Early Years Research Articles

Dzieje instytucji diecezjalnych w Częstochowie (c.d.)

The article presents the history of the parish of the Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and St Sigismund's parish in Częstochowa as well as the early years in the history of Częstochowa itself.

A conceptual study on investigating the effect of innovation, transformational leadership and work stressor on employee performance of SMEs in Pakistan

The understanding of elements contributing to employee performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan is still deficient. As the SMEs of Pakistan have had difficulty surviving in their early years, their initial failure rate is 90% -95%. Initially, this is a concept paper to provide useful insights into the relationship between organizational innovation, transformational leadership, and work stressor on employee performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan's manufacturing sector. The relationship between organizational innovation, transformational leadership, and work stressor and their effect on overall employee performance is established through a review of the literature. The mediating role of creativity was also an attempt to explore. In order to reach the optimum level of employee performance to increase the outcome of SMEs in Pakistan, it is mandatory to provide an open and supportive environment to employees so they can cultivate their creative ideas. This study mainly focused on the factors that directly influence employee creativity to ensure progress in employee performance. This study emerged from the fact that a very limited study is being carried out on this issue, and further research should be carried out in this field, especially in Pakistan. A model is proposed, and hypotheses will be developing and discussed based on theoretical considerations. The findings of this study can contribute to business practice by informing employee performance, improvement strategies. Business leaders could gain additional insights into strategies to engage and motivate employees to improve performance.

Gendering innocence: An empirical inquiry into the lived experience of gender incongruence in childhood

AbstractGender diversity in childhood has become an issue of significant public debate in Britain. Growing concerns have amassed around the exposure of children and adolescents to new forms of gendered knowledge and expression, arousing discourses of childhood ‘vulnerability’ and ‘innocence’. These ideas draw on a specific framework for understanding ‘childhood’, in which children are depicted as passive, dependent and in need of protection, as they follow a universal, predetermined developmental pathway. Among other effects, this has resulted in a dearth of empirical research that has explored gender diversity as a developmental experience in childhood. This article draws on evidence from interviews with 40 gender and sex variant young people and 30 caregivers of transgender children. Participants' accounts illustrate the deep psychic investment in embodied gender incongruence that young people may manifest from the earliest years of childhood. They highlight the profound distress sometimes experienced by children denied external recognition of their internal (gendered) selves and required to conform to extraneous expectations informed by essentialist understandings of biological sex. Far from ‘innocent’ of gender (difference), children can be deeply and actively involved in creating and adopting gendered subject positions, sometimes generating unanticipated forms of diversity.

Loneliness and solitude in gifted writers: the legacies of childhood

In this study, we attempt to provide insight into the complex interplay between loneliness/solitude and the writing gift from the early years of life. Theories and research on giftedness, loneliness/solitude, and on the links between them suggest that creative literary production and loneliness/solitude are associated. To further illustrate these associations, we briefly discuss loneliness and solitude in the childhood, adult life and work of four gifted writers: Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and Beatrix Helen Potter. The theoretical framework of this study is twofold: various psychoanalytic formulations and Bruner’s social constructivist and intersubjective conceptualisation of the narrative gift. The main conclusion of this study is that gifted writers have, paradoxically, an intense experience of both painful and beneficial aloneness, which is the inevitable outcome of the writing gift but also becomes the inspiration and motive force for ars poetica.

Transgression, Struggle, and Scandal

Abstract This article analyzes the lives of a handful of women, who, after years of involvement in various military conflicts (from World War I to World War II), were sentenced to long prison sentences. Particularly, it explores the lives of Anna Neuman, Irena Tomalakwa, Elżbieta Zawacka, and Emilia Malessa from the perspective of the concept “postawa” which most of them acquired in the early years of their life while soldiering (postawa as a concept related to discipline). They understood it as a stand that they would take throughout their entire life. Hence, postawa was more than a social role. It was an attitude, something that they had to achieve throughout their lives, finally also something that guaranteed continuity in their lives. Their imprisonment fit the definition of postawa well and provided them with a chance to define their actions not as heroic acts of Polish patriots, but rather as an attitude to which they were socialized. Through the biographic history of these women, the Polish history of gender can be seen as dynamic (as dynamic as their postawa allowed them to be). In that sense, postawa may be treated almost as a quintessential transgression, which, depending on the situation, can be seen as a phenomenon that helps them cross many boundaries or adapt to circumstances. Paradoxically, it helps them define their space outside of narrowly defined terms of patriotism, heroism, or martyrology, but ultimately giving them a voice as Polish patriots.

