Early Education Curriculum Research Articles

An exploration of pre-school teacher's experiences of using play-based approaches to develop language and literacy skills within their classrooms of children aged two to five years

In the Republic of Ireland, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs recommends implementing play-based learning in early education curricula. This research study set out to explore the following research question: What are pre-school teachers’ beliefs, understandings and uses of play-based approaches to develop language and literacy skills in their classrooms? For this study, the term pre-school refers to the age category of children from 2 years and 8 months to 5 years of age. This age cohort is the age of eligibility for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme in Ireland which provides financial support for 2 years of early childhood care and education for children aged 2.5 to 5 years of age. This study aimed to explore the tools pre-school teachers used to implement play-based approaches in their classrooms; the challenges and facilitators they perceived when implementing play-based approaches, and to understand how play-based approaches were implemented specifically for language and literacy development. The study design was qualitative and nine semi-structured interviews were completed with pre-school teachers. Results from the thematic analysis highlighted the three themes: (1) Learning Through Play, (2) What Influences Play and (3) Making Sense of Play Through Reflective Practice. These three themes consist of several sub-themes which are evident throughout each theme. The results of this study showed that pre-school teachers have a positive view towards play-based approaches for children's language and literacy development. However, they were unsure about implementing play-based approaches with other curriculum models. Challenges such as settings’ philosophies and parents’ expectations emerged as key elements of pre-school teachers’ experiences of using play-based approaches.

‘They broke it again’: examining violence against girls in kindergarten

ABSTRACT Violence against girls in schools is an ongoing problem, even in early childhood education settings like kindergarten. Dominant views of children and play as neutral and innocent have operated to silence the early normalization of violence against girls. In this paper, I examine some of the ways that violence against girls occurs in kindergarten play spaces. I draw on feminist standpoint as a theoretical framework to interrogate play-based learning from the vantage point of girls and illuminate its hidden gendered effects. Analysis of ethnographic data collected in two Canadian kindergarten classrooms revealed that a common form of violence boys enacted against girls involved the destruction of girls’ building work in play. While girls resisted boys’ domination, the daily destruction of their work in play limited girls’ abilities to equally access kindergarten education. The findings presented in this paper call for a re-thinking of play-based learning in kindergarten and specifically for a theoretical shift in early education curricula, policies, and teacher education and development programmes.

Assessing the Contribution of Women-Led NGOs to Gender Equality and Empowerment in Kenya: Challenges, Successes, and Future Prospects

The critical role of women-led Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in advancing gender equality and empowerment in Kenya is undeniable, as they address issues like gender-based violence, educational disparities, and economic inequalities. This study reviewed the contributions of these NGOs in Kenya, focusing on their challenges, successes, and future prospects. It employed a systematic methodology, combining a positivist research philosophy with a desktop review design, to analyze existing literature and draw conclusions. The findings revealed that women-led NGOs have been instrumental in creating safe spaces for women, advocating for legal reforms, and implementing community-based programs for economic and social empowerment. These efforts have led to notable improvements in Kenyan women's lives, contributing to a gradual shift towards gender equality. However, the study also highlights significant challenges faced by these NGOs, including limited financial and human resources, societal and cultural barriers, and a fluctuating political and policy environment. Studies reviewed indicated the effectiveness of women-led Community-Based Rice Seed Entrepreneurship Models (CBRSEM) in enhancing women's skills and livelihoods, but also point out operational challenges such as high production costs and the need for agricultural tools. The study found that women's self-mobilization and movements in Kenya have shown to be vital in economic empowerment, evolving from informal associations to significant entities in agribusiness and NGOs. Moreover, educational programs have been effective in shaping adolescents' attitudes towards gender equality, suggesting the integration of gender studies in early education curricula. The study concludes that women-led NGOs in Kenya play a pivotal role in promoting gender equality, yet face persistent struggles with resource limitations and societal resistance. Their future success depends on sustainable funding, robust networks and collaborations, technological leverage, and societal mindset shifts towards gender-sensitive attitudes. Therefore, recommendations include increasing financial support, building robust networks, working towards changing societal norms, utilizing technology and social media, strengthening internal capacity, and engaging in policy advocacy. Keywords: Gender Equality, Women-led NGOs, Empowerment, Community-based Programs, Kenya

Linguistic skills between explicit and implicit in the romanian early education curriculum

Linguistic skills between explicit and implicit in the romanian early education curriculum

Knowledge, Attitude and Willingness related to Organ Donation of Undergraduate students of Hue University

