Early Childhood Environment Research Articles

State vs. private preschool setting: assessing school quality for a successful learning environment

ABSTRACT Child-care researchers agree on the importance of preschool quality as an essential factor in developmental and cognitive outcomes. This study is a first attempt to assess structural and process aspects of Greek private and state preschool settings after the COVID-19 crisis and to provide empirical evidence for efforts to maintain the early childhood education curriculum. Comparisons between state and private preschool settings in two regions of Epirus showed the difference between the two types of preschools. All processes are perfectly in line with the current trends of educational programmes in Greece presented by the Institute for Educational Policy. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) in Greek translation was used in schools where children aged 3–5 years are enrolled. The results indicate that the quality of care in private preschools differed significantly from the quality of care in the state samples, although all scored good overall quality. A follow-up study will determine whether the quality of preschool processes is related to the quality of the home learning environment.

Early Childhood Practitioners’ Perceptions of Children’s Risky Play Based on Childhood and Present Practice: A Questionnaire Survey in Japan

AbstractSimilar to countries in Europe and the Americas, risky play is a feature in Japanese early childhood education and care. This study investigated the perceptions and practices of Japanese early childhood education specialists with respect to risky play in order to ascertain whether their childhood experiences influenced their attitudes toward preschoolers’ risky play. Data were collected from a survey, and findings showed that childhood experiences influenced respondents’ practices regarding restricting risky or unsafe play. Among the various types of risky play, play at great heights received the most references regarding both childhood play and current activity restrictions. The research concluded that 1) regular and ongoing discussions among practitioners are crucial given their diverse experiences and the disparity of perceived risks between players and supervisors; 2) policy is required to provide children with rich experiences of risky play because of insufficient opportunities in their early childhood environments. Overall, the research highlights the importance of cultural and environmental backgrounds in practitioners’ perception of risky play.

Evaluation on quality learning environment of an Islamic-based child care and education centre

Quality learning environment of early childhood setting has long been debated and discussed, foreseeing the impact on children’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social outcomes. The widespread usage of global quality measures such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) has led to a new perspective of assessing the quality. Therefore, this paper focuses on an evaluation on quality learning environment of an Islamic-based child care and education centre using four subscales of ECERS-R, namely space and furnishings, personal care routines, language reasoning and programme structure. The findings indicate that the daily planning and implementation of activities do reflect the quality. To a certain extent, by using ECERS-R as a reference, it was noted that the subscales of language reasoning and programme structure are closely followed, even though there is a gap in terms of some items in space and furnishings and personal care routines. In addition, there are significant practices exclusively practised by the centre with the aim of inculcating religious values among the children. This preliminary study adds to the small but growing literatures on Islamic-based early child care and education centre in Malaysia.

The Influence of Parenting Style on Children's Personality Development: based on Horney's Neurotic Theory

The family life environment in early childhood is an important factor that affects the personality structure of children and the way they react to society. Karen Horney's neurosis theory emphasizes the important role of family environment and early interpersonal relationship, especially parent-child relationship, in the formation and development of children's personality. This theory has certain reference value for parents to cultivate children's healthy personality. This study mainly analyzes the influence of parenting style on children's personality development.

The Development of Technology-Enhanced Performance-Based Peer Feedback to Support Teacher Candidate Practice and Child Outcomes

We used a multi-method design to determine the quality of technology-enhanced performance-based peer feedback, teacher candidate strategy use, and child behaviors over time. We also explored teacher candidates’ perceived social validity of technology-enhanced performance-based peer feedback. Eleven teacher candidates enrolled in an early childhood certification program and their focus children that were at-risk or identified with disabilities engaged in naturalistic early childhood environments (home, community, and classroom settings). Teacher candidates were grouped by their environmental assignment and reviewed video interactions to provide feedback to their peers. Teacher candidates' quality of feedback changed over time which impacted teacher candidate use of strategies as well as focus child use of skills. Additionally, the teacher candidates perceived the intervention package to be feasible and acceptable. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Quality of early childhood education and care in Japanese accredited nursery centers: A study using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition (ECERS-3).

