Early Years Research Articles

Jinnah's Vision for Minorities in Pakistan: A Critical Analysis

This research article explores the role and vision of Mr. Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, in shaping the relationship between the nation and its diverse minority communities. This study is to examine the impact of Mr. Jinnah's leadership on minority communities during the partition and in the early years of Pakistan. It also explores his efforts to promote religious harmony and minority rights. Mr. Jinnah's leadership and his commitment to creating a democratic and inclusive Pakistan provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with nation-building, religious and cultural pluralism, and the protection of minority rights. This study examines the historical context, Jinnah's political philosophy, and the measures he took to safeguard the rights and well-being of religious minorities in Pakistan.

Race, Religious Freedom, and the Institutional Limitations of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs

Abstract In 1936, Baptists from across geographic and racial lines cooperatively began working together to address questions of common social concern—specifically, religious freedom. Ten years later, this cooperative work spurred the formation of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, later known as the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). Recent scholarship has critiqued conceptions of religious freedom in the United States from a multitude of perspectives. Tisa Wenger has shown the ways in which religious freedom in the first half of the twentieth century functioned as a cover for white Christians to avoid addressing questions of race and segregation. This article further explores this idea through the history of the Baptist Joint Committee. It shows how BJC and its board members were unable to foster significant interracial collaboration in its early years not only because of its singular focus on religious freedom but also because of the denominational and bureaucratic social networks that helped establish this organization. White BJC staff and board members lacked the necessary relationships with and knowledge of Black Baptist denominational leaders and organizations. This article shows that the challenges facing BJC in cultivating an interracial conception of religious freedom were far more than solely intellectual. These challenges were social and bureaucratic.

Religious-Zionist Right-Wing Israelis: Their Expectations of Archeological Research in Judea and Samaria and Their Ways of Contending with the Resulting Complicated Findings

Abstract The encounter between West Bank settlers and the archeologists who came to survey and excavate in their midst at the beginning of the 1980s was a formative moment that led to the settlers’ embrace of the field of archeology. The findings of the surveys and excavations that were conducted in the region, however, raised new insights regarding the early years of the Jewish People and the historical reliability of some of the biblical texts, forcing the settlers to face a complicated reality. Except for their selective adoption of researchers and of conclusions they viewed as supporting the biblical narrative, the settlers accused researchers who presented new conclusions of nontopical deviation and presented an alternative paradigm of their own that did not stand up to criticism. In contrast, researchers from the second generation of West Bank settlers have employed a more professional approach to archeology and do not see themselves as using it to prove identity or ownership. It appears that, in addition to academic influences and their sense of “indigenousness,” this reality is the product of a fundamental crisis that has befallen the religious-ideological public, the thrust of which has been a deconstruction of the harmony of the messianic vision, one expression of which has been the changing intergenerational approach to the role of archeology.

Beyond developmental psychopathology: Positive child development.

The field of developmental psychopathology has made significant contributions to our understanding of both typical and atypical development. However, while there are established theories for developmental psychopathology with detailed criteria for pathological outcomes, there is less agreement regarding development under optimal conditions and the definition of positive outcomes. In this conceptual paper, I make the case that a better understanding of positive child development is crucial because it will not only advance our general knowledge on human development but also complement current work on developmental psychopathology. After defining positive development as the development of positive functioning in children, such as skills, strengths, competencies, and wellbeing, rather than the absence of problems, current concepts with relevance for positive development are reviewed, before highlighting gaps in our knowledge on positive development and suggestions for future research. Although several of the reviewed frameworks provide important contributions to the conceptualization of positive development, most of them focus on positive functioning in adults with limited consideration of development in the early years. More research is needed that specifically targets the development of positive outcomes from early childhood onward in order to develop a more comprehensive and holistic theory of positive child development.