Currently, there is a large gap between the demand and supply source of organ tissues for donation. The present study aims to investigate knowledge, attitude, and willingness to donate organs and its associated factors among students of Hue University. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was performed on 1244 students from April 2020 to October 2020. Direct interviews were used to collect the data based on a structured questionnaire. We found that 41% of students were classified as having good knowledge, and 57.5% had. a positive attitude. The mean score (±SD) of knowledge and attitude were 8.7±2.4 and 5.6±1.9, respectively. Nearly 1 in 4 students (24.6%) accepted in principle the donation of organs after death/brain death, but only 2.1% of students agreed to sign the resisted form for tissue donation, human organs. The multivariate logistics regression analysis indicated that age knowledge and attitude were significantly correlated to participants' willingness to donate organs. The older students, with adequate knowledge, and a positive attitude were more likely to accept donated organs, with an adjusted Odd ratio (ORadj) of 1.67, 1.68, and 8.25, respectively. Therefore, an early education curriculum is necessary for students to enhance their knowledge and attitude regarding donating organs among students

The Romanian Curriculum of Early Education and Primary Education

Abstract The article analyzes the Romanian curriculum specific to primary and preschool education. The article focuses on the curriculum approved in 2011 for primary education, respectively the one approved in 2019 for early education. The analysis between the primary education curriculum and the early education curriculum follows the specifics of the curriculum, the purpose, the values promoted, the focus on the formation of the respective behavioral competencies. The analysis is performed on the basis of the educational policy documents elaborated by the Institute of Education Sciences and on the official curricular documents elaborated and approved by the Romanian Ministry of National Education.

Learning by Doing: Integrating Shape Grammar as a Visual Coding Tool in Architectural Curricula

Computational design and shape grammars hold a growing appeal in the architectural curricula. This paper aims to assess shape grammars as a visual teaching method that integrates manual exploration based on “learning by doing” in early education curricula without digital software. As a primary outcome of a visual design course at the British university in Egypt, four self-structured pavilions are fabricated by first-year architecture students. Experimentation occurs through a process of visual computing which develops a deeper understanding of material qualities. A comparison of design parameters is conducted through hands-on experiments that include design principles, unit transformations, connection types, assembly process, and functional aspects. The paper examines the skills that students acquired during the course. This study concludes that by applying shape grammars in design studios, students are adequately prepared at the foundational level for their transition towards learning computational design.

Children's theatre - diachronic analysis of curricular documents for preschool level, in Romania

Theatre, in all its forms, although very well represented in kindergarten activities, does not have a constant presence in the curricular documents to which they referred, throughout time, teachers for preschool education in Romania. In this context, a diachronic analysis of curricular documents (from the Program of instructive-educational activity in kindergarten, 1963, to the Curriculum for early education, 2019) can be a point of support for teachers (especially beginners) who understand and want to capitalize on the benefits of theatre in activities with preschoolers. In this sense, both the finalities / competencies provided in the mentioned curricular documents will be analysed, and, especially, the contents (where they are listed) and the behaviours, examples of activities offered by these official papers.

Social-Emotional Development - Highlights in the Romanian Curriculum for Early Education

Social-emotional development represents a main developmental domain proposed by the current curriculum for early education in Romania. The main aspects related to this domain are the proper initiation and maintenance of social interactions, the ability to identify and express emotions, to react adequately to the emotions expressed by others, and the self-concept development. Thus, in kindergarten, children learn what solidarity and responsibility for their own actions and for their own behavior mean and that they can control their behavior towards others. All these are essential for the individual wellbeing and learning outcomes, as well as for his future social integration. The Romanian curriculum for early education describes behavioral indicators related to the social-emotional development of children, which can be followed by educators within daily didactic activities. The current study describes the main highlights related to this developmental field found in the main document of the regulatory framework for the Romanian preschool education system. Taking the pandemic context into consideration, we can affirm that educators are required to reconsider the implications of the proper development of social-emotional skills more than before.

Documenting towards democratic early education curriculum in the Republic of Croatia

ABSTRACT Democratic society, which is developing in the Republic of Croatia, has aspired for a flexible and developmental curriculum oriented towards the individualization of the educational process, cooperation of all participants and positive communication. Such curriculum is enhanced by pedagogical documentation of the educational process, constructive dialogue, and critical reflection on continuous reflective practicums of educators. The outcome of such professional development of educators is the gradual equalization of democratic values in a stimulating learning context. The qualitative approach to the pedagogical practice of the early education curriculum has been changed and improved in three periods of research by action research through ethnographic records. The research was conducted in a Croatian kindergarten, and the results confirm the need to use pedagogical documentation, continuous and honest discussions of educators during which the democratic dialogue raises the level of professional development of educators, and consequently the development of democratic values in children.