This study presents the first quantitative evaluation of the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Japan to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge accumulated on ECEC in countries where research has been limited. We observed 30 classes comprising 3-year-olds, 28 classes comprising 5-year-olds, and 30 classes comprising mixed-ages from publicly provided nursery centers under the jurisdiction of the Kanto metropolitan area, Japan. An internationally-recognized quality rating scale for ECEC called the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 3rd edition, which consists of six subscales, was used for this study. In contrast to previous studies conducted in the US, the results of this study showed that the Japanese ECEC is characterized as showing higher scores in the two subscales, "Personal Care Routines" and "Interaction," and showing lower score in the subscale, "Learning Activities." In addition, this study showed that the quality of ECEC varied across nursery centers. Furthermore, with regard to the two subscales, "Interaction" and "Language and Literacy," the degree of variation within centers differed across nursery centers. This study analyzed how these characteristics of Japanese ECEC can be partly produced by the existence of national guideline for nursery centers authorized by the Japanese government. In addition, mechanisms producing differences in the quality of ECEC among and within centers were also discussed.

Child, teacher and preschool characteristics and child-teacher relationships in Greek preschools

Three dimensions of child–teacher relationships (derived from the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale) closeness, conflict and dependency have been conceptualized and investigated. In individualistic cultures a close relationship has been associated with children's academic performance and behavioural adjustment, conflictual relationships have been associated with maladjustment and externalising behaviours, and the dependency dimension has been negatively associated with closeness. We expand previous studies by first investigating the factor structure of the STRs amongst 2,130 preschool children and their 267 teachers in a collectivistic culture, Greece. Second, we investigated effects of child (gender, age, country of origin and special educational needs), teacher (teacher gender, age and affective well-being), and preschool characteristics (school-type, number of children, observed quality using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), on STRS.Using exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) adjusting for differences between preschools we replicated the three-factor solution of the STRS. Consistent with previous studies in collectivistic cultures, closeness and dependency were positively (not negatively) associated. Children's gender and teachers’ affective well-being were found to be consistently associated with all three dimensions of the STRS. In conclusion, the STRS can capture the relationship accurately in a Greek early years setting, and the analysis has demonstrated that the three STRS dimensions are associated with different child and teacher characteristics.

Implementasi Nilai Kebangsaan sebagai Dasar Pendidikan Hukum untuk Anak Usia Dini

The development of quality Indonesian human resources is strongly influenced by the success of early childhood education. Problems in the field of law today require solving strategies from various fields. Early childhood education is a very important field in participating in solving legal problems in Indonesia. This writing provides an overview of how early childhood education plays a role in building the world of law in the future. The writing method used is literature study supported by various kinds of discussions in the form of focus group discussions and national seminars. The philosophy of Pancasila which continues to be studied and practiced by teachers in the early childhood environment will foster awareness of a quality nation that can be proud of in the global arena. This is because education does not only develop the potential of senses and logic for all involved in it but also develops the potential of conscience, instinct, intuition and imagination.

The beauty of universal design for learning (UDL) and why everyone in early childhood education and intervention should be using it

This article seeks to highlight the importance of consciously implementing universal design for learning principles in practice in early childhood intervention. Universal design for learning (UDL) is based on three principles: 1) providing multiple means of engagement, 2) providing multiple means of representation, and 3) providing multiple means of action and expression. The term UDL is being championed in New Zealand schools but there are few examples of how early childhood settings and early childhood kaiako can utilise it. Highlighting the three UDL principles and how they link with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is important when supporting kaiako and early interventionists to reflect on their practice through the UDL lens. When kaiako and early interventionists focus on providing multiple ways of engaging children, multiple ways of representing information, and multiple ways of enabling action and expression, then the early childhood environments will truly be inclusive. This article outlines the three UDL principles and provides specific examples of enactment of these in early childhood environments.

Support for the Adults and Young Children in Early Childhood Environments

Support for the Adults and Young Children in Early Childhood Environments

Factors Associated with Motor Competence in Preschoolers from a Brazilian Urban Area.

