Even though digital literacy (DL) has become a required skill for teachers in the digital age, limited research has focused on teachers' preparation for DL, particularly in early childhood education (ECE). Using a mixed-methods research approach, this study investigated the current status of ECE teachers' DL levels and the factors that influence…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an influx of virtual school enrollments and newly developed online programs. There is a body of research that supports online learning in higher educational settings but there is limited empirical evidence on the impact of online learning in K-12 settings, specifically with early learners. The purpose of…

Recognizing patterns is an essential skill in early mathematics education. However, first graders often have difficulties with tasks such as extending patterns of the form ABCABC. Studies show that this pattern-recognition ability is a good predictor of later pre-algebraic skills and mathematical achievement in general, or the development of…

Why is instructional gesture ineffective in some contexts? And what is it about learners that predicts whether they will learn from gestures? This between-subjects linear measurement training study compares gesture instruction to two controls--operant action and transient action--in a diverse sample of first-grade students (N = 174, M[subscript…

We evaluated the efficacy of Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII), a supplemental computer-based early language comprehension intervention, in improving kindergarten students' inference making performance. In Study 1, students completed ELCII modules over nine weeks, whereas a business-as-usual control group engaged in…

In this report, we perform a descriptive analysis of kindergarten readiness in Illinois. We use data on the population of Illinois kindergarteners between the 2017-18 and 2021-22 school years provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). In our analysis, we build on the existing literature and examine readiness over time, by domain,…

According to previous findings, math anxiety already occurs at early school age and is negatively correlated with math achievement. So far, however, little is known about the nature of math anxiety in young children. To fill this gap, we present the results of a longitudinal study on the math anxiety of children that were followed in the first…

This study sought to identify how first-grade students in one Midwest state cognized hope. Using a case-study research method, the authors identify recommendations for practice that draw on the alignment between developing hope in students through school leadership. Previous research has highlighted school leadership's significant role in multiple…

Researchers have explored a host of individual differences factors that may be critical to language development. However, evidence on the impact of sociocultural and demographic factors such as gender and socioeconomic status (SES) on early language development among bilingual children has been limited. This study aimed to understand the role of…

This exploratory mixed-method study was conducted to understand parents' perspectives on teaching music in Saudi kindergartens. The researcher surveyed 466 parents of children aged 3-6 years in public, private, and international kindergartens in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Of these, 35 participated in an open-ended written questionnaire to better…

Individual differences in reading performance between children appear from the onset of literacy acquisition. One possible explanation for this variability is the influence of inhibition in reading ability, a topic that has received very little research attention. Nevertheless, children often make guessing errors characterized by replacing a word…

Purpose: Using data from 1,868 children from the US, Australia, and Sweden who took a 10-word spelling test in kindergarten and a standardized spelling test in Grades 1, 2, and (except for the Australian children) Grade 4, we examined two questions. First, does the quality of a child's errors on the kindergarten test help predict later spelling…

This study aims to understand individual differences between children in metacognitive monitoring and control processes and the developmental trajectories of metacognition over one year. Three indicators of procedural metacognition were used: monitoring accuracy (discrimination of confidence judgments between correct and incorrect test responses),…

During preschool age, three precursors to self-regulated learning (SRL) can be identified: general self-regulation ability, speech competence, and executive functioning. There is evidence for a large interindividual heterogeneity in these precursors which may have an impact on the development of SRL. This study (a) examined heterogeneity in SRL…

This study examines the perceptions of kindergarten (KG) teachers in Jordan about the importance of using a reading pictures strategy and the barriers to doing so. A descriptive design was employed and 192 teachers were surveyed to rank their perceptions. The results showed that teachers perceived a moderate level of importance about using reading…