This paper aims to investigate to what extent preschoolers' narrative speech can be affected by the combined use of five narrative elements: narrative framing, narrative basic structure, intertextual hero, plot subversion and image-text interaction. It presents an intervention aiming to teach these elements to an experimental group of…

This study investigated the perspectives of grade one and two teachers on the essential lesson preparation made and its usefulness in the teaching and learning process. Descriptive or transcendental phenomenology using semi-structured interviews collected data from 43 (18 first grade and 25-second grade) teachers sampled randomly among…

The present study examined the strategies used by Greek novice readers in the initial phases of reading acquisition. Fifty (50) children were assessed at four successive testing periods throughout 1st grade of Primary School. Thus, 21 boys (42%) and 29 girls (58%) participated in this study. Their mean age at the beginning of the study was 74.43…

Chinese as the medium of instruction (MOI) is used across the curriculum for early childhood education in Hong Kong; however, kindergartens with non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students adopt different MOI, in which English remains an integral part of learning and teaching, to cater to the needs of NCS students and their families. The present study…

There is considerable evidence on the connections between emergent literacy-related skills in preschool-age and successful reading and writing. The purpose of this double-designed experimental/descriptive study was to analyse the impact of invented spelling activities on kindergarten children's spelling performance and to explore adult mediation…

This article presents an exploratory study of educational quality in Bulgarian kindergartens at a time the educational system undergoes significant transformations in aligning with the principles shared by the majority of European countries. The focus is on the structural and process characteristics of quality, as measured by ECERS-3 on a…

Children's everyday mathematics has been well evidenced by a growing body of research and is widely acknowledged as fundamental to meaningful learning in early childhood education. However, literature supports that drawing upon children's mathematical resources for further learning requires that the range of these resources is valued and noticed…

Teacher-child interactions provide an important context for children's development and learning. The study explored how teacher- and classroom-level factors were associated with quality of teacher-child interactions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We also investigated associations between teacher-child interactions and child outcomes.…

Playing is an activity that affects significantly the psychological development and learning in preschool age. Opinions among researchers and practitioners are divided about adults' role in children's play. Despite being a children's activity, high-level, complex social play hardly appears without adult mediation. According to the narrative play…

Teaching English as a foreign language in early years has become prevalent in response to contemporary trends of English as a global language. However, early childhood teachers may face challenges that would prevent children from achieving success in learning English in different educational contexts. This study explored the challenges that…

Children's early experiences of educational transition can be a critical step in their life-long learning journey, yet we know very little about their perceptions of this experience. This paper draws on the findings of a participatory study, which identified rules and rewards as being significant factors for children transitioning from an early…

The aim of this grounded theory study was to understand parents' emotions and coping strategies regarding their child's initial placement in an Israeli special education kindergarten. Proper placement is essential to effectively support children with developmental disabilities (DD), yet parents tend to approach assessment procedures with dread.…

This study sought to gain insight into how Ontario teachers define play-based learning, and how their perspectives affect its implementation in kindergarten classrooms. Using survey data from kindergarten teachers from around the province of Ontario, two definitions of play were developed: one focused on social development through play and the…

The existing literature on early childhood education (ECE) quality is predominantly from the US or other developed countries. In low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), systematic research on ECE quality, however, is very limited. In the present study, we explore variation in structural and process indicators of ECE quality in two Eastern…

This study assessed differences in fathers' roles and involvements in children's development and learning in Tanzania. It compared fathers' socio-economic statuses and their implications on children's various indicators of learning attainments. A total of 400 fathers and 400 pre-primary and early grades children aged between 5 and 7 years -- 100…