Building Partnerships to Support Intentional Play-Based Learning for Enhanced Outcomes in Children

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite submissions for inclusion in a Special Issue titled “Building Partnerships to Support Intentional Play-Based Learning for Enhanced Outcomes in Children”.

The significance of intentional teaching within play-based learning frameworks has gained considerable attention in early childhood education. Effective partnerships between educators, families, and communities are increasingly being recognised as essential in fostering holistic learning and development. Collaborative approaches that prioritise partnership-building can create richer, more meaningful intentional play-based experiences that cater to children’s diverse needs, interests, and cultural backgrounds.

This Special Issue will explore innovative approaches, frameworks, and models emphasising partnership-building and intentionality within play-based learning. We aim to provide a platform for sharing empirical research, theoretical perspectives, and practical case studies that examine how collaborative efforts can enhance children’s outcomes. Contributions that address the intersection of intentional teaching, family engagement, and community partnerships within play-based learning contexts are particularly welcome.

We welcome submissions that address themes such as the following:

• Intentional teaching strategies that integrate family and community knowledge into play-based learning to promote positive educational outcomes.
• Case studies and empirical research examining how educators build and sustain partnerships with families and communities while implementing intentional, play-based pedagogies. This could include exploring specific strategies educators use to co-create play-based learning experiences with families and other stakeholders, as well as the impacts that these partnerships have on children's learning and development.
• Frameworks and models for building strong partnerships between early childhood educators, families, and communities in play-based programmes. This could include strategies and models that promote family understanding and active engagement in play-based learning, as well as ways of ensuring that families are co-creators in the learning process.
• The role of digital tools and technologies in facilitating partnerships and enhancing their contributions/collaborations in play-based curricula.
• Reflections from educators, families, and children on co-designing play-based experiences/curricula that promote positive learning outcomes.

Dr. Mia Chen
Prof. Dr. Sivanes Phillipson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• intentional teaching
• play-based learning
• partnerships in early childhood education
• family engagement
• community collaboration