BackgroundPreschool is a crucial period for developing motor skills.ObjectiveThis study evaluated factors associated with motor competence in preschoolers from a Brazilian urban area.MethodsA total of 211 preschoolers (51.2% girls and 48.8% boys) were evaluated. Body mass index was calculated; the Brazilian Economic Research Criterion, the Mini-Mental Scale (MMC) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, Revised (ECERS-R™) were applied; the Habitual Physical Activity time was recorded; the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) was performed. Univariate analysis was performed using simple linear regression for the independent variables, considering the motor test subscales as dependent variables. Variables with p < 0.20 in the univariate analysis were considered for the multiple linear regression model and were entered into the stepwise method.ResultsThe independent variables remaining in the Standard Score Locomotor model were BMI, presence of park at school, and MMC (R2 = 0.16). The independent variables remaining in the Standard Object Control score were MMC and gender (R2 = 0.03). The variables associated with the highest scores of Gross Motor Quotient were MMC, body mass index, and presence of a park at school, respectively (R2 = 0.11).ConclusionMale eutrophic preschoolers who are physically active and attend schools with parks or courtyards in a Brazilian urban area have the highest scores for global cognitive function and motor competence.

Conditions for Children’s Language and Literacy Learning in Swedish Preschools: Exploring Quality Variations with ECERS-3

This article aims to explore the conditions for children’s language and literacy learning in 153 Swedish preschools with children one to five years. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-3) is used to evaluate preschool quality, focusing on the subscale of Language and literacy activities. The study draws on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to highlight the conditions for children’s language and literacy learning in preschool. Significant differences were found in the quality of the 153 preschools as a whole and the five subscales in ECERS-3, giving children unequal conditions for learning and development in the studied areas. Within the Language and literacy subscale, items related to children’s oral language development scored a higher average quality compared with written language-relateditems. Individualized teaching, Staff–child interaction, and Whole-group activities were moderately correlated with activities supporting language development. The results are discussed in terms of an ecological perspective on preschool quality in which intentional teaching needs to be directed at language and literacy learning in both individual, small, and whole-group interactions.

From Making "Tools" to Becoming "People" -- The Transformation and Experience of American Educational Punishment Governance

In recent years, it has been known from the network news that American school bullying incidents are frequent, its severity and concealment are gradually increasing, and the main body of bullying is also getting younger and younger. American bullying not only causes severe damage to the physical and mental health of minors but destroys the order of the daily management of the school and also increases the risk of the safety of the campus, on the harmfulness of more significant social issues, such as the United States in most cases, it still takes criticism education some force weaker moral means, the effective governance bullying is not enough. The rule of law is the most effective way to achieve social governance. Every student's campus life is a drill for the future in social life. Their behaviour will eventually affect the public social order. Therefore, American society has put forward a zero-tolerance policy for school bullying. Many public schools in the United States have the characteristics of exclusion, punishment, and decriminalization in managing students' violations and malicious bullying. It not only fails to give full play to the educational nature of punishment effectively but also aggravates severe social problems such as minors dropping out of school, low-school employment, and juvenile delinquency, which increases the educational cost of American society and the cost of colonial governance and management. Under the guidance of the concept of supporting policy, the federal government by eliminating the repellent of early childhood environment discipline, creating a safe and supportive learning environment, promote education in different stages of the field to carry out the resilience measures such as justice, fair and continue to encourage educational discipline, promote the development of children's social emotion and behavior, to guide students to learn and grow in the wrong, American academic punishment has successfully realized the successful transformation of teaching philosophy and education reform, which is worthy of practical reference and complete reference for China's current treatment of school bullying incidents. Better promoting Chinese education can also embark on equitable and healthy future development.

How Childhood Socioeconomic Status Impacts Adult Food Preference: The Mediating Role of Stress and Trait Appetite.

