current state is rated as the highest, and the desired state is also at a high level. When assessing the needs of the supervision models, it is found that the component with the highest need is Component 3--Analytical Thinking. This is followed by Component 2--Problem-Solving, Component 4--Empathy, Component 1--Decision Making, and Component 5--Communication, with the lowest index of essential needs respectively. (3) The results of enhancing the supervision models for teachers to develop experiential competency that promotes life skills in early childhood students reveal that the supervision models encompasses five formats: 1) Preparation: Planning and development, 2) Strengthen Relationships and Increase Knowledge: Building relationships and expanding knowledge, 3) Knowledge into Practice: Applying knowledge into practice, 4) Reflection: Reflecting on outcomes for understanding, and 5) Evaluation: Quality measurement and assessment. These formats are deemed highly suitable, appropriate, and effective.

Background: Education faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the United States has declared an end to the public health emergency, schools continue to be impacted. While considerable research has focused on the impact of the pandemic on students, fewer studies have focused on educators, and even less on educators who specialize in working with marginalized student populations. Methods: This study measured the impact of the pandemic impact on educators working with students from seasonal and migrant farmworker families to understand what supports educators need as schools plan for long-term recovery. A total of 1024 educators including early childhood education and K-12 teachers, as well as administrators, completed a COVID-19 questionnaire between October 2020 and January 2021, measuring their experiences as well as personal and work-related stressors during the pandemic. Results: Educators underwent difficult COVID-19 experiences and faced several factors contributing to personal and work-related stress. Personal stress factors included concerns about they themselves, or family members, becoming ill, concerns about the emotional/mental health of their family, and fear of loss/reduction in employment. Work-related stress factors included concerns about the emotional and mental health of co-workers. Conclusion: Educators working with migrant children need additional supports--including support from administrators, psychological services, and opportunities to give/receive colleague/peer support.

Existing research has highlighted the key role of observation and reflection in teacher learning during lesson study interventions, and how challenging it can be for pre-service teachers. This study focuses on the post-lesson discussion phase and on the observation of the research lesson of a lesson study process. It is carried out with early childhood education pre-service teachers who studied the Theory of Didactical Situations. The aim of our research is two-fold: finding evidence of the activation of pre-service teacher knowledge during the post-lesson discussion, and identifying mechanisms that may explain said activation as well as the potential development of their professional knowledge. To model pre-service teacher knowledge, the notion of teachers' praxeological equipment from the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic, specified in the Theory of Didactical Situations, is used. It is hypothesised that potential teacher learning is mainly connected to the identification of particularly relevant episodes during the observation phase, henceforth referred to as critical events. The analysis of a group discussion on three critical events shows the activation and development of mathematical and didactic components of pre-service teachers' praxeological equipment. However, it is found that it depends on the degree of dissonance these events can provoke, and on the quality and depth of the discussion that takes place around them. It is therefore concluded that the identification of critical events followed by productive discussion is a mechanism that explains teacher learning through lesson study, which can be enhanced by the intervention of teacher educators as mediators.

Objective: As an increasing number of children are identified as insufficiently physically active, the school environment has been targeted for efforts to promote physical activity (PA) among inactive children. While research has highlighted teachers' role in promoting generic school-based daily PA, less is known about the early childhood education teachers' experiences of physically inactive children and the strategies they use to promote PA. This study's aim was to explore early childhood education teachers in Sweden's experiences of physically inactive children and their strategies to promote PA among members of this group in their everyday school settings. Design: Qualitative interview study. Setting: Four small municipalities in Midwest Sweden. Method: Ten teachers working in early childhood education settings participated in individual semistructured interviews. Data were analysed with a focus on teacher agency and the social, material and cultural resources teachers used to promote PA. Result: Findings indicated that teachers shoulder the worry and unarticulated responsibility for inactive children. This resulted in their use of strategies that varied and which were largely subjective in character. At the same time, teachers expressed how their agency was limited by insufficient resources. Conclusion: Teachers used social, material and cultural resources to promote PA, but their strategies were not informed by evidence or formal guidelines. None of the resources they used were specifically designed for inactive children. Instead, teachers used general resources which they adapted to inactive children's interests and needs.

This study aimed to explore the relationships between Finnish early childhood pre-service teachers' (N = 274; aged 20-49; 92% female) self-reported physical activity (PA) and perceptions of their own enjoyment of schooltime physical education (PE), self-evaluation of the content of their current PE studies, perceived importance of PE, and perceived competencies in PE. The one-way analysis of variance revealed that pre-service teachers with higher self-reported levels of PA reported higher scores for perceived importance of PE in supporting a child's physical functionality (p = 0.004), and perceived competencies to support a child's PA (p = 0.017) and teach PE (p = 0.023). Results of independent sample t-tests indicated that pre-service teachers meeting daily PA guidelines reported higher scores for enjoyment of schooltime PE (p = 0.001) and perceived competence to teach PE (p = 0.001). Findings highlighted that pre-service teachers' self-reported PA was positively related to their perceptions of PE, supporting the recommendation within early childhood teacher education to encourage pre-service teachers to engage in PA.

