Evaluating the impact of a generalist teacher-led music program on early childhood school children’s singing skills and attitudes to music

Objectives The purposes of this study were to identify latent classes according to the trajectory of changes in mothers' controlling controlling child-rearing behavior in infancy, executive function difficulties in early school age, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in school age, and to identify the transition patterns between latent classes for finding interventions to prevent and reduce problem behaviors.
 Methods 860 mothers and children's data taken from Panel Study on Korean Children's 4th to 12th years were analyzed. For the analyses of this study, SPSS Statistics 23.0 and Mplus 8.7 were used, and latent growth model(LGM), growth mixture model(GMM), sequential-process growth mixture model(SP-GMM) were used as statistical analysis models.
 Results First, as a result of GMM, 3 latent classes for the mother's controlling child-rearing behavior, 5 latent classes for the executive function difficulties in children's early school age were found. Also, 4 latent classes for the internalizing problems in the school age of children and 3 latent classes for the externalizing problems in the school age of children were found. Second, result of SP-GMM showed that, there were high probability of transition from the latent class for high level of mother's controlling child-rearing behavior with child in infancy to the latent class for high level of executive function difficulties in children's early school age through the latent classes for high level of internalizing/externalizing problems in children's the school age.
 Conclusions In order to prevent internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in school-age children, it is necessary to reduce and prevent executive function difficulties in early school-age children, and for prevention the executive function difficulties, interventions that reduce the mother's controlling child-rearing behavior in infancy can be helpful. In addition, this study suggests that it is more effective to implement different interventions for each latent class than to do the same intervention for all childten in order to reduce children's executive function difficulties and prevent internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors.

Background/Context Many scholars in the fields of teacher education, multicultural education, and bilingual education have argued that children of recent immigrants are best served in classrooms that have teachers who understand the cultural background and the home language of their students. Culturally knowledgeable and responsive teachers are important in early education and care settings that serve children from immigrant families. However, there is little research on immigrant teachers’ cultural and professional knowledge or on their political access to curricular/pedagogical decision-making. Focus of Study This study is part of the larger Children Crossing Borders (CCB) study: a comparative study of what practitioners and parents who are recent immigrants in multiple countries think should happen in early education settings. Here, we present an analysis of the teacher interviews that our team conducted in the United States and compare the perspectives of immigrant teachers with those of their nonimmigrant counterparts, specifically centering on the cultural expertise of immigrant teachers who work within their own immigrant community. Research Design The research method used in the CCB project is a variation of the multi-vocal ethnographic research method used in the two Preschool in Three Cultures studies. We made videotapes of typical days in classrooms for 4-year-olds in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in five countries (England, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States) and then used these videos as cues for focus group interviews with parents and teachers. Using a coding framework designed by the national CCB team, we coded 30 focus group interviews. The coding framework was designed to facilitate comparisons across countries, cities, and categories of participants (teachers and parents, immigrant and nonimmigrant). Findings/Results Teachers who are themselves immigrants from the same communities of the children and families they serve seem perfectly positioned to bridge the cultural and linguistic worlds of home and school. However, our study of teachers in five U.S. cities at a number of early childhood settings suggests that teachers who are themselves immigrants often experience a dilemma that prevents them from applying their full expertise to the education and care of children of recent immigrants. Rather than feeling empowered by their bicultural, bilingual knowledge and their connection to multiple communities, many immigrant teachers instead report that they often feel stuck between their pedagogical training and their cultural knowledge. Conclusions/Recommendations Bicultural, bilingual staff, and especially staff members who are themselves immigrants from the community served by the school, can play an invaluable role in parent–staff dialogues, but only if their knowledge is valued, enacted, and encouraged as an extension of their professional role as early childhood educators. For the teachers, classrooms, and structures in our study, this would require nonimmigrant practitioners to have a willingness to consider other cultural versions of early childhood pedagogy as having merit and to enter into dialogue with immigrant teachers and immigrant communities.