Prior research has shown that adults who were raised in a low socioeconomic status (SES) environment are more likely to desire energy-dense foods. Research has also shown a positive correlation between current stress levels and the desire for energy-dense foods. We hypothesized that stress and trait appetite mediate the relationship between childhood SES and the desire for low and high-energy-dense foods. In this study, 311 adults participated in an online experiment in which they were shown images of five food items from each of the six major food categories (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, meat/poultry, and sweets) and rated how desirable each food item is. Next, we asked a series of questions that identified the participant’s sex, early childhood socioeconomic conditions, and current stress level. We also identified whether the participants had a trait or state eating personality. A path analysis was used to confirm the hypothesis that stress plays a mediating role between SES and food preference, and that an orderly relationship exists between these variables. The results show the hypothesis was supported and that the results were statistically significant. Specifically, the results show that the desire for low and high-energy-dense foods is indirectly influenced by one’s early childhood environment, and that food desirability is mediated by both stress and trait appetite. In addition, this analysis showed that in some situations, stress can both increase and decrease the desire for high-energy-dense foods. These findings also contribute to our understanding of how environmental conditions (safe and harsh environments) affect appetite and the desire for low and high-energy-dense foods. It also provided a deeper understanding of how these food choices can be adaptive under different ecological conditions.

Determinants of High Fat Mass Index in Preschoolers Living in Brazilian Urban Areas

ObjectiveDetermine the social, environmental, and personal factors associated with high fat mass index in preschoolers. DesignA quantitative, exploratory, and cross-sectional study. Setting and ParticipantsFifty-one Brazilian preschoolers from public schools living in urban areas. Main Outcome Measure(s)The preschoolers’ fat mass index was determined using dual-energy radiological absorptiometry. The quality of home and school environments were accessed using the Early Childhood Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales. The physical activity levels were recorded by accelerometers. The daily energy intake was recorded and sociodemographic data using the Brazilian Economic Classification criterion. Data on exposure time to screens and parental obesity were collected according to the parents’ reports. AnalysisData analyses were performed using simple and multiple regressions models. ResultsParental obesity (β, 0.516; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.078–5.133), high quality of environmental stimulation of home (β, 0.429; 95% CI, 1.294–4.023), and high exposure time to screens (β, 0.256; 95% CI, 0.215–2.554) explained 43% of preschoolers’ high fat mass index. Conclusions and ImplicationsIdentification of parental obesity, high quality of environmental stimulation of home, and high exposure time to screens as the most important determinants of the high fat mass index in preschoolers from Brazilian urban areas.

Cooperation between Preschool Institutions and Parents within Early Childhood Environmental Education

The goal of this research was to explore the perceptions of cooperation between preschool institutions and parents within Early Childhood Environmental Education activities, primarily within the dimension of including parents in preschool activities. In the theoretical framework of the study, we discuss the major aspects of cooperation between families and preschool institutions and the significance of learning about the environment for the cooperation process. Many authors agree that cooperation between families and preschool institutions comprises the following dimensions: information sharing between preschool teachers and parents, including parents in preschool activities, parents’ involvement in supporting the child’s development at home, and parents’ participation in preschool institutions executive bodies. In this paper, we focus on the dimension of including parents in preschool activities through Early Childhood Environmental Education. The results show that the majority of questionnaire items exposed statistically significant differences between the perception of parents and the perception of preschool teachers when it comes to including parents in Early Childhood Environmental Education activities. We consider that a series of planned actions is necessary for including as many parents as possible in the Early Childhood Environmental Education activities. One of the main reasons for such an initiative is the veracity of such activities and the possibility for children to create and develop their creative abilities through research.

Opportunities for recognising, assessing, and providing online support among elementary school students with dyscalculia

Mathematics is present throughout our lives. Already in infancy, children become acquainted with quantities and the differentiation of quantities (Starkey &amp; Cooper, 1995; Huntley et al., 2000; Csépe et al., 2007, 2008). According to von Aster and Shalev (2007), the quantitative core system (cardinality) develops in infancy. An infant is capable of subitising, estimating, and comparing the quantities of a small number of items. After learning from their environment in early childhood, children perceive quantities and then understand the strategy needed for counting and are able to count verbally. They use different classifications to determine the quantities. Kindergarten prepares the knowledge needed for the application of the concept of numbers and lays the foundations for the concept of operations. As a continuation of knowledge acquisition of knowledge, in primary school the establishment of a unified and broad foundation takes place with a focus on the development and consolidation of the concept of numbers and operations. Number words representing quantities are associated with digits, therefore school children express them with symbols without the presence of quantities (von Aster &amp; Shalev, 2007; Jármi, 2013, p. 50). This developmental process allows for the learning of written operation performance in the lower grades, while the internal number line (analogous quantity representation) develops in the child, which strengthens spatial thinking. In the initial stage of the lower school grades, active knowledge acquisition dominates, which is the first level of abstraction of mathematical activities. In the grades that follow, the constantly and spirally repeating, expanding nature of knowledge strengthens the fourth level of abstraction, i.e., the independent application of symbols.

