Children's Learning Research Articles

Pädagogische Beziehungen aus Sicht von Lehrpersonen und kindliche Einflussfaktoren

The quality of the student-teacher-relationship undoubtedly has a significant influence on the child's development and learning processes. However, it is not independent of influencing factors on the part of the child. International studies have so far been able to identify a large number of factors influencing the quality of the teacher-student-relationship. Studies from German-speaking countries, on the other hand, have so far only been marginally represented. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate influencing factors of the child (attachment pattern, behavioral problems, gender and socioeconomic status) on the perception of relationship quality from the perspective of teachers with primary school children (N = 44). The results of the multivariate analysis of variance provide an indication that the relationship quality differs depending on the interaction of various child-related influencing factors. In particular, the socio-economic status in the present sample proved to be significant in interaction with the children's attachment pattern and gender. This has implications for a milieu- and gender-sensitive, attachment sensitive and responsive interaction with the children as the basis for a successful student-teacher-relationship.

Implications of Positive Effects of Early Childhood Education for Education Policy

Emerging research on the benefits of early childhood education has sparked interest in making preschool education universal to improve children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement of social, economic, and professional success. The implementation of early childhood education (ECE) programs, which aim to prepare 4-year-old children for school, has resulted in an increase in public funding. This increase can be attributed to the positive effects of the ECE program on children, as demonstrated by the academic skills of the children measured, which fall within the national average. These abilities include the ability to read and write, speak and understand mathematics, and recognize patterns in numbers. "Investing as early as possible, from birth through age five, in disadvantaged families yields the highest rate of return in early childhood development." Thus, the community and local government are required to actively involved in managing preschool structures, enhance the supervision and management of early childhood education. Common challenges encountered recorded nearly half of all teachers acknowledged to having significant levels of stress and burnout over the previous several years, mental health issues, low compensation, etc. Furthermore, NIEER research findings reveals only five states Hawaii, Michigan, Rhode Island, Alabama, and Mississippi meet all ten national program quality standards, which include putting child development guidelines into practice and offering professional development to teachers. Thus, this paper recommends that when formulating schools' improvement strategies, the Department of Education should take into account the enrollment rate in early learning and kindergarten institutions. All early childhood professional development programs aim to improve children's learning in the behavioral, social-emotional, communicative, and cognitive domains over the long run through indirect means.

Peran Vital Pendidikan Anak dan Dukungan Komunitas dalam Membangun Masa Depan Desa Karanganom

Indonesia's national development, based on Pancasila, aims to create a just and prosperous society with education as a key focus. In Karanganom Village, children's education is crucial despite challenges related to infrastructure and facilities. Active community involvement, including parental roles and additional programs such as Qur'an reading guidance, significantly improves educational quality. Family education is also vital for shaping children's character through habits and improvisation. Support from the community and local organizations like IPSENA enhances children's learning enthusiasm. However, challenges such as teacher shortages and time management issues need to be addressed with creative solutions and community cooperation for optimal educational outcomes.

How Mobile ECCE Practitioners Leverage a Variety of Learning Materials in Resource-Scarce Communities

This study explored how curriculum policies support that Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) practitioners need to leverage a variety of learning materials in resource-scarce communities to enhance children’s holistic development. Mobile ECCE practitioners face a challenge of limited resources especially in rural areas. Yet there is lack of professional training on the use of variety of learning materials in a resource-scarce communities. The study was underpinned by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to understand the significance of how mobile ECCE practitioners scaffold children's learning experiences by using various materials and tools, considering the underprivileged sociocultural context. A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted to examine mobile ECCE practitioners leveraging of a variety of learning materials in resource-scarce communities. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from twenty mobile ECCE practitioners in the rural communities from two mobile ECCE units of the Free State Province, South Africa. Prolonged engagement was used to validate the results. Interpretative phenomenological strategy was used to analyse data with the help of Atlas.ti. This study found that mobile ECCE practitioners employed innovative methods to adapt and improvise the use of existing materials to improve children’ holistic development. In light of this, it is recommended that practitioners need to integrate sociocultural context into their innovative methods improve the quality of ECCE in the face of resource constraints. Thus, novelty of this paper contributes to the curriculum and professional development in resource-scarce communities in rural areas.

