Early Childhood Learning Research Articles

Mathematical Thinking and Learning in Early Childhood: A Consolidated Qualitative Synthesis of Cutting-Edge Research Literature

This study aims to synthesize current research on early childhood mathematical thinking and learning, focusing on cognitive development, instructional strategies, and environmental influences. The study provides a comprehensive qualitative analysis, integrating diverse theoretical frameworks and recent empirical findings for a nuanced understanding of early math education. Methodologically, it employs a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies, systematically reviewing literature from various academic databases to identify key patterns and themes. The research design involves coding text, developing descriptive themes, and generating analytical themes from peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024. The primary outcomes highlight the significant impact of play-based learning, interdisciplinary approaches, and parental involvement on early mathematical development. Additionally, the study underscores the role of technology and supportive learning environments in enhancing children's math skills. Conclusions emphasize the importance of holistic and culturally responsive educational practices. The practical implications provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, researchers, and parents aiming to improve early childhood math education.

Overcoming the streetlight effect: Shining light on the foundations of learning and development in early childhood.

Developmental theory has long emphasized a range of skills that young children need for healthy development across the life course. Nevertheless, most evaluations of early childhood programs and policies have focused on measuring a somewhat limited set of competencies. In this article, we explore this "streetlight effect" in early childhood intervention research and propose an initial set of skills that we argue should be prioritized alongside traditionally measured outcomes as targets of intervention during the preschool period (i.e., between ages 3 and 5 years). These skills, which we call the foundations of learning and development (FOLD) skills, include both well-studied and emerging constructs such as curiosity, creativity, self-regulation and executive function, critical thinking, perspective taking, and internal representations of self. To better understand FOLD skills' potential as more practical, effective, and inclusive targets of early childhood programs and policies, we review research regarding each skill's malleability, measurability, predictive validity, and universality. We end with a set of future directions for the field, including the need to (a) formulate a more inclusive taxonomy of FOLD skills that incorporates currently omitted competencies relevant to marginalized populations, (b) measure these skills in scalable and actionable ways, and (c) enhance or modify intervention strategies to optimize the development of these FOLD skills in the preschool period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Folklore in Building Character and Early Childhood Language Skills

This study explores the role of folklore in shaping the character and language skills of early childhood learners. Folklore, rich in cultural values and moral lessons, serves as an effective medium for instilling virtues such as empathy, respect, and responsibility in young children. Through storytelling, children not only engage with the narratives but also enhance their linguistic abilities, including vocabulary acquisition, comprehension, and narrative skills. The research employs a qualitative approach, gathering data through observations, interviews with educators, and analyses of children's responses during storytelling sessions. The findings indicate that incorporating folklore into early education significantly promotes moral development and language proficiency among children. Furthermore, it highlights the necessity of integrating cultural narratives into educational practices to foster a holistic learning environment. The study underscores the importance of folklore as a vital tool for educators in nurturing the character and language skills of young learners, ultimately contributing to their overall development

Supplemental Material for Overcoming the Streetlight Effect: Shining Light on the Foundations of Learning and Development in Early Childhood

Supplemental Material for Overcoming the Streetlight Effect: Shining Light on the Foundations of Learning and Development in Early Childhood

Development of a Children’s Educational Dictionary for a Low-Resource Language Using AI Tools

