The present research effort aims to better understand parental choice of the Israeli Palestinian-Jewish bilingual primary schools and its implications in contributing (or not) to fostering multicultural and co-existence educational efforts in conflict-ridden societies. The manuscript offers a short description of the educational initiative under…

The purpose of the research study presented in this article is to look at the ways that a specific group of children think about their families and to develop contextualized methods for listening to children's perspectives about their families. It starts with a brief presentation of the theoretical and pedagogical context where the study has been…

Within this article we will introduce some metaphors as they were developed and used by mothers and fathers we worked with: the traveller, the warrior, the builder of bridges, the discoverer, the trainer/teacher, the in-between-er, the manager...We will position these metaphors as tools parents are using in their confrontation with normalising…

The use of tests is a well-established tradition in the study of children's learning. Most of these tests claim to establish a child's general understanding, independent of situations and well-known contexts. I have studied narratives told by a four-year-old boy who failed to pass a false belief test (a test designed to examine whether a child is…

This paper discusses young Korean immigrant girls' understanding of American popular culture in a small-scale qualitative study in order to disclose young American immigrant girls' perspectives on such culture. In particular, this paper explores how these Korean girls (age five to eight) perceive female body images in American popular culture -…

The article starts by illustrating how children's right to participation comes to the fore in legal documents regulating the field of early childhood education in Norway. Issues regarding the views of children, understanding of democracy and of play, which influence how this right is realised in early childhood practice, are taken as a point of…

It can be argued that globalisation brings change for children and their families in the guise of increased poverty and inequality; for example, for the world's poorest populations and communities. Students undertaking Early Childhood Studies degrees in the United Kingdom are likely to encounter modules with a focus on childhood in a variety of…

This paper reviews the literature concerning differences in the linguistic style of girls/boys in everyday interactions, and presents empirical data from a study with Greek school children. Two age groups were studied, 6.5 years (N=100) and 9.5 years (N=100), respectively. Everyday life situations were presented, asking children to express what…

Researchers have made convincing arguments for the benefits of a smooth transition to school. The passage through this significant social change may have a lasting influence on children's progress. For example, social, emotional and academic difficulties in the early years of schooling have been shown to persist through school and into…

In this article, some findings from a study of teachers introducing poetry-making to children in the early years (children two to eight years-old) are reported. Empirical examples are analysed in terms of the poetic aspects that come into play when trying to construct poems and the challenges this presents to the children. Finally, some…

In this article we analyse a didactical situation centred on the creation and use of a symbolic play environment in a class of pupils aged five and six years-old. The main source of data for this paper comes from an experimentation planned in relation to the following research question: does symbolic play in simulated contexts help pupils to…

New developments and challenges regarding early childhood education (ECE) policy and practice in Norway and in the Flemish and French communities in Belgium are presented in this issue. There are clear differences between the countries when comparing systems they have chosen for ECE. In Belgium, supervision and responsibilities for education,…

This article promotes a psychosocial perspective that proposes that relational activities are an enriching factor in pupils' social learning. This study offers a model of intervention, using activities that promote peer-relations among preschoolers. The activities share several characteristics including: (a) being designed to be appropriate for…

As part of afterschool programs with homework assistance, students are provided with a location and time to complete their homework, as well as instructional assistance. This mixed-method study investigated the program content and delivery processes of seven high-functioning homework programs. Results of this study revealed that in addition to…

Transitions can be difficult at any age; however, the move from elementary school to middle school, coupled with the onset of adolescence, is often associated with a myriad of psychological and academic declines. One strategy currently used to "ready" elementary students for middle school is a departmentalized organizational structure. The purpose…