Digital technologies are increasingly integrated into early childhood education (ECE), prompting discussions regarding their potential benefits and drawbacks. Research has shown that technology designed for children's developmental needs can enhance learning and development, while also improving communication between parents, teachers, and children. However, issues like access, equity, ethics, and teacher workload require careful consideration. This qualitative study explores the expected outcomes of integrating e-portfolios into ECE through one-on-one interviews with key stakeholder groups. After gathering general opinions, the participants were asked to provide detailed feedback on how the application affects children, teachers, and parents. In addition to revealing a diverse range of voices regarding the implementation of e-portfolios, this study aims to utilize the information gathered from participants for informed decision-making, offering valuable insights for the improved e-portfolio design and implementation. The study involved 34 Turkish participants from five stakeholder categories: ECE and primary school teachers, faculty members from ECE and primary school education departments, and parents. Results revealed that e-portfolios were viewed as highly beneficial, providing permanent and comprehensive documentation, facilitating data transfer to subsequent schooling levels, enabling multidimensional assessment, promoting child-centred practices, improving communication, enhancing reflective thinking and digital skills, and allowing resource utilization. However, participants raised concerns about workload, documentation gaps, and ethical issues. While e-portfolios hold promise for integrating digital technologies into ECE, current teacher education may lack sufficient training in key areas like digital literacy, documentation, assessment, and ethics. Further education in these areas can help ensure effective implementation and positive outcomes.

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers have expressed being silenced, indicating their responses to everyday issues of political concern may be hidden. This voicelessness underscores the importance of examining strategies and spaces that incite ECE teachers to vocalise their political dialogues. The pandemic, as a crisis event, within Victoria, Australia, during 2020 offers an unrivalled viewing of such entreaties. Posing unique and unusual dangers and opportunities, the early days of the pandemic serve as an entry point to viewing the strategies and spaces utilised by teachers during marked political crisis. Considering these pandemic dangers, this study undertakes a uniquely complex and opportunistic investigation into the political thoughts, ideas, and voices of ECE teachers within these coordinates, which may be of use for other community members beyond these dimensions. Comprising a larger doctoral study, teachers' posts within a closed ECE Facebook group were analysed against Bakhtinian crisis chronotopes and carnivalesque responses. Insights infer the pandemic crisis incited teachers' political dialogues to problematise their historical and ongoing issues. Doing so fostered a supportive peer network, opening up and renewing narratives from within the sector. Provocations to arise include the potential of crisis, the ability of laughter to empower teachers to speak up and have voice, as well as creating spaces for political dialogue and activism within the sector.

The practice of reading aloud to children is ubiquitous in early childhood classrooms. Teachers read aloud to young children to entertain, to build early literacy skills, to develop domain specific content knowledge and vocabulary, to promote social and emotional development and well-being, and to draw children into community with each other and the world. The types of texts teachers decide to immerse children in matters: children need opportunities to examine fiction and nonfiction texts, to learn from and about history, to wonder about phenomena in their natural, physical, and social worlds. This study explores the range of titles that 445 early childhood teachers reported reading with their students at a single timepoint. It describes the variety of fiction and nonfiction texts teachers reported reading and surfaces rich culturally relevant literature selections use with young children.

Many early childhood teachers seek to promote diversity in their classrooms through the use of multicultural children's literature. While these efforts are well-intentioned, teachers may not be fully aware of the issues of culture potentially hidden within such books, nor may they have support in considering the authenticity of the texts they use. While these issues are pervasive within books representing all cultural groups, recent research by Indigenous scholars has highlighted the concerns and implications within Indigenous children's literature. This article is grounded within Indigenous ways of knowing to provide a helpful tool for supporting teachers as they seek to curate authentic Indigenous children's literature for classrooms. Resources presented within include a 3-step guide to choosing and using such books and a list of Indigenous titles recommended by members of Indigenous communities.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the ways that early childhood teachers were "making waves" as they fostered equitable classrooms through multicultural picturebooks. Through a thematic analysis of one-on-one interviews and a virtual book selection simulation, five early childhood teachers offered their insights on the potential barriers teachers may face in selecting and using such books in their classrooms, as well as their suggestions for curating classroom libraries that highlight books that serve as mirrors, windows, and doors for children. These insights have the potential to support other early childhood teachers as they make waves of their own and leverage multicultural children's literature to build equitable classrooms.