Life Lessons: Experiences of Gender Studies in Zines in the 1990s and 2000s

ABSTRACT The early years of gender studies in the US academy can be traced through their impact on zinesters, who parsed their interactions with these studies in their self-made and distributed publications. In this paper, I argue that the way that these young people used the space of the zine to make sense of feminist theory in their lives and to understand their experience of thinking through gender and sexuality within the college setting can serve as a reminder of the necessity for feminist theory to be transformative to students’ lived experiences, and of the critical importance for feminist studies in the academy to primarily enable students to, in Sara Ahmed’s words, ‘live a feminist life’. The zines discussed here show both the excitement and promise that arose for student zinesters in their work with feminist theory at college, but also the inequalities perpetuated by the gender studies classrooms of the 1990s and 2000s. As we reach a critical moment in reimagining and rebuilding institutions of higher education, zines discussing early gender studies courses offer a rare insight into the lived experience of historical efforts to address educational inequality, and can serve to refocus conversations on the role of studying liberation in the academy today.

Influence of Learners’ Environments on Learners’ Literacy Outcomes of Early Years of Education

Learners’ supportive environments have a significant effect on what goes on in the classroom. Supportive learning environments have the greatest impact on learners’ literacy outcomes. Factors such as language policy and interactions in the classroom have a big influence on the learners’ literacy outcomes. The present study investigated a group of grade three learners’ literacy outcomes in lower primary schools in Bungoma central sub-county in relation to the factors that influenced the learning environments of the classroom. The descriptive survey design was used to sample participants in the study. A sample size of 91 participants was involved, consisting of 48 grade three learners, 24 grade three teachers, 12 head teachers, 6 parents, and a sub-county education officer. Simple random sampling was used to sample out grade three teachers, parents, head teachers, and a sub-county education officer. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Unstructured questionnaires were used to investigate the physical design of the classroom and their influence on literacy outcomes among learners in early years of learning in Bungoma Central Sub-County. Findings of the study indicate a negative correlation between learners’ literacy outcome and the physical design of the classroom (class size) (r = 261, p<0.5). Based on this finding, it is recommended that grade three teachers individualize teaching based on assessment results, embrace whole-class curriculum materials, and recognize individual differences. Policies must be established to guarantee that classrooms are conducive to learning and motivate learners to strive for higher academic accomplishment.

The Need for Innovation in Financial Education: A Study of Household Indebtedness in Peru

Purpose: The main objective of the text is to explore and determine the impact of financial education on the indebtedness of Peruvian households. Theoretical framework: As for the theoretical framework, reference is made to several previous theories and studies, such as Kahneman and Tversky's prospect theory, Modigliani and Brumberg's life-cycle theory, and Friedman's permanent income hypothesis, among others, to support the importance of financial literacy and financial decision-making under conditions of uncertainty and expectations of future income. Design/Methodology/Approach: To address this objective, a quantitative, applied, and non-experimental methodology was used, with a cross-sectional design and a descriptive-correlational approach, surveying 300 Peruvian households. Results: The results revealed that 68% of the participants have a regular level of financial knowledge and 60% have a regular level of household indebtedness. In addition, a significant positive correlation of 0.891 was found between financial literacy and household indebtedness. Practical and social implications: The practical and social implications of the study are notable, highlighting the need to improve financial education, given the prevalence of fair and low financial knowledge and skills among participants. The implementation of financial education programs from an early age and in communities especially vulnerable to financial instability is proposed. In addition, the creation of a certification program for financial educators and the continuous training of financial sector professionals is suggested. Originality/value: In terms of originality and value, the proposals address various areas, such as academic, professional, social, political, economic, and strategic. The idea of seeding financial education from the early years of education and exploring the effectiveness of various financial education strategies is proposed. In addition, the creation of funds for financial innovation and the promotion of fintech companies is proposed, as well as the strategic implementation of partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector. It is also suggested to use technology and digital platforms to expand the reach of financial education programs.