Parental Involvement and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Day Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Kicukiro District

Main purpose of this study was to investigate how parental involvement impacts students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Rwanda, a case of Kicukiro district. This study was supported by the Theory of Epstein and system theory. The study was investigated in this study using the correlation research approach. 476 government day secondary schools teachers who work as respondents for this study was chosen using the purposive sampling method, and a sample size of 218 respondents was obtained using Solvin's formula. For first objective, findings, the data presented in the table 4.4 highlights various aspects of parental involvement in their children's education. A key finding is that a significant majority of parents, 68.6%, strongly agree that they assist their children with homework, and 19.8% agree with this statement. This suggests that most parents are actively engaged in supporting their children's learning at home. For second objectives, A significant proportion of respondents, 48.3%, agree that students' grades have improved, while 34.8% strongly agree, indicating a general consensus that academic performance has seen an upward trend. Based Low promotion rate of students, a majority of respondents, 54.1%, strongly agree, and 36.2% agree that there is a low promotion rate among students, which suggests that despite the perceived improvements in grades, challenges persist in promoting students to the next level. Based on the Improvement in class participation, the data reveals a strong belief in the improvement of class participation, with 62.3% agreeing and 37.5% strongly agreeing with this statement. The Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.927 indicates a very high positive correlation, suggesting that as parental participation increases, students' academic performance also tends to improve. The government should develop and implement national policies that encourage and facilitate parental involvement in education. The government should allocate funds to support programs aimed at increasing parental engagement, such as workshops, training sessions, and community events that educate parents about their role in their children's education.

PENDIDIKAN ANAK DALAM KELUARGA

The family environment is the first and main place for children's education. It is the family that forms the character that will continue to imprint on the child for the future. A good education system must show the conceptual order of the educational process in the family as a realization of parents' responsibility for their children's education. These aspects such as worship, behavioral teachings, and education that increase children's intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intelligence. The success of education in school is highly dependent and influenced by education in the family. Children who are in a family that is not harmonious (broken home) will have a bad impact on children's learning achievements, behavior, and even mentality

초임 유아교사의 페다고지 생성 과정 경험에 관한 내러티브 탐구: 공립 유치원 교사를 중심으로

This study aims to explore the experiences of novice early childhood teachers in the process of generating pedagogy in public kindergartens. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using narrative inquiry. The research results are as follows. First, all teachers experienced anxiety and growing pains in new situations but showed a strong desire for self-growth. Mentoring and experiences led to new perceptions of young children, shifting their educational practices toward play-based and child-centered approaches. Second, teachers naturally developed their pedagogy while implementing the curriculum, focusing on children's learning through play. They formed important relationships with senior teachers, peers, children, and educational materials, which influenced their practices. Based on the research results, we discussed the need to view and support novice early childhood teachers as being in the process of ontological ‘becoming’ through their unique practices. We also discussed the necessity of educational approaches that positively impact teachers' practices, in connection with early childhood teacher training programs and professional learning communities.

가르침에 대한 중국 유아교사의 개념도 분석

This study aimed to analyze the teaching concepts of Chinese early childhood teachers using concept map analysis. Twelve teachers were selected to generate and categorize focus statements, while 110 teachers rated the importance of these concepts. The analysis revealed 52 key statements, categorized into dimensions of ‘Essence-Method’ and ‘Content-Relation’ and further grouped into seven types, including ‘teacher's planning and practice,’ ‘children's learning,’ ‘interaction with learning,’ ‘environmental support,’ ‘teacher's guidance,’ ‘variety based on standards,’ and ‘sustaining children's interest.’ The study found that ‘sustaining children's interest’ concepts were rated as highly important, while ‘teacher's planning and practice’ concepts were considered less significant. These findings provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the current perceptions of teaching among Chinese early childhood teachers and offer insights for teachers to reflect on their educational practices.

