Research Findings: This research aims to examine the affordances for high quality instructional support offered by the Northern Territory Preschool Science Games, alongside differences between classroom quality during the enactment of this teaching resource and the broader early childhood program. Applying a multiple-case study approach, quality…

For early childhood educators, few individuals have more historical significance than Friedrich Froebel. Froebelian approaches traveled across the Atlantic and inspired early childhood educators in the United States during the progressive era. Although early childhood professionals in the United States still celebrate the inventor of kindergarten,…

There is a growing interest in the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into early childhood education programs. However, existing research suggests that many educators experience uncertainty, or even fear, when it comes to teaching STEM content. This article presents baseline data about Australian early…

Connectedness to nature (C2N) shows a positive relationship with many factors supporting children's health, wellbeing, and development. In addition, C2N has been shown to have a positive relationship with learning about and caring for nature. Despite a long history of outdoor education in early childhood settings in Sweden, C2N is not a concept…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on education. Science teaching, in particular, has faced specific challenges given the field's emphasis on high-quality instruction that has students "do" science collaboratively rather than just read about it or hear about it in a lecture. This brief provides: (1) a summary of data collected…

Implementation science research points to the importance of improving implementation fidelity to improve outcomes and sustainability of interventions. Despite our growing understanding of factors related to implementation in K-12 settings, much less is known about factors influencing implementation in early childhood education contexts.…

Early childhood years were believed to be a precious time to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education activities. Children can practice STEM-related skills and form their initial ideas about STEM professions. In this research, we aim to present an integrated STEM education curriculum for early childhood…

Starting in early childhood, children are capable of learning sophisticated science and engineering concepts and engage in disciplinary practices. They are deeply curious about the world around them and eager to investigate the many questions they have about their environment. Educators can develop learning environments that support the…

A Citizen Science approach to building the evidence base is well established in many science disciplines, but is far from main stream in the social sciences. Prompted from the inquiry by the Australian Government's Productivity Commission into the National Education Evidence Base and taking Early Childhood Education (ECE) as an example, this paper…

Background: Despite the recent emphasis on technology and engineering in early childhood education, the importance of teaching relevant concepts in early education has been underappreciated in South Korea. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) program integrated into…

Today, institutions of higher education enroll rural students, and specifically rural women, at rates lower than their urban counterparts (Flora et al., 2018). Additionally, the disciplines of teaching and home economics continue to dominate the curricular choices of rural women. As higher education scholars continue to explore these phenomena, a…

This qualitative study examines the professional development of early education preservice teachers and the initiatives behind the formation of a professional identity in the early stages of their studies. Professional identity is examined through the motivational factors that guide students to a minor in early education. The theoretical framework…

This pilot feasibility study applies the RE-AIM Implementation Science Framework to examine the implementation and preliminary signals of the effectiveness of integrating the Group-Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) in an early childhood education center serving under-resourced communities. Five preschoolers diagnosed with autism, their caregivers,…

The research field of science education has gathered questions about what science is, how scientific knowledge is developed and in what ways humans are involved in these processes under the umbrella concept 'nature of science' (NOS). Previous research has suggested that teaching ought to focus much more on these issues, but so far the focus has…

Educators increasingly recognize the importance of disciplinary literacy for student success, beginning as early as the primary grades. This cutting-edge volume examines ways to help K-12 students develop the literacy skills and inquiry practices needed for high-level work in different academic domains. Chapters interweave research, theory, and…