Destructively Independent. The Russian Central Bank Leadership in the Runup to the 1993 Constitutional Crisis

Abstract Attempts to get control over the Russian Central Bank are often seen as a key driver of the conflict between the Supreme Soviet and the Russian government in 1993. We argue here that the bank and its leadership were not only an instrument of other power centers but should be considered as active and fairly independent political players with their own interests, stakes, and strategies. In the struggle over monetary policy in the early years of the newly founded Russian Federation, inherited Soviet networks of power were more decisive than legal competences on paper. To the extent that ideas played a role at all in these transitional power struggles, their distinction was not between neoliberal shock therapy and social democratic gradualism, but between different notions of the future realm of Moscow’s financial power. Our paper is based on an assessment of biographical literatures and legal texts as well as a survey of the scholarly literature in economics and history. It shows how, in a phase of post-imperial institutional reconfiguration, different groups of the former Soviet elite competed to preserve their status in the emerging Russian nation state.

Does menopause hormone therapy improve symptoms of depression? Findings from a specialized menopause clinic.

Depressive symptoms are commonly reported during the perimenopause and in the early postmenopausal years. Although menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is considered the most effective treatment option for vasomotor symptoms, its effect on mood-related symptoms is less established. This study aims to assess interval change in depressive symptoms after initiation of MHT treatment in women seeking care at a Canadian specialized menopause clinic. Women and female-presenting people attending the St. Joseph's Healthcare Menopause Clinic in Hamilton, Ontario, were invited to participate in this study. Participants (n = 170) completed a self-report questionnaire, which included their medical history as well as validated tools for bothersome symptoms at their initial visit. A shortened version was administered at the follow-up visit 3 to 12 months later with the same validated tools. We sought to examine interval changes on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale based on type of treatment used and MHT dose, while controlling for relevant demographic variables (smoking, education level, age). There was a high rate of depressive symptoms in those seeking specialized menopause care (62%). MHT use was associated with significantly improved depressive symptoms, both alone and in addition to an antidepressant medication ( P < 0.001). Younger age, lower education attainment, and smoking were all associated with higher depression scores. This study supports the use of MHT to improve depressive symptoms experienced by those seeking specialized menopause care. Further investigation into timing of treatment initiation may facilitate a personalized treatment approach to improve quality of life of women in the peri- and postmenopausal years.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND ITS BENEFITS IN THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS

In Brazil, playfulness was implemented in Early Childhood Education as a tool to support teaching after the introduction of Escola Nova, recognizing playing as a component of childhood and human development. Through playfulness in Early Childhood Education it is possible to work on the development of the field of affective, emotional, intellectual, physical and social growth, stimulating activities that focus on the intellectual and emotional development of children. The objective of this study is to build a literature review on the importance of play in the teaching-learning process in Early Childhood Education, discussing its benefits during the educational process. The present study is a bibliographical study, an integrative literature review. Articles published between 2018 and 2023, in Portuguese and English, available in full text, were included. Secondary source data from the public domain was used, that is, the research does not pose any risk, therefore, there was no need to submit it to the Ethics Committee. After careful analysis of the available literature, 07 articles were selected to compose this study. It was observed that the authors argue that it is in childhood that children have a naturally playful interpretation of the world, perceive this demand and develop auxiliary teaching strategies that contribute to the teaching-learning process. In the early years, children tend to learn intuitively, where play can be used in the most different curricular subjects to enhance the teaching-learning process. Thus, this teaching strategy has proven to be successful, as it enables the development of skills that enhance the learning process such as perception, memorization, attention and sensation. In this way, it can be concluded that play is an important strategy for developing education in a dynamic, attractive and effective way. Its numerous benefits in the teaching-learning process highlight the importance of its inclusion in the school space.

Handwriting Accuracy of Beginning Writers and Its Impact on the Readability of Their Sentences