The Move2Smile Online Hub for Parents to Support Aspects of Preschoolers’ Physical Literacy at Home: A Feasibility Study

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a web-based platform for parents to support preschoolers’ development of physical literacy. Specifically, this intervention focused on children’s motor and social-emotional skill development. Twenty parents (Mage = 35.7, SD = 4.2) of preschool-aged children (Mage = 4.1, SD = 0.6) were assigned three intervention modules and completed weekly usage and feedback questionnaires (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Parents (n = 15) also completed a follow-up interview. Parents indicated the modules were useable (4.5/5), useful (4.5/5), feasible (4.4/5), enjoyable (4.5/5), and acceptable (4.5/5). Five themes underlying parental engagement were generated: (a) activity organization and planning, (b) (de)motivators, (c) parent knowledge and skills, (d) experience with the platform, and (e) application to everyday routines. The online modules under investigation were deemed both acceptable and feasible by parents. However, factors such as time and knowledge may impact parental engagement at home. Future research is needed to better understand the antecedents to parent physical literacy support behaviors in the early years.

Correlates of Fundamental Motor Skills in the Early Years (0–4 Years): A Systematic Review

Aim: This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on correlates of fundamental motor skills in typically developing children aged 0–4 years. Methods: A literature search (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) was performed from 2000 till 23 May 2022. Inclusion criteria was cross-sectional and prospective studies examining associations between a potential correlate and fundamental motor skills in typically developing, apparently healthy children aged 0–4 years. Two independent reviewers performed screening and methodological quality assessment. Results: Eighty-three studies met eligibility criteria and were included. Thirteen studies were of high methodological quality. In children aged <1 year, we found no evidence for family income, breastfeeding-related, sleep-related, home environment, and socioeconomic variables. In children aged 1–2 years, we found no evidence for sex, growth-related variables, singleton birth, and family income. In children aged 2–4 years, we found no evidence for screen behavior, toxicity, parental education, family income, socioeconomic variables, and maternal depression/anxiety and moderate evidence for a positive association with early childhood education and care setting type. For other examined correlates, we found insufficient evidence (inconsistent findings or only one study available). Conclusions: We found insufficient evidence for over half of examined potential correlates of fundamental motor skills. We recommend investing in better research methodologies and improved reporting.

Investigating statistical predictions with first graders in Greece

This paper argues that engaging students in informal statistical reasoning from early school years is essential for the development of statistical understanding. We investigated if and how children aged six-seven years old identified variation in a table of data and made predictions through the design of a teaching experiment. The classroom teaching experiment was comprised of four 45 minutes lessons addressing the understanding and interpretation of data sets. In order to describe students’ informal predictive reasoning, we used the framework of “data lenses”. More specifically, we analyzed the different types of answers the students produced as they engaged in predictive reasoning during an interview given before and after the teaching experiment. The participation of students in (classroom) and out-of-school (family) communities of practice was also taken into consideration. Our results demonstrate that the students benefited from their learning experience and developed data understanding.

