Learning Space and Environment of Early Childhood Education
A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Early Childhood Education".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 51860
Special Issue Editors
Interests: quality and effects of ECEC-service; bullying in ECEC; curriculum research in ECEC; endangered children and competency development; organization and pedagogical use of the physical environment in ECEC institutions; psychomotor learning and development; health, wellbeing, and psychosocial outcomes of physical activity
Interests: outdoor play; risky play; wellbeing; physical activity; play environments; learning environments
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
There is a growing consensus contends that physical environments play an essential role in children’s development and learning. Children learn best in environments that provide them with meaningful contexts for learning and a diversity of choices and possibilities for following their interests. Factors concerning the educational environment, such as early childhood education and care institutions’ (ECECs) physical features, are important for children’s play, wellbeing, participation, health, development, and learning outcomes. Research clearly indicates that the environment’s physical factors greatly influence children’s perception and utilization of both indoor and outdoor physical environments.
The aim of this Special Issue is to gather and disseminate contemporary and high-quality research on how physical environments, spaces, and materials in early childhood education influence child outcomes such as their development, learning, play, wellbeing, and social relations. The understanding of learning spaces and the physical environment in this Special Issue covers a broad sense of the concept, such as various landscapes and places, buildings, outdoor and indoor environments, interior design, furnishing, equipment, installations, and play material.
We welcome manuscripts with a focus on, but not limited to:
- The interconnection between physical environments and children’s everyday lives and play in ECEC physical environments;
- The relation between physical environments in ECEC and children’s wellbeing, development, and learning;
- The ECEC institutions’ pedagogical work for utilizing and developing learning spaces;
- Children’s perceptions, experiences, actions (play), and learning in relation with their physical environment in ECEC;
- Teachers and practitioners’ perceptions, experiences, actions, and pedagogical practice in the ECEC’s physical environment;
- Teachers and practitioners’ competence and professional development regarding the creation of inspiring and supportive ECEC physical environments;
- Architects, public authorities and ECEC owners’ work on planning and developing learning spaces in ECEC.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Moser
Prof. Dr. Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter
Dr. Ole Johan Sando
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- physical environment
- furniture
- toys and artefacts
- landscape
- learning space
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