How parents spent time at home with their preschool-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been seen in more than 120 countries, including Turkey, which took public health measures to reduce the spread of the novel virus. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Turkish education system, where schools closed indefinitely on March 16, 2020, due to the pandemic. School closures immediately changed the lives of Turkish children and their parents, as children started to spend more time with their families at home during this pandemic. This article addresses how parents spent time with their children at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how their feelings changed during this time. Purposive sampling was used to select 25 parents whose children in preschool education during the spring semester of 2020. This study used qualitative methods, collecting data through a semi-structured interview form. Interviews were conducted over the telephone because of the social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. Results from the interviews show that parents engaged in several different types of activities with their children at home during the pandemic. Parents’ reflections detailed how they noticed behavioral, psychological, socialization, and school-based impacts on their children during the pandemic period. Besides, findings indicate that parents generally experienced negative feelings and effects due to the pandemic. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of the pandemic on the lives of parents and their young children.

Making everyday meanings visible: Investigating the use of multimodal map texts to articulate young children’s perspectives

The use of multimodal approaches to articulate young children’s perspectives are evident in a wide range of recent research. This paper explores the creation of multimodal map-texts as a strategy to engage with young children and articulate their perspectives. It describes the development of a flexible map-based approach that was used in home, early years and community settings with children aged 4 to 5 years in England. Illustrative examples are included in which children represented and shared their views on the image-based texts they encountered within their everyday lives through the creation of a multimodal map-text. In this approach to research, children are viewed as competent message creators whose engagements encompass a range of modes and media. Consideration was given to young children’s multimodal meaning-making practices throughout the act of mapping, as well as the resulting text. Taking this approach revealed knowledge, perspectives and contextual information which may otherwise have been overlooked. The paper concludes by identifying the contribution that children’s map-texts can make when building a picture of young children’s experiences, and appraises the advantages and limitations of map-making as a strategy for engaging with young children in research.

Kindergarten children’s perceptions of the social unrest in Hong Kong

Hong Kong experienced a period of significant social unrest, marked by protests, from June 2019 to February 2020. Media coverage was pervasive. In July 2020, children aged from 5 to 6 years attending kindergartens in areas both directly and less directly impacted by the protests were asked to draw and talk about what had taken place during the social unrest. Thematic analysis of children’s drawings demonstrates the extent of their awareness and understanding and suggests that children perceived both protestors and police as angry and demonstrating aggression. Many children were critical of police conduct and saw protestors as needing protection from the police. Children around the world have been exposed to protest movements in recent times. The implications for parents, teachers and schools are discussed.

‘I have this subversive curriculum underneath’: Narratives of micro resistance in early childhood education

Neoliberal thinking has increasingly shaped global and national policy incursions in early childhood education. Research has highlighted the power effects of such policies with consequences for pedagogy, provision and the professional identities of educators. Less well understood are educator responses to these policies. Whilst literature offers some exploration of resistance movements, little is known from empirical studies about how acts of resistance are enacted individually (and collectively) in the professional lives of early years educators. This article explores how English early childhood educators resist policy constructions of ideal professional identities. Using reconceptualized critical theory, this paper considers both neoliberal shaped demands on early educators and their resistance to these. Employing data from professional life story interviews ( n = 16) by early educators in a range of contexts, narratives were constructed which document their responses to ECE policies. This paper draws on three of these narratives. A Critical Narrative Analysis reveals that educator resistances are not always large scale, collective or mobilized but are often expressed in atomized contexts through a dispersed network of actors. Individual responses included ‘micro resistances’ which were often local, quiet and invisible but multiple. The paper offers novel insights into c/overt resistances revealing educators’ complex, nuanced and subversive responses to discursive policy manoeuvres.

Preschoolers’ social emotional learning in children’s museums and community playgrounds

Interest in social emotional learning (SEL) is higher than ever, as parents, educators, and policymakers recognize that children need more than cognitive skills for later life success. However, most SEL research has been conducted in formal education settings. This article describes results from an empirical study of 4–5 years old SEL in two informal learning settings, including children’s museums and community playgrounds. Members of the Children’s Museum Research Network observed 606 preschool children using the Revised/Shortened Minnesota Preschool Affect Checklist (MPAC-R/S). Findings show that preschool children engaged in SEL in both settings, but that significantly more instances of SEL were seen in children’s museums compared with community playgrounds. We argue that children’s museums may provide an important, peer-to-peer opportunity for children to develop and practice their SEL, one that is unique from the more common teacher-child interactions provided in schools.