Novice Teachers and Student Attendance in Early Elementary School

Student absenteeism in the earliest years of elementary school has been linked to a range of negative outcomes. Though the literature has examined numerous factors that are associated with children missing school, the role of teachers—especially at the early elementary level—has not been well understood. Given that students spend the majority of their time in elementary school with one teacher in a single classroom, a large component of early elementary school is underexplored, and our understanding of absenteeism remains incomplete. In this vein, we looked into whether having novice versus more experienced teachers was linked to the frequency of student absenteeism in the earliest years of school. Using a national dataset including repeated observations of students in grades K-2, we found that novice teachers have students with fewer absences and a lower probability of being chronically absent. There were no differences in the outcomes of novice teachers as a function of child nor classroom characteristics. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Evaluating the association between duration of breastfeeding and fine motor development among children aged 20 to 24 months in Butajira, Ethiopia: a case-control study

BackgroundA Suitable environment and proper child nutrition are paramount to a child’s physical and mental development. Different environmental factors contribute to proper child development. Breast milk is an important source of nutrition during the early years of life and contains essential nutrients that are the building blocks for growth and development.ObjectiveTo assess the association between the duration of breastfeeding and fine motor development among children aged 20 to 24 months living in Butajira, southern Ethiopia.MethodCommunity-based case-control study design was employed among mother-child dyads of children aged 20 to 24 months in Butajira Southern Ethiopia. Children were screened for fine motor delay using the Denver II developmental screening and identified as cases and controls. A repeated visit was done to gather the rest of the information and 332 samples, 83 cases, and 249 controls were available and assessed. Epi-data version 4.4.2.1 software was used to prepare a data entry template, which was later exported to and analyzed using STATA version 14 statistical software. Finally, a Multivariable logistic regression model was used to adjust for confounders and estimate the independent effect of breastfeeding duration on fine motor development.ResultWe didn’t find a significant association between the duration of breastfeeding from 21 to 24 months and fine motor delay compared to children who were breastfed less than 18 months[AOR: 0.86, 95% CI: (0.36, 2.05)]. Children who have mothers > 35 years of age were 78% less likely than children who had mothers younger than 25 years, Children who had mothers in secondary school and above were 77% less likely than mothers who didn’t have formal education, Females were 1.86 times more likely than males, and Children who scored 20–29 on the Home score were 51% less likely than Children who scored < 20 to have fine motor delay.ConclusionDuration of breastfeeding was not significantly associated with fine motor delay for children aged 20 to 24 months old. The age of the mother, the educational status of the mother, being female, and Home score were identified to have a significant association with fine motor delay. Improving the educational status and empowerment of women is essential. Further work should be done on avoiding gender differences starting from a young age and creating a conducive environment for child development is crucial.

Mathematics and Language: A One-to-One Correspondence in Bilingual Environments

Previous research has shown that language is an essential part of the development of mathematical skills and, specifically, in solving verbal problems. We know that using a different language from one’s mother tongue is highly beneficial for students, and that language plurality and bilingualism is more and more habitual and present in current educational environments. However, what is still not clear is how it influences certain tasks, especially the most naturalistic ones, such as the formation of the concept of numbers and in tasks with a greater verbal component, such as solving problems in the early ages. The present research examined the problem-solving performance of first- and second-grade elementary education students in bilingual environments, comparing the problem solving of students whose language of instruction (LI) is the same as their mother tongue (MT) and those whose MT differs from the LI. Through an analysis of variance, the results showed that there exist differences in change and combination problems. Discrepancies in performance were also found, depending on the evolutionary moment. These results suggest that it is necessary to study how the LI can shape mathematical skills in the early years.

Selected microfinance crises: past, present, and future

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic is the most recent—and most severe—crisis to face the microfinance/financial inclusion sector, but it was far from the first. From its earliest years, crises have appeared throughout the modern history of microfinance, and the responses they engendered have included some of the most significant reforms and innovations in the sector. In this paper, we describe selected historical crises—Peru in the 1980s, Grameen in the 1990s, and Andhra Pradesh and others in the 2007–2010 period—through their legacy and impact on the sector’s activities and priorities. We then examine some of the pressures on institutions during the pandemic, through interview data with MFI leaders from the Sentinel Project conducted during 2021–22. We argue that the resilience of the sector to the unprecedented pressures of the pandemic can be traced to many of these historical post-crisis reforms—and consider what this means for future crisis responses.