Sexual behaviour and practices among adolescents and young people: study and results from a tertiary care centre of north India

Background: Adolescence and young age is a time of opportunity and risk. During this time, attitudes, values and behaviours that forms a young person's future begin to develop and take shape. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 70% of health related issues in adults are largely due to behaviours initiated during adolescence. Age of sexual debut is generally low, yet there is dearth of knowledge on sexuality.Methods: This prospective study was conducted on adolescents and young people visiting the dermatology out patient department of a tertiary care centre in north India over 6 months duration with the help of a self administered questionnaire regarding sexual health and practices followed by imparting knowledge regarding safe sexual practices by the author.Results: Sexual debut is usually with an elder as noted in the study. Youngsters engage in unhealthy sexual behaviours, characterized by early age at sexual initiation, unsafe sex and multiple sex partners, Reasons given for this include curiosity, peer influence, pleasure and financial benefit, amongst others.Conclusions: Similar patterns of sexual behavior have been seen in all parts of the world, the findings being similar in developed as well as developing nations. Despite the ongoing programs and initiatives taken by the Indian government, this article points to the need of increasing sexual awareness by incorporating sexual education as a part of the early education curriculum, by helping and including parents to overcome the social and cultural barrier between them and their children. Encouraging contraceptive use and hence improving adolescent and young people’s reproductive and sexual health in the country.

STEAM to R-SLAMET Modification: An Integrative Thematic Play Based Learning with R-SLAMETS Content in Early Child-hood Education

STEAM to R-SLAMET Modification: An Integrative Thematic Play Based Learning with R-SLAMETS Content in Early Child-hood Education

Pedagogical Knowledge of Structured Movement Sessions in the Early Education Curriculum: Perceptions of Teachers and Student Teachers

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers have traditionally been trained as generalists. However, there is now a growing awareness of the potential importance of having pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of physical activity opportunities in the ECE curriculum. Furthermore, several scholars argue that movement content knowledge in physical education (PE) teacher education needs to be revisited. The aim of this study is to analyze ECE teachers’ and student teachers’ perception of PCK in the teaching and learning process of the structured movement sessions. Using a deductive coding scheme, we identified fourteen initial categories and consolidated them into three major categories. The first, the disregard for psychomotricity in the ECE curriculum, can be explained by (a) the perception that ECE is less important than elementary education, and (b) the lack of importance given to psychomotricity by society and schools, which have been responsible for exacerbating this distortion. Secondly, there are several barriers that threaten PCK during structured movement sessions: (a) lack of content knowledge; (b) lack of confidence; (c) lack of interest; (d) lack of training; (e) the non-standardized curriculum; (f) personal negatives experiences related to PE; and (g) lack of context-specific PE teacher education for ECE. Finally, we identified the following facilitating factors challenging these barriers: (a) interaction among members of the school community; (b) personal intrinsic motivation; (c) the role of university training and continuous professional development for exposing teachers to alternatives ways of thinking; and (d) teachers’ feelings of professional responsibility for modifying the reality of the educational context to generate positive practices.

Objectives of the Early Education in Romania – A Theoretical and Practical Teleological Curricular Study

In Romania, early education is undergoing an intense process of curricular reform which began during the school-year of 2005-2006, when the first attempts had been implemented by the Minister of Education at the time, university professor dr. Mircea Miclea (with the support from the World Bank, UNICEF, universities and NGOs), continued in the following years through the implementation of two projects (PETI and PRET, with the support of UNICEF), and culminated with the publication of The Ordinance by the Ministry of Education no. 4.694 of 2nd August 2019 regarding the approval of the curriculum for early education. It was by this ordinance that the Educational Plan as well as the Teaching Methodology and the Teaching Programme for early education were enacted. Thus, new objectives were established for the early educational system, capable of reflecting the changes in our society, the recent contributions from the learning psychology, as applicable to preschool education, and able to conform to the reform and the general principles of the Romanian educational system, to the contemporary orientations regarding the educational objectives, and, last but not least, build rapport with the specific objectives of the other levels of education, and with the international educational legislation and practices.

Curriculum for early education in Romania - critical analysis

Curriculum for early education in Romania - critical analysis

Evaluation of Content Curriculum in Kindergarten

This research aimed to map the quality curriculum used of kindergartens in Jakarta. The mapping curriculum was done by looking at the suitability curriculum with the stages of child development, needs of children, using the child-centered learning process, and taking ad-vantage of technological development. Subjects were 32 kindergarten institutions in Jakarta (North Jakarta and Jakarta Central), from 14 districts. Kindergarten institutions selected by representing every district. In collecting data, the researchers conducted an analysis content of curriculum and interview with respondents and informants in kindergarten institutions ei-ther principals or teachers in schools who selected as samples. The research team conducted a meeting to gather information that recorded as a result of observation and described in-depth interviews in the diary of researchers — the data collected from 16 kindergartens that are willing to research subject. The data consisted of curriculum documents, curriculum evaluation instruments and interviews’ result that analyzed qualitatively from the beginning of the data collection process including data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. 
 Keyword: Content, Curriculum, Evaluation, Kindergarten
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The contribution of cool and hot executive function to academic achievement, learning-related behaviours, and classroom behaviour

