Education Sciences

Amid a policy mandate to foster national identity in Hong Kong’s early childhood education sector, this study explores the complex intersection of pedagogy, home–school collaboration, and technology integration. Navigating this value-laden topic depends fundamentally on a strong partnership between parents and educators, yet the rapid push for artificial intelligence (AI) creates additional pressures. This qualitative study investigates the shared and conflicting perspectives of these key stakeholders. Eight focus groups were conducted with 21 parents and 26 educators from four diverse Hong Kong kindergartens. Data were analyzed using a novel human–AI collaborative thematic analysis to ensure analytical depth and reliability. The findings reveal a paradoxical consensus: while parents and educators agree on an experiential, play-based pedagogy, they hold divergent views on the division of responsibility. A further misalignment exists in communication ideals, with parents prioritizing efficiency and educators prioritizing relational nuance. Critically, a technology paradox emerges, pitting parents’ aspirational hopes for AI against educators’ pragmatic concerns over inadequate resources, training, and pedagogical suitability. The study concludes that a significant perception gap strains the home–school partnership. Simply introducing technology without first addressing these foundational human and resource-based misalignments risks widening, rather than bridging, the divide, offering important lessons for education systems globally.

A course was created at a large private R1 university in the northeast U.S. to explore Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in STEM in response to and to fulfill a university-wide DEIA requirement for undergraduates. To assess the effectiveness of the course, open-response pre- and post-tests were designed that measured students’ understanding of barriers to learning and participation across four underutilized groups in STEM: (1) women, (2) racial minorities, (3) people with disabilities, and (4) people raised in lower socioeconomic households. Written responses on the first and last day of class were analyzed for 69 unique students in three successive cohorts (Fall 2022, 2023, and 2024) and disaggregated by student-reported demographic data. A common codebook was developed that could be broadly applied to all four underutilized groups with overarching categories of individual/self; cultural/societal; and institutional/educational/career, with codes and subcodes specific to each category. Additionally, codes distinct to each underutilized group also emerged. As intended, students on average cited more total and unique barrier codes in the post-test than in the pre-test, confirming that the course had deepened their understanding of the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within educational systems and the broader culture that impact STEM inclusivity. When exploring STEM barriers for women, women reported more unique codes in the pre-test than men, but men showed higher gains from pre- to post-test. Similarly, White and Asian students showed greater gains than racial minority students when identifying STEM barriers for racial minorities. Students without disabilities reported a doubling in unique STEM barrier codes in the post-test. In these three groups, codes related to academic and workplace discrimination were commonly cited. Students who reported being from a low socioeconomic household were limited in this study, though these individuals included more unique codes in their pre-test responses on average. Students in this group commonly cited barriers related to access to opportunity. In general, we found that STEM students acquired significant understanding of barriers to STEM participation in the four underutilized groups of focus after completing a dedicated DEIA course. Additionally, learning gains were often greater in the majority (or privileged) demographic.

Outdoor play can be linked to numerous health, cognitive, and social benefits for children. All children must have opportunities to engage in regular outdoor play experiences. Despite this, some children, including those with different abilities, are less likely to participate in outdoor play. Educator-led outdoor play programs, including those in schools and early childhood centres, “bush schools”, and other initiatives, may increase time spent playing outdoors for all children, as learned activities generalise to the home environment. However, effective inclusion in these programs requires practices that are flexible enough to welcome all children, of all abilities. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework designed to support flexible and inclusive learning environments, offers an inclusive approach. UDL provides a tool which has the potential to assist educators in creating flexible learning processes for their students and has been used across a range of curriculum areas. To explore this further and to investigate the use of UDL in educator-led outdoor play programs, the authors undertook a preliminary review of literature that mapped the field and identified 10 relevant studies related to both UDL and outdoor play programs. From this review, three themes were identified: the critical importance of including all children in outdoor play, the potential of UDL to support this inclusion, and the need for specific UDL resources tailored to outdoor play. Finally, we argue that integrating UDL into educator-led outdoor play initiatives may enhance accessibility and participation for children with unique needs. This review suggests an explicit agenda for future research and practice for professionals in the field.