Beyond Testocracy: Imagination, Play, and Well-Being in Early Childhood Education

Dear Colleagues,

Across many educational systems worldwide, early childhood education has become increasingly shaped by testocracy—the dominance of standardized assessment, accountability metrics, and early academic benchmarking. While such systems are often intended to improve quality and equity, they can narrow educational priorities in ways that undermine young children’s cognitive, emotional, social, and physical well-being. A substantial body of research demonstrates that early childhood is a sensitive developmental period during which play, imagination, curiosity, and relational experiences are foundational to healthy learning and development. When these elements are marginalized, children’s motivation, resilience, and sense of meaning in learning are at risk.

At the same time, growing interdisciplinary evidence from education, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and sociology highlights the central role of play and imagination in supporting self-regulation, emotional well-being, creativity, and lifelong learning dispositions. These findings point to a widening gap between what is known about early development and what is often prioritized in policy and practice. This Special Issue responds to an urgent need to critically examine contemporary early childhood educational practices and policies and to explore more holistic, humane, and developmentally grounded approaches.

The aim of this Special Issue is to advance scholarly dialogue on how early childhood education can move beyond test-driven models toward approaches that foreground imagination, play, and children’s well-being. The scope includes empirical, theoretical, and policy-oriented contributions that examine the effects of assessment regimes, curricular mandates, and institutional pressures, as well as alternative pedagogies, assessment practices, and frameworks that support human flourishing in early childhood education across diverse cultural and social contexts.

Suggested Themes:

• The rise and consequences of testocracy in early childhood education;
• Imagination, play, and curiosity as foundations for learning and well-being;
• Neurodevelopmental, emotional, and social benefits of play in early childhood;
• Reimagining assessment: authentic, narrative, and formative approaches;
• Teacher autonomy, professional judgment, and well-being in early childhood settings;
• Cross-cultural and historical perspectives on play, imagination, and childhood;
• Policy, leadership, and curriculum reforms supporting holistic early childhood education;
• Comparative studies of early childhood education systems emphasizing play and/or creativity;
• Ecological and holistic frameworks integrating family, community, and culturel;
• Effects of high-stakes testing and early schoolification on young children’s development;
• AI and the future of play-based learning in early childhood education;
• The impact of AI on teacher agency and professionalism in early childhood education.

Prof. Dr. Kyung Hee Kim
Dr. Yi Hua
Guest Editors

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• early childhood education
• testocracy
• imagination
• play
• creativity
• child well-being
• assessment and accountability
• holistic education
• teacher agency
• educational policy