ABSTRACTThe primary aim of this study was to examine whether individual differences in cool and hot executive functions (EF) were associated with children’s transition to school, in terms of both academic performance and classroom behaviour. Children between 5- and 7-years-of-age (N = 90) completed performance based assessments of cool and hot EF as well as verbal ability. Teachers reported on children’s reading and numeracy performance, learning-related behaviours, hyperactivity, and aggression. Results revealed that EF, in particular working memory, was associated with reading and numeracy performance and that this relation was mediated by learning-related behaviours. EF was not associated with hyperactive or aggressive behaviour. The findings strengthen the evidence base for the importance of EF in early academic performance and underscore its potential to be a beneficial part of early education curriculum and a target for early intervention for successful transition to school.

Mogućnosti razvoja matematičkog mišljenja i učenja u samoorganiziranim aktivnostima djece u vrtiću

U radu se polazi od pretpostavke da djeca rane dobi mogu razvijati matematičko mišljenje i razvijati matematičke kompetencije i u aktivnostima koje ne organizira odrasla osoba, nego ih organiziraju oni sami. U takvim, samoorganiziranim istraživačkim aktivnostima, djeca aktivno istražuju fenomene koji ih zanimaju i rješavaju probleme u kojima je potrebno koristiti čak i vrlo složene matematičke operacije. Različite tehnike promatranja, proučavanja i razumijevanja ovakvih aktivnosti djece može voditi ostvarivanju jedne nove koncepcije učenja i poučavanja, tj. kurikula ranog odgoja usklađenog s prirodom učenja djece. U radu je prikazana jedna etnografska studija slučaja, u kojoj se istražuje obrazovni potencijal samoorganiziranih aktivnosti djece, tj. njihova povezanost s razvojem matematičkog mišljenja i učenja djece.

The Effect of the King-Devick Reading Acceleration Program on Reading Fluency and Comprehension: A Summary of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background: Reading performance is essential to a child’s academic success. Reading is a complex task involving the integration of language, attention and information processing including eye movements. Efficient eye movements provide a physical foundation for proficient reading and these skills can be improved as multiple studies have reported successful outcomes following training. Data from these studies are summarized and presented to examine the effect of the training program across a wide demographic and large student population. Subgroup analyses further lend insight to ideal timing and length of training. Methods: Data from five investigations of in-school training programs were combined and analyzed. Study participants were randomized into treatment or control groups. Students 1st through 4th grade (n=611, 7.0 ± 0.8 years) underwent eighteen, 20-minute sessions utilizing King-Devick (K-D) Reading Acceleration Program (RAP). Reading fluency and comprehension was assessed pre- and post-treatment. Results: The treatment group had significantly greater improvement compared to the control group in fluency (8.9% vs. 5.9%, p<0.001) and comprehension (9.1% vs. 3.1%, p<0.001). A separate group of high-needs students (n=111) also improved significantly in fluency (p<0.001) and comprehension (p<0.001). An extra-training group, who received an average of 11 additional treatment sessions, improved significantly in fluency and comprehension following extra-training (p=0.003, p=0.013). There was a greater improvement in reading comprehension for students receiving intervention in the fall as compared to the spring (10.9% vs 8.1%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Improving reading skills in youth is essential to building the foundations for future academic success. Efficient eye movements are one necessary component of proficient reading that integrate with visual processing, word decoding and attention span. K-D RAP improves aspects of reading that are not currently addressed in schools. Based on the positive reading outcomes there is increasing evidence to support the inclusion of teaching the physical act of reading in the early education curriculum nation-wide.

The Effect of In-School Saccadic Training on Reading Fluency and Comprehension in First and Second Grade Students

Efficient eye movements provide a physical foundation for proficient reading skills. We investigated the effect of in-school saccadic training on reading performance. In this cross-over design, study participants (n = 327, 165 males; mean age [SD]: 7 y 6 mo [1y 1 mo]) were randomized into treatment and control groups, who then underwent eighteen 20-minute training sessions over 5 weeks using King-Devick Reading Acceleration Program Software. Pre- and posttreatment reading assessments included fluency, comprehension, and rapid number naming performance. The treatment group had significantly greater improvement than the control group in fluency (6.2% vs 3.6%, P = .0277) and comprehension (7.5% vs 1.5%, P = .0002). The high-needs student group significantly improved in fluency ( P < .001) and comprehension ( P < .001). We hypothesize these improvements to be attributed to the repetitive practice of reading-related eye movements, shifting visuospatial attention, and visual processing. Consideration should be given to teaching the physical act of reading within the early education curriculum.