The capacity for empathy is the ability to know the feelings of others. Empathy is built on self-awareness, the child opens the emotions themselves more skilled also children can ‘understanding other people’s feelings. The ability to empathize 5-6 years old children in early childhood Islamic Bina Bangsa School, Serang - Banten still low, this can be seen from the attitude of everyday habits of school children who have not been able to demonstrate an understanding of the feelings of their peers. This occurs because the learning method has not been able to give an understanding to the children about how to act and interact with friends. Hence the need for the implementation of cooperative learning that can stimulate cooperation and raise children against child interaction that produces a good ability to empathize. The method used in this study is action research methods, measures designed in a repeating cycle, in this study consisted of two cycles. In the first cycle of 8 times the action and the second cycle 2 times the action, with a 70% success criteria. Subjects in this study were 11 children aged 5-6 years consisting of 3 boys and 8 girls in early childhood Bina Bangsa School Islamic School, Serang - Banten. In each cycle consists of three stages: planning, action and observation carried out simultaneously, observation, and the last reflection. The technique of collecting data through observation, field notes, interview notes and documentation. Analysis of data using data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. Stages in the research process is the first to design and implement cooperative learning RPPH in learning. Based on the results obtained that the ability to empathize with children aged 5-6 years through cooperative learning with the results of this research note that the 28,29% initial conditions later in the first cycle increased to 50,43%, in the second cycle has increased significantly to 96,42% and having success on the indicators that have been targeted. Based on the results of data that has been obtained, it can be concluded that with the implementation of cooperative learning can improve the ability to empathize 5-6 years old children in early childhood Islamic Bina Bangsa School, Serang - Banten.

Acquisition of gross motor skill is a natural developmental process for children. This aspect of human development increases with one’s chronological age, irrespective of any developmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of gross motor skill development among pre- and early school-aged children with motor disability. A total of 315 hearing-impaired pre- and early school male children in peninsular Malaysia participated in this study. Gross motor development was determined via Ulrich’s Test of Gross Motor Development. Overall findings revealed significant differences among pre- and early school gross motor development in terms of locomotors and object manipulation skills. However, significant difference was not observed when both the locomotor and object manipulation skill scores were analyzed based on the Gross Motor Development Quotient (GMDQ) index. Such result indicated that the differences observed for both locomotor and object manipulation skills among pre- and early school-aged children were age-related consequences. However, the absence of significant difference in terms of GMDQ revealed that the differences were not in accordance to improvements that should be observed with increased chronological age.

Early primary school children with diabetes require adult support for insulin therapy and primary school teachers often fulfil this health promotion role. Availability of support is inconsistent across Australia and insulin administration at school is avoided for some children. The aims of the study were to explore the experiences of Australian early primary school teachers who were supporting a student using intensive insulin therapy and to identify facilitators and implications of this support. A qualitative research design using narrative inquiry was utilised. Early primary school teachers (n=11) from six Australian states/territories and across Government, Catholic and independent schools participated in semi-structured telephone interviews between August 2015 and May 2016. Narrative analysis was used to interpret the interview data. Six narrative threads told a collective story of early primary school teachers' experience of supporting a student using intensive insulin therapy. The factors that facilitated support were: suitable class allocation, a transition process, and diabetes education and diabetes models of care. The implications of providing intensive insulin therapy support were legal considerations and burden of responsibility. The outcome was that all teachers supported intensive insulin therapy. School teachers in this study had a pivotal role in promoting the health of students with type 1 diabetes. This role was often associated with anxiety and the burden of responsibility. Support strategies for teachers include formal diabetes skills training, ongoing assistance from both teacher's aides and Diabetes Educators, and greater understanding of the legal aspects of intensive insulin therapy support. The development of consistent health promotion policy for students with type 1 diabetes across all Australian schools is required. SO WHAT?: Adopting the supportive strategies for teachers identified in this study will further promote the health of early primary school children with type 1 diabetes.

Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess suppleness of children in early school age.Material and methods: 35 children (16 girls and 19 boys) aged 7, living in rural areas were studied. Suppleness was assessed using the fingertip-to-floor test, standing straight on a levelled platform. The lumbar spine mobility was measured using the Schober method. The length of ischio-shin muscles was assessed based on measurement of the lower limb elevation angle during Laseque test.Conclusions: The suppleness of 7-year-old children, mainly girls, was reduced. The reduction in body suppleness of the study subjects turned out to be caused by shortening of ischio-shin muscles and/or reduced lumbar spine mobility.

