In many societies today, there has been an increase in out-of-school time education, extended education, for children and adolescents. Extended education is a field that has been growing rapidly in recent years. This issue provides an overview of developments in various countries around the world. Theoretical considerations on similarities and…

A substantial body of research highlights the value of nature experience in supporting children's well-being and development. Given the growing interest in connectedness to nature (C2N), a better understanding of C2N measurement provides multiple opportunities, including consideration of the use of tools for research purposes and practitioner…

What is it about afterschool that gives it so much potential to powerfully influence educational best practices around the world? This paper will explore what truly defines "afterschool" beyond the time- and location-based pedagogy of the term and will make the case for the use of "expanded learning" or "expanded…

This article focuses on designing and conducting action research in diverse settings. Action research is a collaborative approach to problem solving. It involves consultative problem identification, reflects context, encourages reflexive examination, and ultimately encourages and empowers beneficiaries for desirable change. In that regard, it puts…

The social pedagogic tradition has been integral to the culture of early childhood education including School Age Childcare (SAC) in Denmark for decades. Drawing upon interviews with multiple stakeholders: lecturers, representatives of an Education Research Institute, union activists an SAC provider and a policy maker, in Copenhagen, Denmark, this…

This article explores the discursive formation of inclusion in early childhood education and after-school (recreation) centres in a Danish municipality. While inclusion has been a central educational issue in research and practice for well over quarter of a century, with continuing emphasis worldwide on "initiatives by governments", this…

The purpose of this study was to explore the daily physical activities of Danish children with a focus on describing and explaining gender differences. Accelerometer measurements of physical activity in different contexts, as well as questionnaire data, were collected from more than 500 children at pre-school and later at third grade. The study…

Describes two curriculum experiments involving New York City Puerto Rican children and Danish Palestinian boys, examining a pedagogic approach that relied on Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, noting how this approach was applied to take into account cultural and social differences within and between ethnic groups, and discussing how the…

The national and local organization and administration of group day care programs in Denmark are outlined in this report. Financing, basic programs, standards, and staff training in each of the four main child care groups are discussed under the following categories: cretches, kindergartens, afterschool groups, and youth clubs. Although all four…

Describes early childhood and youth education in Denmark, including types of day care, enrollment figures, legislation and regulations, and program objectives. Discusses the integration of early childhood education within Denmark's social welfare system, educational approaches taken, and typical educational activities. Also discusses parent…

The personal aspect of knowledge--the everyday concepts--is located in the life setting of a person. These personal concepts are the foundation for the child's appropriation of subject matter concepts that qualify the child's personal concept so they can function as theoretical concepts. However, subject matter concepts are not universal, they are…

This paper describes the social context for and the provision of child care services in Scandinavia. Particular emphasis is given to Denmark and Sweden. Occasionally, comparisons are made in the paper between Scandinavian countries and the United States, and differing attitudes toward the poor are pointed out. In the Scandinavian countries…