Gendered pathways to socioemotional competencies in very young children

Parent–child and teacher–child relationship closeness have been shown to be crucial for children’s development of socioemotional competencies from preschool to school-age stages. However, less is known about the importance of developing close relationships with young infants and toddlers attending childcare group settings for their early socioemotional development. The current study aimed to address this gap and to explore how child gender may influence the associations. Participants included 378 Hong Kong Chinese children (196 girls; Mage = 22.05 months, SD = 9.81 months) enrolled in childcare centres, along with their parents and teachers. Parents reported on children’s socioemotional competencies as well as their relationship closeness with children; teachers reported on their relationship closeness with children. Multiple group structural equation modelling was used to analyse the results. The findings showed that both parent–child and teacher–child closeness were positively associated with children’s social competence, while teacher–child closeness was negatively associated with children’s anxiety behaviour. Parents of girls reported greater parent–child closeness, higher levels of social competence, and higher levels of anxiety behaviours compared to parents of boys. Furthermore, teacher–child closeness was significantly associated with social competence exclusively among girls, while parent–child closeness was significantly associated with anxiety behaviours solely among boys. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of child gender in influencing the associations between parent–child closeness, teacher–child closeness, and children’s socioemotional competencies in the earliest years.

Doktor Abdülhak Adnan Adıvar’ın Tıp Eğitimi Dönemi [1899-1910] ve II. Meşrutiyet Dönemi’ndeki Hekimlik Faaliyetleri [1909-1919

Dr. Adnan Bey, hekimlik mesleğini pozitif bilimlere duyduğu ilgi nedeniyle tercih etmiştir. Bu maksatla seçtiği Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Mülkiye’de aldığı eğitimi yetersiz bulduğu için lisans (1899-1905) ve ihtisas (1905-1909) dönemlerine tekabül eden yıllarda Berlin’e kaçmış, Berlin Tıp Fakültesi Dahiliye Kliniği profesörlerinden Friedrich Krauss ile çalışmıştır. Pozitivist Alman kültüründen önemli oranda etkilendiği bu süreçte, eğitim sürecinin zarar görmesinden endişe ederek, sempati duyduğu kaçak Jön Türklerle arasına mesafe koyduğu görülmektedir. Dr. Adnan Bey, II. Meşrutiyet’in ilanından (23 Temmuz 1908) sonra ihtisas eğitimine ara vererek İstanbul’a dönmüştür. Mesleki yaşamı Jön Türklerin inisiyatif kazandığı II. Meşrûtiyet’in ilk yıllarından I. Dünya Savaşı’nın (1914-1918) sonuna kadar sürmüştür. Bu dönemde, Jön Türklere yakınlığı nedeniyle idârî görevler üstlenmiş, bilimsel kazanımlarını eğitim sürecine aktarmıştır. Sözü edilen süreçte Trablusgarp Savaşı’nda (1911-1912) fiilen vazife yaptığı gibi, bazı resmi ve özel sağlık kurumlarında da çalışmıştır.

Early executive functioning predicts externalizing problems in neurodiverse preschoolers.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit externalizing problems, which have been linked with increased anxiety and depression, peer rejection, and parental stress. Identification of early predictors of externalizing behaviors in autism will facilitate identification of vulnerable children and implementation of early preventative interventions. There is ample evidence that executive functioning, social functioning, and temperament are predictive of later externalizing problems in general populations, but less is known about these relations in ASD and other neurodiverse populations, particularly in the early preschool years. To address this gap, we assessed the relations between executive functioning, social functioning, and temperament at age 3 and externalizing problems at age 5 in a sample of neurodiverse children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders and delays. Analyses revealed that severity of early executive functioning impairment predicted increased externalizing problems. Severity of social autism symptoms moderated this relationship such that the effect of executive functioning on externalizing problems decreased as autism symptoms increased. These findings suggest that executive functioning is an important target for identifying and developing interventions for vulnerable children and underscore the necessity of considering severity of autism symptoms when researching the development of externalizing problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Pre-service ECEC teachers’ conceptions of climate change: a community funds of knowledge and identity approach