<i>Background:</i> Khat chewing practices are common in the Arabian Peninsula and in Eastern Africa, including Ethiopia. Khat chewing is popular among adolescents in Ethiopia. However, there are no studies on the practice of Khat chewing among early adolescents in school children in the eastern part of the country, where the majority of khat in the country is produced and exported. <i>Objective:</i> This study aimed to assess khat chewing and associated factors among early adolescent school children in Haramaya district from September 1 to 30, 2023. <i>Methods and Materials:</i> A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Haramaya District from September 1 to 30, 2023. A total of 592 early adolescent school children were selected sampling technique with simple random sampling. Trained data collectors collected data structured questionnaires. The data were entered into EpiData version 4.6. The data were then exported to the SPSS version 23 statistical package for further data processing and analysis. Descriptive statistical tests and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine predictors of Khat chewing among early adolescents. The level of significance was set at a P value of less than 0.05. <i>Results: </i>The current prevalence of khat chewing was 38.9% (CI: 34.0%-42.1%). Among the studied variables, male sex [AOR=2.47; 95% CI: (1.61-3.86)], peer pressure [AOR=3.67; 95% CI: 2.45-5.40)], easy availability of khat [AOR=1.95; 95% (1.01-3.78)], and living with khat chewers [AOR=7.48; 95% CI: (4.60-12.16)] were significantly associated with current khat chewing practices. <i>Conclusion:</i> Khat chewing is prevalent among early adolescents in elementary school in the study area. The factors most strongly associated with khat chewing were male sex, peer pressure, living with khat chewers and easy availability of khat. The findings suggest the need to create public awareness among the community, particularly for adolescents and their parents.

Childhood obesity is emerging as a major health problem among early adolescent school children. The present study is a cross sectional, questionnaire based study carried out among 220 early adolescent school children in an urban slum of metropolitan city using WHO (2007) recommended cut-off points. Among the total study population, 58% were boys and 42% were girls. As per age wise distribution, 35% were from 10-11, 31% from 11-12 and 34% from 12-13 years of age group. The overall prevalence rates of underweight, normal, overweight were 75.6%, 19%, 5.45% respectively. Though none of the study subjects were frankly obese, the prevalence of overweight/obese was 5.45%. It was noted that the majority of study subjects 166(75%) were either thin or severe thin. In the context of present study, the high prevalence of under nutrition may be due to their low calorie intake and lack of awareness on proper eating habits. Present study highlighted the existence of childhood under nutrition as a threat, which is likely to persist to adult life among these school children. Hence it is recommended that the teachers and the parents should be sensitized for the maintenance of healthy eating habits among the adolescent age group.

The aim of the diagnostic survey was to seek an answer to the question: what characterises the emotional education of pre-school and early school children based on the concept of emotional intelligence in the light of the opinions and experiences of female students of preschool and early school pedagogy. The technique used in the presented research within the framework of the diagnostic survey method is a questionnaire under the title „Supporting emotional development of preschool and early school children”. Twenty-four female students of early childhood and pre-school pedagogy at the Academy of Applied Sciences in Biala Podlaska participated in the study conducted in May 2022. Students participating in the 301 diagnostic survey correctly defined the goals of emotional education, such as: the ability to accurately perceive one’s own emotions, the ability to empathise with and understand the experiences of another person, the ability to adequately express emotions, etc. The students surveyed mentioned a wide range of methods that could be used within the framework of emotional education, but most of them limited themselves to just pointing them out without any characterisation and without establishing links with this type of education. In justifying the importance of emotional education, the respondents were quite unanimous in pointing to issues such as the acquisition of emotional and social maturity, preparation for dealing with difficult situations, constructive psychosocial functioning in life, etc. Difficulties of the surveyed female students in giving examples of specific situations of effective emotional education of children and behaviours contrary to emotional education of children aged 3–9 years may indicate insufficient practical experience in this field or low reflexivity in analysis and interpretation of observed reactions and actions. Social skills training, assertiveness training, parenting skills training for parents and fairy tale therapy should be more widely included in the training process of female kindergarten teachers and early childhood education teachers.