Today, various interactive tools or partially available artificial intelligence applications are actively used in educational processes to solve multiple problems for resource-rich languages, such as English, Spanish, French, etc. Unfortunately, the situation is different and more complex for low-resource languages, like Kazakh, Uzbek, Mongolian, and others, due to the lack of qualitative and accessible resources, morphological complexity, and the semantics of agglutinative languages. This article presents research on early childhood learning resources for the low-resource Kazakh language. Generally, a dictionary for children differs from classical educational dictionaries. The difference between dictionaries for children and adults lies in their purpose and methods of presenting information. A themed dictionary will make learning and remembering new words easier for children because they will be presented in a specific context. This article discusses developing an approach to creating a thematic children’s dictionary of the low-resource Kazakh language using artificial intelligence. The proposed approach is based on several important stages: the initial formation of a list of English words with the use of ChatGPT; identification of their semantic weights; generation of phrases and sentences with the use of the list of semantically related words; translation of obtained phrases and sentences from English to Kazakh, dividing them into bigrams and trigrams; and processing with Kazakh language POS pattern tag templates to adapt them for children. When the dictionary was formed, the semantic proximity of words and phrases to the given theme and age restrictions for children were taken into account. The formed dictionary phrases were evaluated using the cosine similarity, Euclidean similarity, and Manhattan distance metrics. Moreover, the dictionary was extended with video and audio data by implementing models like DALL-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion to illustrate the dictionary data and TTS (Text to Speech) technology for the Kazakh language for voice synthesis. The developed thematic dictionary approach was tested, and a SUS (System Usability Scale) assessment of the application was conducted. The experimental results demonstrate the proposed approach’s high efficiency and its potential for wide use in educational purposes.

Meningkatkan Motivasi Belajar Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun Melalui Program Kerjasama Guru Dan Orang Tua Di TPQ Baitussalam

Nuru Alfiah. Increasing the learning motivation of children aged 5-6 years through the Teacher and Parent Collaboration Program at TPQ Baitussalam, South Bekasi. Bekasi: Bekasi: Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Panca Sakti Bekasi. 2024. This research aims to determine the increase in learning motivation of children aged 5-6 years through the Teacher and Parent collaboration program at TPQ Baitussalam Bekasi. This research uses the Classroom Action Research Method (PTK) which uses the model from Kemmis & Taggart. This research method aims to improve children's learning motivation and parents' thoughts in motivating children's learning. During the research, this classroom action research was carried out in two cycles to see an increase in children's learning motivation, where each cycle consisted of planning activities, action implementation, observation and reflection. The subjects of this research were 10 children aged 5-6 years. This research was carried out at the Tpq Baitussalam located in Bekasi. The data collection technique used in this research was complete participant observation, which means that in carrying out data collection, the researcher was fully involved in the learning. The research results show that through the teacher and parent collaboration program, children aged 5-6 years can increase the learning motivation. Classroom action research was carried out after seeing the pre-cycle situation, namely 45% had not developed yet. Cycle I showed that 60% of children developed as expected and in cycle II there was a very significant increase, namely 86% of children whom developed very well. This research provides an important meaning in choosing the right way to increase early childhood learning motivation through collaboration between teachers and parents.

Associations Between Prenatal Vitamin D and Placental Gene Expression

BackgroundVitamin D is a hormone regulating gene transcription. Prenatal vitamin D has been linked to immune and vascular function in the placenta, a key organ of pregnancy. Transcriptome-wide RNA-sequencing can provide a more complete representation of the placental effects of vitamin D. ObjectiveWe investigated the association between prenatal vitamin D levels and placental gene expression in a large, prospective pregnancy cohort. MethodsParticipants were recruited in Shelby County, Tennessee in the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early childhood (CANDLE) study. Vitamin D (plasma total 25-hydroxyvitatmin D, [25(OH)D]) was measured at mid-pregnancy (16-28 weeks) and delivery. RNA was sequenced from placental samples collected at birth. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using adjusted linear regression models. We also conducted weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). ResultsThe median 25(OH)D of participants was 21.8 ng/mL at mid-pregnancy (N=774, IQR: 15.4-26.5 ng/mL) and 23.6 ng/mL at delivery (N=753, IQR: 16.8-29.1 ng/mL). Placental expression of 17 DEGs was associated with 25(OH)D at mid-pregnancy, but only 1 DEG was associated with 25(OH)D at delivery. DEGs were related to energy metabolism, cytoskeletal function, and transcriptional regulation. We identified 2 WGCNA gene modules whose expression was associated with 25(OH)D at mid-pregnancy and 1 module associated with 25(OH)D at delivery. These modules were enriched for genes related to mitochondrial and cytoskeletal function and were regulated by transcription factors including ARNT2 and FOSL2. We also identified 12 modules associated with 25(OH)D in females and 1 module in males. Conclusions25(OH)D during mid-pregnancy, but not at delivery, is associated with placental gene expression at birth. Future research is needed to investigate a potential role of vitamin D in modulating placental mitochondrial metabolism, intracellular transport, and transcriptional regulation during pregnancy.