Occupational therapists require an understanding of the range of factors which contribute to handwriting proficiency in beginning writers to best assist children experiencing handwriting difficulty. However, there is limited research which has focused on children’s ability to handwrite sentences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and readability of sentences written by mainstream Year 1 and Year 2 children. A total of 408 children were asked to write a self-generated, dictated, and copied sentence. The Perceive, Recall, Plan, and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis (Stage One) was employed to determine the sentence mastery score and proficiency of the subskills required to correctly handwrite a sentence. The readability of each sentence was assessed using a three-point Likert scale. The results of the study showed that the sentence mastery score for Year 1 children ranged between 53-56% across the three sentence writing tasks, while Year 2 children scored between 63-65%. The overall score was impacted by errors in alphabet-letter-writing, letter-spacing, word-spacing, and spelling. 20% of Year 1 and 40% of Year 2 children generated a sentence which was easily readable when writing from memory. Readability scores improved when sentences were copied. The study identified proficiency levels for different subskills required for handwritten sentences to be readable. The need for further research to determine developmental and ability milestones for handwriting sentences in the early years are discussed. Considerations for occupational therapy handwriting assessment and intervention at the sentence level are provided.

Understanding the Characteristics of Corporate Culture in Vietnam via Some Golden Periods in History

In the Vietnamese business heritage, there were several golden times during which beneficial elements emerged and became distinct features of company culture. Using the multidisciplinary method of History of Science - Cultural Studies, this article collects and organizes historical documents to sketch a historical and comparative analysis of the value hierarchy and strengths of Vietnamese corporate culture during its golden era. The findings demonstrate that, between the 17th and 18th centuries, unique human and cultural aspects in business activities emerged in the Southern Vietnam region of Vietnam, where merchants and other factors of Corporate culture was quite frequent. In the early years of the 20th century, Vietnam witnessed a business movement aimed at economic revival and cultural development for the noble goal of national revival. Corporate culture in Vietnam has been around for a long time, reflected in the intelligence, creativity, sensitivity, and quick adaptation of Vietnamese corporates and entrepreneurs.

Pre-school children's literacy development in the Kazakh home learning environment

The home environment and experiences before a child enters formal schooling have a significant impact on their educational progress and results. Most research in this area has been conducted in Western countries and may differ across different countries and cultures. The purpose of this study is to investigate how literacy skills are developed in Kazakh homes and the kinds of social interactions that take place between parents and children to foster this development. An ethnographic case study design through participant observations and interviews was used to further understand the relationship between the Kazakh home learning environment (HLE) and literacy development in four affluent and highly educated families. The findings of this study suggest that parent-child social interactions play an important role in the development of literacy skills in Kazakh families. The parents purposefully used play, joint book reading and storytelling to focus on oral language development and to establish skills in one language first despite the fact that Kazakhstan is a bilingual country that is gradually moving towards a trilingual policy (Kazakh, Russian and English). The study highlights the types of regular and high-quality literacy-related social interactions parents engage in to help their children succeed educationally in school and beyond. The findings of this study suggest that children would benefit from regular parent-child interactions and policymakers and other stakeholders responsible for early years learning and development should encourage parents to be actively involved in their children's learning and literacy development in the home environment.

Analysis of forest environment transfer tax and prefectural policies: typology of prefectural support to municipalities in the initial phase from 2019 to 2021 in Japan

ABSTRACT The Forest Environment Transfer Tax (FETT), a scheme similar to Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), was introduced for Japanese forests at the national level in 2019 to address the challenges of climate change and promote management mainly in privately owned forests under the New Forest Management System (NFMS). Given insufficient human and financial resources, support by prefectures for municipalities is a key step forward, and we examined the policies of 47 prefectures. The study period is from 2019 to 2021. We conducted the following analysis: (1) categorization of prefectures by cluster analysis based on questionnaire surveys, and (2) quantitative analysis of the relationship between policy choices and characteristics of prefectures. Based on the analyses, we identified two typologies of prefectures based on policy selections and changes; (i) prefectures focused on specific policy items and (ii) those distributed the FETT budget relatively uniformly for each policy item, and further trends of changes based on temporal sequences in the early years of the scheme. The results suggest two further implications: geographical proximity among prefectures and the ratio of forestry production outputs among the overall outputs of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries may affect policy choices by prefectures, especially those of the former type of prefectures. The findings of this study can contribute to an understanding of the factors influencing policy choices in the context of PES-related schemes for forest management.