Ageless play: Sustaining intergenerational playgroup programmes

Intergenerational playgroups purposively bring older people, young children and their caregivers together to engage in play and develop reciprocal relationships. Intergenerational research focuses on the benefits for participants, with much less known about how these programmes sustain. This paper discusses and explores programme sustainability through the examination of two playgroups established through Playgroup Queensland’s Ageless Play programme. Through qualitative interviewing with playgroup practitioners and participants we aimed to understand how each of these playgroups had sustained beyond 3 years. The findings included the importance of mutual benefit for stakeholders, knowledge and skills of the playgroup facilitator and use of strategies to ensure ongoing interaction and engagement within the group. These findings are important for ensuring the continuation of intergenerational playgroup programmes.

Understanding educator attitudes towards and perceptions of mathematics in early childhood

The first 3 years of life are identified as a period where children are primed for mathematical thinking, and a time where significant and critical development occurs. Additionally, mathematical ability in the years before children start school serves as a strong predictor of later achievement. However, many early childhood educators do not recognise the relevance of focussing on numeracy with very young children, and there remains a paucity of research on mathematical thinking and learning with infant and toddler aged children. This study sought to investigate early childhood educators’ perspectives on mathematics for children birth to 5 years of age. Educators were invited to complete an online survey and a mixed methods approach was used to interpret the responses. The findings revealed that even though mathematics was seen as relevant and important across the birth to five age range, these values were not significantly reflected in educator’s preferred or espoused teaching practices. The study also identified a range of factors that positively and negatively influenced educator self-efficacy and dispositions towards mathematics across their lifespans. Practitioner led research projects are suggested as an effective form of professional learning to incorporate into future research projects.

Exploring the implementation of mindfulness approaches in an early years setting

Children as young as pre-school are experiencing difficulties related to stress, anxiety and inattention which could be supported through the use of mindfulness. However, there is very little research on how to effectively deliver mindfulness approaches within Early Years (EYs) practice. A year-long action research project was conducted with an EYs setting to explore how EYs practitioners can effectively deliver mindfulness, understanding their perceptions of the impact, facilitators and challenges to successful implementation. Findings revealed various facilitating factors including: developing effective and inclusive mindfulness approaches; reflecting on practice; working collaboratively and creating a supportive community. Challenges included issues related to the school context and delivery of mindful approaches. Findings revealed perceived benefits for the children, staff and the EYs setting. Implications for practice suggest it is feasible for school psychologists to support EYs settings to develop mindfulness practices using an action research approach. Future research and study limitations are discussed.

“How am I supposed to do this on my own?”: A case study on perspectives of preschool teachers regarding integrative STEM practices

This article analyzes the perspectives of three preschool teachers on integrative STEM practices and the facilitating and hindering factors in their implementation. The participants were preschool teachers working at public preschools. They volunteered to participate in a 14-hour STEM professional development program and to share their perspectives on the implementation of integrative STEM practice. Here a case-study method is used to conduct an in-depth investigation. Data was collected from teachers through interviews, informal classroom observations, and document analysis. The factors facilitating or hindering the teachers’ implementation of integrative STEM practice were analyzed in three aspects: curriculum, pedagogy, learning environment, and the needs they observed while implementing these practices identified. The findings revealed that though the practices are developmentally appropriate to support active learning and time-effectiveness, teachers find it challenging to integrate STEM into education by their own efforts alone. Daily routines, differences between individual children, and material and storage issues are major hindering factors they faced while implementing integrative STEM practices. According to findings, teachers need the support of administration, parents, and colleagues to implement integrative STEM practices. In the short term and the long term, to see a positive impact of integrative STEM practices, there is a need for a better quality context in the curriculum, pedagogy, and learning environment.

Democracy or legacy? Boys’ views on early literacy in three Maltese state schools

Malta, a former British colony, has inherited a legacy of formal education, which remains stubbornly in place even after almost 60 years of independence. Similarly, persistent are arguments in research and policy highlighting democracy and children’s rights in early years practice and boys’ underachievement in literacy. This paper examines 5- to 6-year-old boys’ perspectives about their schooled reading and writing experiences in three Maltese state schools through the dual lenses of children’s rights and democratic practice to create new understandings of these widely discussed longstanding phenomena. The paper discusses themes emerging from three focus group interviews which were part of a broader mixed-methods phenomenological doctoral study. Findings revealed that most boys experienced undesirable reading and writing practices, pointing to a need to rollback the highly formalised approach to literacy practised in many early years of educational settings in Malta. This paper questions whether countries like Malta will remain paralysed by a legacy of early formal schooling or move forward to an actual realisation of children’s rights through sustained democratic early childhood paedagogies.