Practitioners’ Experiences of School Readiness in Rural Early Childhood Centres in QwaQwa Free State, South Africa

The analysis of the school preparation experiences of rural early childhood practitioners. Multiple complex issues exist regarding school preparedness in South Africa. Research has found that many South African children are unprepared for formal schooling. Some of the challenges experienced by these young learners were low reading strength, learning setbacks and complications, and sluggish general development. As a result of these issues, young children face long-term repercussions. These include the inability to escape the cycle of poverty, lack of educational support, and poor socioeconomic conditions within their environment. Therefore, it can be argued that teaching within the South African public schooling context is marred with difficulties and unforeseen challenges. It is difficult to imagine how to modify South African infrastructure so all children can reach their full potential. Given that our ancient past is still rife with historical and power changes, the government must consider several factors while developing ways to aid transformation. This study investigated the perspectives of practitioners on school preparedness. At the same time, it investigates the significant learning at the grass-roots level that emerged from participation in a critical paradigm-based participatory action research project. The study is anchored in a philosophical methodology that leverages Practitioners’ idea that early childhood learners are ready for formal school. They do not emphasize play as a pedagogy for learning in preparation for school readiness. This paper is grounded in constructivism, which helps comprehend how school readiness knowledge improves formal education for young students. The author used the qualitative research approach with an interpretive paradigm to explore practitioners’ school readiness experiences. The author developed a semi-structured interview schedule to collect data from six practitioners in the Thabo-Mofutsanyana district in the Free State Province. The findings revealed practitioners lacked appropriate training and support in preparing young learners in ECD centres. Furthermore, practitioners lacked appropriate pedagogical skills to strengthen teaching and learning. The study recommended that practitioners receive ongoing professional teacher development in school readiness and use various teaching and learning strategies such as play pedagogy.

Integration of Culture and Language in Learning to Develop Aspects of Early Childhood Social Emotional Interaction.

The social and emotional growth of young children is significant for fostering empathy, communication, and social interaction. However, education in schools often ignores the linguistic and cultural components around children, thereby hampering the development of some parts of their social-emotional relationships. The ngumbai lawok tradition is one of the cultures of Lampung's coastal communities in appreciating marine products which can be integrated with language to improve children's social and emotional development using image media. This research aims to find out how early childhood learning that combines Ngumbai Lawok language and culture using image media can influence the formation of social and emotional relationships in early childhood. This research methodology is an action research design that combines qualitative and quantitative techniques. The research subjects are children aged 3-6 years at the early childhood education institution in Batanghari sub-district, East Lampung. Data is collected through observations, instructor interviews, questionnaires, documentation to measure children's social and emotional growth, and records of social-emotional development activities. Data analysis includes quantitative and qualitative to compare changes in children's social and emotional development before and after intervention. Research shows that the Numbai Lawok language and culture combined with image media can improve children's ability to interact socially and emotionally. The use of image media helps children understand the cultural concepts of Numbai Lawok and stimulates their language development, and children show improvements in aspects of cooperation, empathy, and communication. This research concludes that the integration of local culture and language with visual media is effective in improving the social emotional skills of young children.

THE EFFECT OF ICE BREAKING ON THE CONCENTRATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AT TK IT IBNU KALDUN CIREBON

This study aims to examine the influence of the ice breaking method on early childhood learning concentration at Ibnu Kaldun Cirebon IT Kindergarten. Along with the importance of concentration in the learning process, this study uses a quantitative approach with an experimental design. The study subjects consisted of 30 children aged 5-6 years who were divided into two groups: an experimental group that applied the ice breaking method and a control group that did not use it. Data was collected through observations and questionnaires filled out by educators. The results of the analysis showed that the experimental group experienced a significant increase in learning concentration compared to the control group, with a p value < 0.05. This indicates that the ice breaking method plays an important role in increasing children's attention and involvement in learning. This study recommends the application of ice breaking techniques as part of the teaching method in kindergarten to help children focus and improve their learning outcomes. These findings are expected to provide a positive sensation to educational practices at the early childhood level and provide guidance for educators in designing effective activities.