ABSTRACT Climate change is one of the greatest threats to humanity and the biosphere. Early childhood education and care has been proposed as a key strategy to enable individuals to gain climate change literacy and enact behaviour change. Well-designed pre-service teacher training programmes in the science of climate change are required to implement effective climate change education programmes starting in the early years. Yet how pre-service early childhood teachers conceptualise climate change based on their community funds of knowledge and identity is largely unknown. This qualitative case study shows how seven Maltese pre-service teachers have some basic understanding of climate change but they also hold misconceptions, and their (mis)understandings are influenced by their community funds of knowledge and identity. Based on these findings, suggestions for teacher training programmes in relation to climate change education are proposed, and the implications of the findings for future research, policy and practice are noted.

The British Royals in Australia

The British Royals in Australia

DIM ESEE—Dubrovnik International ESEE Mining School

AbstractIn 2015, together with the University of Zagreb and other partners, the Resources Innovation Center of the Montanuniversität Leoben conceived a series of one-week training workshops—the “Dubrovnik International Eastern and Southeastern Europe Region Mining School—DIM ESEE”.Every October, 40–60 experts from the region meet in Dubrovnik for three (five in the early years) full days of specialist lectures, case-study discussions, and excursions.The DIM ESEE workshops aim to provide tailored and industry-oriented training for raw materials professionals, academics, and PhD students and address topics of current relevance to the mining community. In 2023, Montanuniversität was responsible for the topic “Innovation in Extraction” and created a comprehensive training program with interesting contributions from the mining supply industry.

Impacts of illegal trade on socio-emotional and behavioural skills in macaques

Decades of research have illuminated the consequences of early adverse rearing experiences in laboratory macaque populations. However, limited knowledge exists about the impact of traumatic episodes in non-laboratory environments. This study delves into the repercussions of illegal trade on socio-emotional and behavioural skills in five macaque species, all victims of poaching. We categorised their past experiences into seven aspects, encompassing maternal care and interactions with conspecifics. We assessed social engagement and cooperation by analysing social behaviours and employing the Social Responsiveness Scale. Emotional resilience was evaluated by measuring anxiety levels and the occurrence of abnormal behaviours, supported by a welfare questionnaire. Additionally, the introduction of Cattell’s 16PF questionnaire in macaques for the first time aimed to reveal the influence of traumatic experiences on their personality traits. Our findings emphasise the significance of early social exposure. The lack of juvenile social contact predicts reduced social behaviours and an inclination towards social avoidance in adulthood. Macaques raised by humans tend to exhibit more abnormal behaviours in social contexts, compromising their welfare. Deprivation of social exposure in infancy negatively impacts psychological stimulation and overall welfare. The duration of time spent in illegal trade correlates with heightened anxiety levels. Personality traits such as ‘Calmness’ and ‘Unfriendliness’ are influenced by rearing conditions, with macaques deprived of social interaction during their early years showing higher levels of introversion. In conclusion, the absence of social exposure during early life and hand-rearing due to illegal trade significantly shape macaques’ personality traits and their social and emotional skills.

Seeking employment during Japan's early industrialisation: new engineering graduates and their struggles before 1900

Abstract This article examines the social background of engineers in Meiji Japan by analysing their employment-seeking activities and their role in fostering industrial development. In particular, it focuses on the graduates from the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE) in Tokyo. One of the most prestigious schools for technical education, the ICE was established by the Meiji government in 1871 and opened in 1873. In traditional Japanese society, the handicraft manufacturing sector was held in low regard. The difficulties that graduates faced while the industry was still developing serve as a stark reminder of the widespread contempt and disdain for manufacturing that existed in Japan before the new profession of engineer gained traction. By scrutinising the memoirs of these engineers, this study shows that new engineering graduates faced barriers to employment in industry due to the low social prestige of those working in manufacturing in the private sector and the conflict with traditional workers, as well as the fact that private companies could not afford to employ engineers in the early years of industrialisation.