Movement, as an integral part of education, is an important element supporting children's holistic development. An interdisciplinary approach to education is the foundation of contemporary teaching and learning, integrating various areas of student development. Numerous studies on the characteristics of preschool and early school-age children confirm this, indicating that integral teaching is the optimal solution for organizing the teaching process, as it focuses on children's well-being, their holistic functioning, and their comprehensive development. Physical activity supports neurogenesis and the development of cognitive functions such as memory and concentration, which has a direct impact on the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes. The interdisciplinary combination of education and movement is distinguished by a more comprehensive achievement of teaching objectives. The aim of the research, conducted over 20 years, was to determine the effects of using EDUballs and during movement classes integrated with subject content (Polish, English, and mathematics) on physical and cognitive development. To this end, 13 pedagogical experiments were conducted in natural settings using EDUballs. It was found that there are positive relationships between physical activity integrated with subject content using EDUballs and students' reading, writing, and numeracy skills. EDUballs also positively impact students' motor skills, eye-hand coordination, time-space orientation, and graphomotor skills.

Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: From Programs to Strategies and commentaries

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess strength and endurance-strength abilities of selected female early education teachers (EET) against classification norms, and subsequently compare the level of these abilities to that of pre-school and early school children and female university students. Methods: The research comprised: 700 pre-school children, 1306 early school children, 303 female university students and 217 EET. In order to determine the research participants’ level of motor abilities, two motor tests, i.e. the medicine ball forward throw and the 3-min. Burpee Test were applied. Results: Based on the classification norms, the EET obtained an average level of strength and endurance-strength abilities. Moreover, in the medicine ball (2 and 4kg) forward throw trial, the EET achieved significantly worse results than the 1st year female university students (p = 0.0000), yet significantly better results than the examined pre-school and early school children (p = 0.0000). On the other hand, in the 3 min. Burpee Test, the EET gained significantly worse results than the 2nd (p = 0.0000) and 3rd (p = 0.0000) year girls and boys and the 1st year female university students (p = 0.0000), but significantly better results than the pre-school children (girls: p = 0.0000, boys: p = 0.0166) and the 1st year boys (p = 0.0000). Conclusions: Since motor fitness is important in EET’s everyday work, it is worrisome that the teachers under study attained an average level of strength and endurance – strength abilities. There were also many teachers who were exempted from any form of physical exercise for health reasons, which may be a consequence of their poor eating habits or/and an insufficient amount of daily physical activity. It seems to be reasonable, thus, to design and implement new enrollment criteria for admission to early education studies including fitness tests, and to expand the curriculum of early education studies by increasing the number of practical P.E. classes.

Educators working in early childhood education play a critical role in enhancing outcomes for children and families through active leadership. However, there are persistent paradoxical perceptions regarding the practical implementation of followership alongside leadership. This article addresses this followership paradox, as a key finding drawn from a larger doctoral study that explored followership practices in Australian early childhood education settings. By examining educators’ understandings of followership through the lens of established followership theories, and employing multi-site ethnography and reflexive thematic analysis, contradictory understandings were unearthed. Despite observing educators enacting effective followership behaviours, participants predominantly hold negative connotations associated with the role. These findings highlight the urgent need to acknowledge and appreciate the role of followers and their impact in co-creating quality workplace outcomes in early education settings. The article argues for integrating followership training alongside leadership development to foster more cohesive early childhood environments.

Early childhood education and child care settings have the potential to support parents and promote children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, with likely long-term positive impacts well beyond school readiness. This chapter describes the development and pilot testing of a parallel program to Triple P, the Positive Early Childhood Education Program, a professional development and learning program designed for early childhood educators and carers. Key considerations in applying such programs in the early education setting are discussed, including awareness of local regulations, fit with early learning philosophies, and developing an environment that promotes partnerships between educators and parents. Parameters for professional development in the sector are also explored, such as online learning and opportunities for practice and coaching in the context of a busy early learning setting.

Many children grow up in multilingual communities characterised by linguistic heterogeneity and semiotic and cultural complexity. Translanguaging theory has provided a perspective attuned to communication and education in multilingual settings. However, translanguaging pedagogies have not yet had a broad uptake in early educational settings. The recent interest in embodiment within translanguaging studies and the study of touch combinedly provide a potential perspective for early childhood education. This study examines the role of touch in a multilingual preschool featuring 2-year-olds. The results point to two key functions for touch. One is that touch creates a shared experiential ground where languages can be learned. The other function is that touch allows children to sensorially explore and learn multicultural experiences from the diverse cultural and linguistic systems available. Based on the results, the role of touch in early childhood translanguaging is discussed as a way forward for translanguaging pedagogies for creating both equitable and diverse educational opportunities for children in multicultural and multilingual communities.