Maternal depressive symptoms and children's cognitive school readiness: the role of gene-environment interplay.

Maternal depressive symptoms are a robust risk factor for poor cognitive outcomes in children, yet the role of gene-environment interplay in this association is not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate gene-environment interaction in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and children's cognitive school readiness. Data come from a population-based birth cohort of 538 twin pairs. Maternal depressive symptoms were self-reported (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) when children were aged 6 and 18 months (a mean score was used). Children's cognitive school readiness was assessed using the Lollipop Test when children were aged 5 years. Analyses were conducted with structural equation modeling. Maternal depressive symptoms were correlated with children's cognitive school readiness (r = -0.10). Shared environmental factors explained most of the variance in children's cognitive school readiness (52%). The remaining variance was accounted for by genetic (30%) and nonshared environmental factors (18%). As the level of maternal depressive symptoms increased, the relative contribution of nonshared environmental factors to the variance in children's cognitive school readiness increased (0.14 [95% CI: 0.04 to 0.24]), whereas the relative contribution of genetic factors decreased (-0.28 [-0.64 to 0.08]). In contexts of elevated maternal depressive symptoms, environmental - and potentially modifiable - factors may be especially important for shaping children's cognitive outcomes. This suggests that interventions to improve the early childhood environment of children exposed to maternal depressive symptoms may improve their cognitive outcomes.

Https://www.journalprenatalife.com, email: info@cosmoanelixis.grEXPLORING THE MOTHER-FATHER-CHILD TRIAD:A FRESH INSIGHT ON THE ROOTS OF LATENT VIOLENCE

This work examines the early childhood and pre-natal environment through a collection of multiple biographical and autobiographical resources, which,in addition to containing personal memories,reconstruct trans-generational stories of the well-known historical personalities.Numerous works have already emphasized the mother-child dyad; this work emphasizes the importance of the mother-father-child basic triad.By exploring several archetypal cases, this study should also contribute to the understanding of the roots of self-destructive behaviors and the origin of violent feelings and thoughts.

A lifecourse approach to the relationship between lung function and cognition function in late life: findings from the Mysore studies of Natal effect on Ageing and Health (MYNAH) in South India

Background: Emerging evidence from high income settings indicates that lung function may be an independent determinant of cognitive abilities in late life. Despite a high burden of chronic lung disorders and neurocognitive disorders, there are limited data exploring the relationship between lung and cognitive function in later life in low- and middle-income (LMIC) settings. Methods: Between 2013 and 2016, 721 men and women from the Mysore Birth Records Cohort in South India, aged 55-80 years, were retraced and underwent standardised assessments for sociodemographic characteristics, cardiometabolic risk factors, lung function, cognitive function and mental health. Approximately 20 years earlier, a subset of them had assessments for cardiometabolic risk factors (n=522) and lung function (n=143). Results: Forced Expiratory Volume at one second (FEV1) and six seconds (FEV6) were higher among men than women. Women had higher immediate and delayed recall scores compared to men. Multivariate models indicated that those with lower FEV1 (lts) and FEV1/FEV6 ratio in late life had lower composite cognitive score (SD, standard deviation), independent of growth and environment in early life and childhood, attained education, socioeconomic position, cardiometabolic disorders in mid-and late life and lifestyle factors (0.29 SD per litre 95% confidence interval [CI] (0.10, 0.50) p=0.006 for FEV1 and 1.32 SD (0.20, 2.50) p=0.02 for FEV1/FEV6 ratio). Lung function in midlife was unrelated to cognitive outcomes in late life. Conclusions: Causality cannot be inferred from cross sectional associations. Therefore, causality is best explored in longitudinal studies with serial, but contemporaneous measurements of both lung and cognitive function. Mechanistic studies that examine the role of shared risk factors like environmental pollutants and biomass exposure on this relationship are urgently required in LMICs.