This case study is based on qualitative research carried out with four 4-year-old children attending a kindergarten in Malta. The aim of the study was to first observe children playing without adult intervention to see if, and how, they would engage with mathematical ideas as they played. In the second part of the study, I interacted with the…

Historically, state-regulated compulsory schooling has been a staging ground for the subjection of learners into categories of differential worth: race, gender, intellectual ability, class, and beyond. Yet, what might it look like to consider learning without subjection and subjugation? Here, Keenan draws from trans studies to consider how trans…

Research results have shown that what a child draws is influenced by many factors, including the child's culture and environment. The aim of this study was to analyse the drawings of five-year-old Jordanian children to determine the extent to which culture informs the content of their drawings. A total of 736 children took part in this research…

This article explores the perceptions of professional development held by a selection of early years educators who have experience of working in statutory and private early years settings in the north of England. The research participants (n = 20) reflected on their experiences of professional development in early years. The research process is…

Research Findings: This study investigated coaches' interactions with educators in the context of a large-scale, state-implemented literacy professional development (PD). We examined log data and open-comment reports to understand what coaches found salient about their interactions with educators as well as how those reports aligned with the…

The responsibility of the development and the achievement of the child seems to be put on the shoulders of the preschool teacher. However, education is a teamwork in which not only teacher but also school administrator, family, school counselor (psychological counselor) and other supporting units should take active duty and work in cooperation.…

In qualitative doctoral research the methodological approach, and the research design are extremely important when ensuring the rigorousness of the work. This is particularly significant for all researchers, and even more for doctoral students who are still developing their research and analytical skills. This paper aims to support doctoral…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the role of enjoyment during group musical activities in the preschool classroom. Data collection included observations using a researcher-created tool and fieldnotes to determine how preschool students demonstrated enjoyment during group activities. Interviews with three preschool…

Preschool years constitute a vital developmental period during which foundations of later development are formed. It is during this period that essential developments such as establishing attachment bonds, forming a basic sense of autonomy and sense of self (ego), language acquisition and attaining life and social skills. Studies in developmental…

This article highlights the findings of an empirical research project, using an ethnographic approach, taking place over one academic year. It investigates the different forms of engagement that children may present, when acting in free play situations in a nursery in NW England, without direct adult intervention. This range of engagement includes…

This study presents an analysis of preschool teachers' reasoning about pedagogical goals. Of specific interest is how teachers in a Swedish and a Finnish context describe goals for children's learning and how they describe them implementing these goals into their practice. The research question is thus: How are pedagogical goals perceived and…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe early childhood special education service providers' perceptions of the use of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) in their preschool classrooms as a result of participation in MELD (Multimodal Early Language Development) AAC professional development. MELD is a multicounty project…

The current study investigated perceptions, thoughts, and attitudes of parents of typically developing children enrolled in inclusive 3-year-old and 4-year-old preschool classrooms. Using a qualitative approach, guided by ecological system theory semi-structured interviews with parents (N = 7) were completed. Several common themes related to…

As the number of publicly funded early childhood education (ECE) programs increases, policymakers will need empirical evidence to justify the taxpayer investment. Such justification will require a stronger understanding of the essential components of an ECE program's design, as well as solid evidence on which components, or constellations of…

The aim of the study is to investigate the types of questions that preschool teachers used during the science-related activities and preschool teachers' behaviors in terms of wait-time. Through this study, the types of questions (lower level and higher level), the time that teachers allocate to their students to respond, and the teachers'…