This longitudinal study of robot programming in early childhood (ROPEC) was performed based on summative and formative assessments of the robotics program in kindergarten and year one of elementary school. The study aims to broaden our knowledge about children's understanding of programming, their confidence in ability to read and write programs,…

In early childhood education in China, kindergarten teachers are facing a period of reform and development in which advanced technologies should be integrated into traditional education. This research aims to identify Chinese kindergarten teachers' opinions on using advanced technologies in their classrooms. The effects of four variables (age of…

This article is a critical ethnographic study that examines rural Chinese girls' literacy practices in sanctioned and unsanctioned spaces, and their negotiations with the articulated and delivered literacy program. In particular, this study focuses on a group of 1st-grade girls, who I call the "Spy Girls," engaged in the celebration of…

This mixed-methods study investigated how two White preschool teachers, who were familiar with anti-bias pedagogy but had low training on anti-racist teaching strategies, discussed race and racism, using books, in two predominantly White classrooms. Teachers were observed in two classrooms, during book discussions with children, and teachers'…

Science concept formation has a long history in early childhood educational research. Most of the studies in the field focus on the way children form science concepts as preschoolers. However, less is known about the nature of science concept formation for children under 3 years of age. This study explores how early childhood teachers create the…

Given Canada's increasingly diverse population, a better understanding of the representation of different groups among Canadian workers and their economic characteristics is needed. This study analyzes the diversity, economic characteristics, and retention of workers in Canada's early learning and child care (ELCC) sector. Using census data,…

Computational thinking (CT) activities are increasingly being integrated into early childhood schools. We focus on studying children's learning using an "unplugged" (non-computational) learning unit that considers a teacher's knowledge and classroom space and affords seamless adaptation into the classroom given the objects used in the…

This study examines two longstanding but thinly evidenced claims regarding credentialing requirements for teachers in the early grades (pre-K, K, 1, 2, and 3): 1) that elementary education (ELED) educator standards, under which many U.S. early grade teachers are prepared, address early instructional practices less adequately than early childhood…

The first year of teaching has and continues to be fraught with challenges for early educators in public school contexts across the United States. A persistent problem that has been documented across the globe is the ability of novice teachers to engage in developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) with their students. We examine this issue…

This study aimed to assess the vulnerabilities of young Jamaican children in the first few months after the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Jamaica in March 2020. The study participants (n = 649) were identified from a sub-sample of 1,311 families from an existing national, population-based Jamaican birth cohort of 9,500 children and families. The…

This article investigates to what extent disrupted schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected pre-primary-age children's school readiness in Ethiopia. We use data on early numeracy of 2,640 children collected before and after the eight-month school closure to assess their learning progress in the context of COVID-19. We find that children…

Can at-scale, government-implemented parent training programs improve parenting practices and child development outcomes? This article presents evidence on the effects of a low-cost, group-based early childhood education program that provided parent training and direct child stimulation in rural communities, evaluated in six Mexican states.…

This article adopts a process evaluation approach to identify the challenges and opportunities in scaled implementation of early childhood education (ECE) in Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab. It reports findings from mixed methods, including surveys administered to head teachers, ECE teachers, and parents across 386 schools, and focus…

Early childhood education (ECE) is a key investment for improving learning and future outcomes. Yet, in the context of Uganda, it is not compulsory or free, which means that provision tends to be private, and hence there is limited access for children from disadvantaged families, particularly refugees. This article examines the level of access to,…

Caregiver support has been identified as a key feature of systems that deliver high-quality early childhood education. The purpose of this study is to explore the degree of engagement of parents/caregivers of preschool children and the modes of learning they used in Ethiopia and Pakistan in supporting their children through home learning during…