Initial and continuing education of the pedagogue: what researches involving the teaching of mathematics indicate

The process of acquiring formal knowledge begins in the first stages of basic education, which makes the teacher in the early years of elementary school, the Pedagogue, the professional responsible for this process. Understanding the training of these professionals for teaching mathematical concepts, such as geometric concepts, at this level of education is necessary. In this sense, in this production, an excerpt from a larger research developed during the doctorate of the first author, under the guidance of the second, it is proposed to carry out a bibliographic research, in order to answer the following question: How does the training, both initial and education, from the pedagogue for the teaching of Mathematics/Geometry in the early years of elementary school is presented in research carried out from 2017 to 2021? To this end, a survey was carried out regarding the approach to this theme in research carried out in dissertations and theses, available on the Capes portal. In this way, it can be said that these studies point to the importance of initial and continuing education for the performance of the pedagogue, with regard to the teaching of Mathematics/Geometry in the Initial Years of Elementary School, as such training makes it possible to remedy possible gaps still on the understanding of these concepts, in addition to providing access to resources and methodologies aimed at the teaching process of this area of knowledge and the exchange of experience between these professionals.

Neurodiversity and disability: what is at stake?

Neurodiversity has come hugely to the fore in recent years in a variety of contexts, and is now subject to academic debate, activist discussion, and increasingly embedded in a range...

Thoughtful Hospitality

Abstract Kolawole Daramola and Sobia Iqbal, BCS Early Years Executive, take a look at the growing use of technology within the hospitality industry, the challenges which are currently being faced and the opportunities for IT professionals.

The early years of the Club Vosgien (1872-1914). How hikers took possession of the Vosges massif

Cette étude de cas porte sur la naissance et l’implantation du Club vosgien entre 1872 (date de fondation) et 1914. Si l’association ne crée pas la pratique de la randonnée dans le massif, elle offre en revanche des structures et un cadre pour la prise de possession de cet espace, tant matérielles (balisage des chemins, installation de bancs, de refuges, de tables d’orientation, etc.) que symboliques (toponymie, renversement de la hiérarchie vallée/sommet, etc.). Cette étude entend mettre en lumière l’appropriation par des randonneurs et randonneuses urbains d’un espace perçu comme naturel. Elle a été réalisée à partir du bulletin officiel et des archives privées de l’association, qui permettent de dresser la sociologie du club, et de cartographier l’implantation de ce dernier dans le massif.

The Work Environment of the School Leader in Australia: The Case for Sustained Change in Role and Practice

The questions addressed in this essay are (1) how has the work environment of school leaders changed in the early years of the 21st century, (2) how have these changes affected the role of the school leader, (3) what is the association between an evident deterioration in the work environment and the trend to more autonomy for schools and their leaders, and (4) how can school systems be more effective in supporting school leaders? The essay is organised into three domains that emerged from a review of the literature on changes in the work environment: intensification–intimidation, autonomy–accountability and system–support. Six recommendations are derived from the evidence: principals should have greater control over their work environment, system leaders should remove many reporting requirements from schools, there should be “organised abandonment” of outdated practices, the potential benefits of AI should be realised, there should be more engagement in planning for the future, and there should be further research on processes and outcomes through randomised controlled trials of new practices. It is not so much new theories in leadership but rather new roles and new practices within different arrangements for governance, informed by ongoing research as the context changes, amid evidence of deterioration in professional wellbeing.

Up and Down: Insights from a creative approach to online interactions with very young children

ABSTRACT This paper offers guidance for remote communication with young children based on an interpretive study of participants engaged in an online Theatre for Early Years (TEY) event, Up and Down. Drawing on practices used for in-person performance, the theatre-makers engaged interactively with children aged 1 and 2 and their accompanying adults through a conference video call. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used as an approach to generate themes from observation, and interviews with the parents. Three master themes were generated: Missing Live Performance, Unfiltered Response and Human Connection. The discussion was informed by relational pedagogies and the concept of cultural value. Those engaging with young children through video call software are encouraged to look for ways to create embodied, sensory, and ‘magical’ experiences; collaborate with the adults present; and take a strengths-based approach to the medium.