어린이집 교사가 인식한 디지털 역량의 중요도-실행도 분석

This study aimed to explore the contents for the education and training to enhance the digital competencies of childcare teachers through Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), which compares the importance of digital competencies perceived by childcare teachers with their own evaluation of their competencies, i.e., the level of performance. As a result of analyzing the survey data of 397 childcare teachers, it was confirmed that the respondents perceived their own competencies (performance) as relatively low compared to the importance of digital competencies. In addition, it was found that in order to foster the digital competencies of childcare teachers, it is an urgent task to include in education and training the production of digital content for teaching and learning of young children, the creation of a digital environment suitable for young children, the management of SNS information, and the collection and analysis of digital data. Tasks that require gradual improvement include a positive attitude toward the production of digital content, the utilization and reconstruction of digital content, the evaluation of virtual/augmented reality content suitable for young children, the use of online communication platforms, the ethical awareness of digital works and communication, the understanding of changes in the digital society, and efforts to foster digital competencies. Finally, it was suggested that the current status and needs of digital competencies of childcare teachers should be specifically reflected when organizing and operating digital education and training programs for the teachers.

Less is not always more: Rich and meaningful counting books lead to greater gains in number understanding than sparse counting books.

Children vary widely in their number knowledge by the time they enter kindergarten, and this variation is related to their future academic success. Although talk about number predicts children's early understanding of foundational number concepts, we know little about whether interventions can increase this talk nor about the types of number talk that are most beneficial to children's number understanding. The current project examines whether embedding number talk in goal-based stories leads to more robust number learning than providing the same numeric input outside of this context. Parent-child dyads (N = 71; child age = 3 years) were randomly assigned within their preintervention cardinal number understanding levels to one of three conditions: rich counting books (narrative and pictures involving a number goal), sparse counting books (text and pictures that provide opportunities to count and label the same cardinalities as in the rich condition but with no narrative), or nonnumerical control books that involve labeling colors of objects. Children's number knowledge was measured at pretest and at 2 and 4 weeks into the intervention. Findings showed that children randomized to rich counting book condition showed significantly greater cardinal number knowledge and counting skill by the final testing session compared to children in the sparse counting book condition and the color control book condition, which did not significantly differ from each other. Results have implications for the types of number talk that most effectively support children's number learning in the home environment and for the design of interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

PLAYING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Play is an essential form of communication and learning for children, allowing them to reproduce their daily lives, develop reflection, autonomy and creativity. Through play, children face fears and insecurities, interact socially and build knowledge in a playful way. This study highlights the importance of playing in child development, showing that playful activities are fundamental to both mental and body development. In addition, play helps in socialization, respect for rules and development of imagination. Early childhood education should incorporate the playful as an integral part of the teaching process, promoting significant and pleasurable learning.

The complexity of opportunities to respond used by mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome: A preliminary investigation.

Caregiver-child interactions are commonly used to examine children's language learning environment. However, few studies consider interaction configurations beyond dyadic interactions or explore the conceptual complexity of caregiver talk. Thus, we examined if the complexity of a caregiver's opportunities to respond (OTR) varied when sampled across three interaction configurations. Our study included twelve preschool-aged children with Down syndrome and both of their biological parents. Our preliminary findings suggest no differences in mothers' and fathers' frequency of OTRs across complexity levels during dyadic interactions. However, caregivers produced fewer OTRs across complexity levels during family choice than dyadic interactions.

Implementation of “Kurikulum Merdeka” to Develop Children’s Fine Motor Skills in Raudathul Athfals (RA) Jambi City

Providing a good environment for children should be a priority for parents and their educators, because the environment can be a means of learning for children. This research aims to provide an overview of how structuring a play environment can provide a stimulus to help the fine motor skills of young children grow. Qualitative research using observation, interviews, documentation and field notes as data collection methods. It is set in three schools, namely RA Halimatusa'diah, RA Ahsan, and RA Iqra' Sabila located in Jambi province which was assisted by teaching staff there to obtain the data sought. This research found that the implementation of the play environment arrangement was considered successful in stimulating the fine motor development of young children in three Raudathul Athfals (RA).

White matter connectivity linked to novel word learning in children.