Using Interactive Multimedia to Stimulate Early Childhood Students’ Speaking Skills: A Systematic Review

Interactive multimedia is currently a significant topic in terms of learning speaking skills. This study aims to describe the use of interactive multimedia in stimulating early childhood speaking skills based on a literature review that has been conducted. The study method used in this literature study is the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) method. Data was obtained from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases using scientific articles from reputable international journals with the Scopus Q1–Q4 index. Article searches using the title and keywords “Interactive Multimedia,” “Multimedia,” “Interactive Multimedia in Early Childhood,” or “Speaking Skills” are limited to the last ten years, starting from 2013–2023. The findings showed that the articles in the source database were 10.982 articles, and the final selected papers left 40 articles for review. The results of the study found that: a) the use of interactive multimedia in early childhood learning is dominated by Android-based interactive multimedia (50%), video (30%), and animation (20%); b) the use of interactive multimedia in stimulating early childhood speaking skills is dominated by android media (45%), video (40%), and animation (15%); c) the challenges faced when using interactive multimedia in early childhood learning are limited infrastructure and resources, and not all schools have adequate facilities for the use of technology-based learning media and a lack of teacher creativity. The contribution of this research can provide insight into the use of interactive multimedia to stimulate early childhood speaking skills effectively and efficiently. Thus, the use of interactive multimedia can be a research target in selecting interactive multimedia that is appropriate and effective for stimulating students’ speaking skills at all levels of education and on different research topics.

Science Learning for Early Childhood Students with Science Games Play

From an early age children must be equipped with various sciences knowledge, including science. This research aims to review various sources about the science play as a form of learning method at the PAUD level as well as knowing the effectiveness of the science play method in learning science learning in early childhood. Science learning is a process that emphasizes skills of acquiring knowledge and developing scientific attitudes. Science learning is a process of understanding the nature of science itself, namely curiosity, process, product and application/attitude. The literature that was collected in the form of journals, articles and books relevant to the topic, then interpret and analyzed the sources, interpretation of the sources and compiled them in a systematically and structured. Early childhood is a period of child development that is interesting to observe. This is because it involves complex processes, both those that occur inside (physiological and psychological) and outside (environment). The science play method is effective in learning science in early childhood, including; it can improve science abilities and science learning outcomes, introduce and improve basic science process skills and improve children's science concepts.

Eksperimen Pencampuran Warna Dalam Meningkatkan Keterampilan Sains Pada Anak Usia Dini

This research, conducted by Saya Ani Mulyani, aims to optimize the use of simple science experiments, especially in the context of color mixing, to increase learning creativity in young children. The research method used is qualitative research. The participants in this research were 14 children aged 4-5 years from an early childhood education institution. The intervention was carried out in the form of a simple science experiment involving mixing primary colors. Data was collected through participant observation during the intervention, interviews with teachers, and reflective notes. Data analysis was carried out using a qualitative approach in Kober At-Taubah, Kp. Ciawitali, Pasanggrahan Village, District. Sukawening, Kab. Garut, West Java. The research results show that the use of simple science experiments in early childhood learning can increase their learning creativity. Children show a high interest in experimental activities, as well as the ability to generate new and creative ideas in exploring color mixing. Additionally, interaction between children also increases, allowing them to learn from each other and develop their social skills. These findings highlight the importance of using interesting and experience-based learning approaches in developing creativity in early childhood. The practical implication of this research is the need to integrate simple science experiments into the early childhood education curriculum as a means of stimulating PAUD creativity.