Children and adults are excellent word learners. Increasing evidence suggests that the neural mechanisms that allow us to learn words change with age. In a recent fMRI study from our group, several brain regions exhibited age-related differences when accessing newly learned words in a second language (L2; Takashima et al. Dev Cogn Neurosci 37, 2019). Namely, while the Teen group (aged 14-16years) activated more left frontal and parietal regions, the Young group (aged 8-10years) activated right frontal and parietal regions. In the current study we analyzed the structural connectivity data from the aforementioned study, examining the white matter connectivity of the regions that showed age-related functional activation differences. Age group differences in streamline density as well as correlations with L2 word learning success and their interaction were examined. The Teen group showed stronger connectivity than the Young group in the right arcuate fasciculus (AF). Furthermore, white matter connectivity and memory for L2 words across the two age groups correlated in the left AF and the right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) such that higher connectivity in the left AF and lower connectivity in the right ATR was related to better memory for L2 words. Additionally, connectivity in the area of the right AF that exhibited age-related differences predicted word learning success. The finding that across the two age groups, stronger connectivity is related to better memory for words lends further support to the hypothesis that the prolonged maturation of the prefrontal cortex, here in the form of structural connectivity, plays an important role in the development of memory.

Implicit learning in children and adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders: Exploring the effects of individual differences.

Implicit learning plays an important role in the acquisition of various skills that are often deficient in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study examines the implicit learning ability of children and adolescents with ASD, by comparing it to that of a typical group of peers, using the Artificial Grammar Learning (AGL) task. In addition, this study investigates whether the above ability is associated with individual characteristics, namely intelligence quotient (IQ), ASD symptoms severity, and individual perception style (global/holistic or local/focused). The sample consisted of 20 individuals with mild to relatively severe ASD symptoms and 20 age- and gender-matched typically developing (TD) individuals. The unconscious (implicit) nature of learning was assessed via a subjective measure, the "no-loss gambling" method, which allows an unbiased evaluation of the confidence accompanying each judgement. The results provided evidence of implicit learning, which was preserved in the ASD group, although reduced relative to the typical group. Multiple linear regressions with interaction terms between group and participants' scores on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and performance on a Navon-type task examined whether the possible relationships between each of the above scores and AGL and implicit learning differ in the two groups. Implicit learning was not significantly associated with IQ, ASD symptoms severity, or individual perception style (except for perception style in terms of reaction times [RTs] for the TD group). These results confirm and extend earlier findings supporting the resilience of implicit learning to individual differences.

STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES ON THE INDEPENDENT FORMATION OF INFORMATION CULTURE IN TEENAGERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

In this regard, this study aims to investigate the peculiarities of the influence of artificial intelligence technologies on the process of independent formation of information culture in adolescents with visual impairment. To achieve the goal, the methods of analysis, deduction, classification, and systematization were used, and an experiment was conducted regarding the influence of artificial intelligence on the education of teenagers with visual impairments in schools in Kazakhstan. This paper reveals the technologies of artificial intelligence and describes the social necessity of providing equal access to education and information for persons with disabilities. The practical part reveals the importance of developing methods and ways to meet the needs related to social interaction and information culture. The study included a questionnaire aimed at understanding the individual experience of visually impaired teenagers in the use of artificial intelligence technologies. The total sample was 30 students aged between 13 and 17 years old. The paper showed an analysis of the impact of technology on visually impaired adolescents and presented statistics on the use of these technologies in children's learning. In addition, the experience of using artificial intelligence technologies was identified and the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on the development of analytical and critical skills of adolescents was investigated. The work revealed possible problems and ways to improve social adaptation and proposed practical recommendations for educational institutions and specialists working with adolescents with visual impairments. The research materials are of practical and theoretical value for pedagogy, typhlo pedagogy, psychology, and sociology, as they help to reveal the prospects of teaching blind or visually impaired children.