Learning for children in an educational enrichment: a perspective derived from Taiwan's Early Childhood Education & Care Curriculum Framework

Anchored in the educational philosophy of “benevolence,” the Taiwan's Early Childhood Education & Care Curriculum Framework establishes nine learning goals and emphasizes the cultivation of six core competencies in young children. Recognizing that young children have potential for development, imagination, and creativity, the framework encourages young learners to engage with their surroundings, exhibit curiosity, and explore through play. The curriculum framework highlights the multifaceted roles of teachers, including their roles in shaping class culture and learning environments, partnering in the lives and learning journeys of children, guiding in their educational development, and collaborating with families. This curriculum framework emphasizes a child-centered approach to course development, integrating diverse activities that are reflective of and relevant to children's life experiences. It prioritizes maintaining the physical and mental health and safety of young children and introduces them to the meaning of life and the phenomenon of multiculturalism. The type of this study is a conceptual analysis, and it is a study from a reflective model on the implementation of the curriculum in Taiwan. Through this curriculum framework, children are encouraged to appreciate life's beauty and interact with others effectively and empathetically. Therefore, the curriculum framework emphasizes life education, multicultural education, aesthetic education, and moral education as essential components in the holistic development of young children. The curriculum framework is an educational enrichment for children's learning. This study explores the concept of early childhood learning as conceptualized by Taiwan's Early Childhood Education & Care Curriculum Framework. It is hoped that such an exploration can broaden young children's learning horizons, and enhance the quality of early childhood education.

Peran Guru dalam Membangun Motivasi Belajar Anak Usia Dini di TK PGRI Ibadurrahman Mande Kota Bima

Low learning motivation will affect the level of children's achievement in the learning process, thus teachers are required to be able to solve the problem of low children's learning motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of teachers in generating early childhood learning motivation at TK PGRI Ibadurrahman Mande, Bima City both in the learning process and outside of learning. The method used is qualitative with a field approach, data collection techniques in the form of observation, interviews and documentation and data analysis using techniques pioneered by Miles and Huberman. The results with the concept of constructive learning can provide stimulation to children so that they have high learning motivation. The concept of constructive learning includes learning outside the classroom (out class), utilisation of technology and exploration of nature. Then the teacher's applicable steps in maintaining children's learning motivation are by involving the role of the family to always create a learning space in every activity. In addition to the challenges faced by children such as, peers, family environment, technological advances and the school environment, in fact the concept of constructive learning by involving the role of the family is able to maintain children's learning motivation while having a high spirit of learning.

Augmented Reality Animal Recognition Game: Enhancing Early Childhood Learning through Interactive Picture Guessing

This research focuses on developing an interactive learning game, "Guess the Animal Picture," which utilizes augmented reality (AR) technology to help young children learn animal names in an engaging and effective manner. Traditional educational media, such as books or picture cards, often lack interactivity and fail to sustain children's attention over time. To address this issue, this study employs the 4D development method, which encompasses four stages: Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate. In the Define stage, a needs analysis was conducted by examining early childhood education curricula, interviewing teachers, and observing challenges children face in learning animal names. The Design stage involved creating a game that integrates appealing visual elements, interactive sounds, and simple yet educational game mechanics, all enhanced by AR features that bring animals to life. During the Develop stage, a prototype was tested with a group of children to gather feedback, leading to further refinement of the game. Finally, in the Disseminate stage, the game was distributed to schools and early childhood education institutions, with training provided to teachers to optimize the game's use in educational settings. The results indicate that the "Guess the Animal Picture" game significantly improves children's ability to recognize and name animals while boosting their motivation to learn. Teachers and parents provided positive feedback, appreciating the game as an interactive and valuable learning tool. The study concludes that interactive, technology-based learning games, especially those incorporating AR, offer an effective solution for delivering a more engaging and efficient learning experience to young children

Exploring the multimodal affordances of digital coding devices in fostering creative thinking in early childhood education

Digital technologies are increasingly acknowledged for their potential to enrich early childhood learning experiences, particularly in the area of creativity. However, research has tended to focus upon end products and skill development, and little is known about creative development processes. This study sought to explore young children's creative processes as they engaged with three digital coding devices over an eight-week period as part of a Digital Discovery Program. It employed a microethnography to provide nuanced observations of five young children's (aged 4–5 years) interactions and behaviours. Data was collected through approximately 40 hours of video recordings, capturing the dynamic and multimodal aspects of the childrenʼs play and learning experiences. A multimodal interaction analysis was used to examine the multimodal design affordances of each device as mapped against Murcia et al.'s (2020) A-E of Creativity Framework. The findings revealed a clear interplay between digital technologies and various modes of communication, with children demonstrating creativity through their verbal expressions, manipulation of the devices, and spatial understanding of their physical environment. By understanding the multimodal affordances of digital devices aligned with educational frameworks and embracing child-specific definitions of creativity, educators, curriculum designers, policymakers, and researchers can collectively promote creativity and enrich digital learning and play for young children.