Digital storytelling: An educational approach for enhancing dyslexic children's writing skills, critical and cultural learning

AbstractThis paper reports an exploratory pilot study‐ which is part of a larger study‐ examining the impact of an innovative approach to enhancing the writing skills of primary school students with dyslexia, digital storytelling (DST), linked to critical and cultural learning. The study adopted a single‐subject design with a pre‐experimental approach (A‐B) to explore connections between the use of digital storytelling, and children's writing skills, as well as cultural and critical dimensions of learning. A socio‐cultural framework, drawing on Green's 3D model, and the Not‐So Simple View of Writing, informed the methodology adopted. A dual perspective aligning with the socio‐cultural theory was adopted, delving into both product and process of digital storytelling. The results revealed significant improvements in writing skills, cultural and critical behaviours, pre and post intervention, with large effect sizes, suggesting this may be a promising classroom approach to improve literacy and learning in children with dyslexia.

Understanding explore-exploit dynamics in child development: current insights and future directions

Examining children's decisions to explore or exploit the environment provides a window into their developing metacognition and reflection capacities. Reinforcement learning, characterized by the balance between exploring new options (exploration) and utilizing known ones (exploitation), is central to this discussion. Children initially exhibit broad and intensive exploration, which gradually shifts toward exploitation as they grow. We review major theories and empirical findings, highlighting two main exploration strategies: random and directed. The former involves stochastic choices without considering information or rewards, while the latter is driven by reducing uncertainty for information gain. Behavioral tasks such as n-armed bandit, horizon, and patch foraging tasks are used to study these strategies. Findings on the n-armed bandit and horizon tasks showed mixed results on whether random exploration decreases over time. Directed exploration consistently decreases with age, but its emergence depends on task difficulty. In patch-foraging tasks, adults tend to overexploit (staying too long in one patch) and children overexplore (leaving too early), whereas adolescents display the most optimal balance. The paper also addresses open questions regarding the mechanisms supporting early exploration and the application of these strategies in real-life contexts like persistence. Future research should further investigate the relation between cognitive control, such as executive function and metacognition, and explore-exploit strategies, and examine their practical implications for adaptive learning and decision-making in children.

STEM professional development of early childhood teachers

AbstractEarly childhood teachers are critical in promoting young children's STEM learning. However, research indicates that early childhood teachers are unfamiliar with STEM and do not have confidence in their abilities and skills to implement STEM education. Despite this issue, previous research has focused less on early childhood teachers' STEM professional development. This mixed‐method study investigated the effects of the STEM Professional Development Program (SPDP) on 12 early childhood teachers' attitudes toward STEM education, STEM practices, self‐efficacy, and instructional beliefs, which were used as pretest and posttest measures. The quantitative dimension of the study investigated the effects of the SPDP on early childhood teachers' attitudes and STEM practices, self‐efficacy, and instructional beliefs towards STEM education by using the pretest and posttest only, without a control group design. The qualitative dimension, participating teachers' experiences, perceptions about the SPDP, and thoughts about the SPDP's influence on their beliefs, self‐efficacy, and attitudes about STEM were explored using phenomenology design. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Results showed that the SPDP positively affected teachers' self‐efficacy for STEM practices, attitudes toward STEM education, and instructional beliefs. Moreover, participating in the SPDP influenced teachers' perspectives on STEM education, supported their learning about STEM content, and increased their awareness of the importance of STEM in early childhood.

Predictors of Deep Learning and Competence Development in Children Aged 5–7 Using Augmented Reality Technology

While a number of studies have shown the potential and benefits of augmented reality (AR) technology for preschool education, less attention has been paid to the problem of children’s deep learning and development of the competencies applying AR and to the pedagogy of AR. The aim of the study presented in this paper is to uncover the educational predictors of deep learning and competence development of 5–7-year-old children using AR technology. The research adopted a quantitative research approach and a survey design. The participants were 319 preschool teachers using AR technology for children’s education. The study revealed that a statistically significant predictor of promoting deep learning in preschool children is teachers’ roles, based on a constructivist and socio-cultural approach, when using AR. The research highlights the roles of the teacher as a creator of learning contexts and situations that engage children; the teacher as a proactive facilitator of children’s learning; and the teacher as an educator who acts, thinks and reflects with children, among others. Statistically significant educational predictors of children’s competence development were found to be: teachers’ perceptions of AR technology, the roles assumed by teachers, and the areas of children’s education in which AR technology is used.