Association of prenatal vitamin E levels with child asthma and wheeze.

We investigated the individual and interaction effects of maternal plasma 𝛂- and ϒ-tocopherol levels (vitamin E isomers) on child asthma and wheeze at age 8-9. Mother-child dyads were enrolled between 2006 and 2011 into the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) prenatal cohort. Maternal second-trimester samples were analyzed for tocopherol and lipid concentrations. We assessed child asthma/wheeze using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and other self-reported Ent wheeze. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, we assessed associations between vitamin E isomers and child asthma/wheeze outcomes (n = 847 mother-child dyads) and tested for prespecified interaction terms. Median cholesterol-corrected tocopherol levels (interquartile range (IQR)) were 5.0 (4.3-5.7) and 0.8 (0.7-0.9) (umol/mmol) for 𝛂- and ϒ-tocopherol, respectively. Associations between 𝛂-tocopherol and asthma outcome variables were inverse but not statistically significant. In contrast, for ϒ-tocopherol, associations were in the positive direction, but also nonsignificant. Interactions analysis between tocopherols did not reach statistical significance for any outcome. Among children of women with a history of asthma, the likelihood of ever asthma in the child appears to be decreasing with increasing maternal 𝛂-tocopherol levels, whereas this trend was not observed among those without a history of asthma (p-interaction = .05). We observed no associations for prenatal 𝛂- or ϒ-tocopherol concentrations with child asthma/wheeze. We detected some evidence of effect modification by maternal asthma history in associations between 𝛂-tocopherol and child asthma.

Pelatihan penerapan pembelajaran sainstivik dan penataan lingkungan untuk menfasilitasi merdeka belajar pada guru-guru KB TK Bantul

This service is motivated by the problems faced by family planning teachers at Cluster 7 Kindergarten, Kasihan Bantul District, Yogyakarta regarding: 1). Teachers still lack understanding of the implementation of a scientific approach in learning in schools. 2). Teachers in implementing scientific learning such as observing, asking, collecting, associating and communicating information in class activities are still confused/don't understand the whole thing. This service aims to provide training and assistance in the application of scientific learning and environmental management to facilitate independent learning for early childhood. The method in this research uses: lectures, questions and answers, and supervisory actions carried out over 2 cycles. There are four stages in service activities and each cycle consists of: planning, implementation, observation and evaluation (reflection). The results of the training implementation show that PAUD teachers at KB TK Gugus 7, Kasihan Bantul District, Yogyakarta, have improved in implementing scientific learning and environmental arrangements to facilitate independent learning for early childhood children after participating in training and mentoring activities.

THE EFFECT OF 3M GAMES (THROWING, CATCHING, AND KICKING) ON EARLY CHILDHOOD GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

This study investigates the impact of 3M games (Throwing, Catching, and Kicking) on gross motor skills in early childhood in TK Harapan Bunda Empat Lawang. The research method used was an experiment with pretest and posttest control group designs. The sample of this study was 18 randomly selected early childhood children divided into two groups: the control group (n = 9) and the treatment group (n = 9). The treatment group was given an intervention in the form of 3M games for three weeks, while the control group did not receive the intervention. Data was collected using gross motor ability tests before and after the intervention. The results of the data analysis showed a significant improvement in gross motor skills in the treatment group after the 3M game intervention. In contrast, there was no substantial change in the control group. These findings indicate that 3M games effectively improve gross motor skills in early childhood. The implication of this study is the importance of including games involving throwing, catching, and kicking activities in early childhood learning programs to promote gross motor development.