Search Results (209)

Pastoralist communities in Karamoja maintain close, multifaceted relationships with animals from early childhood, yet little is known about how children conceptualise animal emotions and cognitive abilities. This pilot study explored these conceptions among Kasimeri Primary School students in Karamoja, Uganda, within the AICS All-In-One Project (AID 012590/04/1). A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 326 students (mean age 13 ± 2 years). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and generalised linear models (GLMs). Most children attributed a wide range of emotions to animals, with anger (79.6%) and happiness (78.2%) being the most widely recognised and disgust the least attributed (63.2%). Emotion ascription differed significantly by emotion type (p < 0.001) and species (p = 0.004), with significant interactions (p = 0.022). Species differences emerged for several emotions (all p ≤ 0.006), with ruminants and chickens receiving higher attribution than dogs, reflecting different species’ roles in pastoral life. Students from pastoralist households showed lower emotion scores than those with non-farmer fathers (p = 0.025). Cognitive ability attribution also differed significantly across species (all p < 0.001). These findings challenge Western-pet-centred frameworks, highlighting the need for culturally grounded, One Health-oriented educational approaches integrating local animal knowledge with formal welfare and health curricula. Full article

This study is based on heritage education as the ideal framework for laying the foundations of a democratic, participatory citizenship that is committed to its community and to social and ecological justice from an early age. Thus, with the aim of improving teacher training, this research seeks to identify the conceptions held by trainee Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers regarding controversial heritage, heritage education and its link to citizenship education. To this end, a quantitative questionnaire was administered to 328 students on the Early Childhood and Primary Education Degree programmes at the University of Huelva (Spain). The data collected were analysed using Excel and JASP, with a system of categories serving as a framework for interpretation. The results indicate that trainee teachers consider it appropriate to address controversial heritage from the earliest educational stages and conceptualise citizenship through a combination of civic responsibility, sustainable development, and ecosocial transformation. Differences between degree programmes were limited to a small number of items and showed small effect sizes; these differences should be interpreted cautiously because prior training in heritage education was unevenly distributed across the two programmes. Full article

In recent years, Ireland has engaged in intensive curriculum change and redevelopment. A key principle of this process has been a concern to maintain pedagogical continuity in the way children experience the curriculum in transitioning from early childhood education to primary school. This concern was prompted by research indicating that a pedagogy of play was becoming less of a feature of curriculum enactment for children in primary school. Prior to examining the current position regarding a pedagogy of play across early childhood and primary curriculum frameworks in Ireland, this paper provides an overview of the broader policy directions of the early childhood and primary school systems. Barriers that have been identified in enacting a pedagogy of play at the system, setting/school, teacher and child levels in preschool and primary school will be considered, and enablers are suggested to support the effective enactment of curriculum experiences that include an understanding of the pivotal role of learning through play for all children. Full article

Background: Teacher coaching is a central driver of implementation science, yet no recent review has centered the active components of coaching and consultation, rather than social-emotional learning (SEL) programs themselves, as its primary object of synthesis. (“Basic education” is used throughout this manuscript as the English rendering of the Latin American usage of the term, corresponding to ISCED 2011 levels 0–2: early childhood, primary, and lower-secondary education; it does not include upper-secondary or tertiary education.) This mixed-methods systematic review with thematic synthesis examined how coaching and consultation models with explicit active ingredients (modeling, guided practice, reflection, goal setting, and performance feedback) affect implementation fidelity, dosage, and quality, and students’ socioemotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 and a prospectively registered protocol (OSF M3846), we searched Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC, supplemented by snowballing and grey literature searches. Of 341 screened records, 36 studies (2010–2026) met eligibility criteria and underwent data extraction and MMAT quality appraisal by independent reviewers (κ ≥ 0.84). A convergent segregated mixed-methods synthesis integrated qualitative thematic analysis with narrative quantitative synthesis. Results: Four interdependent macro-themes emerged: the systemic and individual conditions enabling coaching; its active technical-relational architecture; fidelity–adaptation tensions when scaling programs across cultures; and a translational cascade whereby high-fidelity coaching is associated with stronger proximal teacher practice and classroom climate, with academic gains emerging later and inconsistently. Conclusions: Coaching appears most effective when active technical components combine with a non-evaluative consultative alliance under supportive school conditions. We propose adaptive fidelity as a framework reconciling technical rigor with cultural responsiveness, relevant for scaling coaching to lower-resource, culturally diverse contexts, including the Global South. Full article

Background: Motivation for academic reading is a relevant component of initial teacher training. However, little is known about whether distinct motivational profiles exist in association with patterns of substance use and problematic behaviors among prospective teachers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 289 students (77.5% female; aged 18–34) enrolled in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education degree programs. Motivation for academic reading was assessed using the Academic Reading Motivation Scale (EMLA), while substance- and behavior-related problems were evaluated using the MULTICAGE CAD-4 questionnaire. Latent profile analysis was used to identify academic reading motivation profiles, and multivariate and post hoc analyses were performed to examine differences in scores across profiles. Results: Three motivational profiles were identified, characterized by high, intermediate, and low levels of academic reading motivation. Significant differences between profiles were observed regarding problems related to alcohol, drug use, gambling, video games, and compulsive spending. Conclusions: Academic reading motivation profiles were associated with various screening indicators for substance use and problematic behaviors. Given the cross-sectional and self-report nature of the study, these findings should not be interpreted in terms of causality. The results highlight the potential value of jointly considering academic motivation and health-related behavioral indicators in future teacher training. Full article

This article presents a systematic review of recent literature on classroom pedagogy adopted in early and primary education to address linguistic diversity in early childhood and primary education. The study aims to answer the research question: ‘What does the literature say about current pedagogical practices and trends in addressing multilingualism in early and primary education?’ The review synthesizes evidence from a period of five years (2019–2024), utilising keywords such as “multilingualism,” “classroom pedagogy,” and “early and primary education.” From an initial screening of 806 studies, a total of 46 studies focusing on pedagogical practices in early childhood and primary education were included in this review. Findings highlight a shift towards multilingual pedagogies that recognise and build on learners’ linguistic and cultural strengths, particularly through translanguaging, multilingual and multimodal scaffolding, culturally responsive teaching, and practices that promote student agency, identity, and well-being. Emerging trends emphasise flexible use of learners’ full linguistic repertoires, digital and multimodal learning, and more formative and inclusive approaches to assessment, while highlighting the need for sustained teacher professional development and systemic changes to curriculum, assessment, and language policy to move beyond persistent monolingual norms. These findings have practical and policy implications, highlighting the need to strengthen teacher professional learning and develop curriculum, assessment, and language policies that embed multilingualism as a resource for learning. This synthesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how educational systems can adapt to and embrace linguistic diversity, ultimately improving educational outcomes for early and primary school-aged learners. Full article

Immersive virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in higher education, yet evidence on how perceived presence, fidelity, immersion and usability co-occur in authentic learning objects—and how they relate to prior experience and gender—remains limited. This cross-sectional study examines these four perceptual dimensions in 250 undergraduate students of Early Childhood and Primary Education at the University of Seville immediately after interacting with an immersive VR learning object built around the Future Classroom model. All variables are self-reported perceptions collected at a single post-experience time point; no learning outcomes were assessed. Data were collected with the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ), a fidelity–immersion scale and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Reliability was high across instruments (α = 0.881–0.931). Students reported moderate-to-high presence, realism, fidelity and immersion, and a notable usability score (SUS = 71.18). Presence, fidelity and immersion correlated strongly and positively, although their conceptual proximity and the shared measurement method preclude treating these associations as evidence of empirically distinct constructs. Associations with usability were weak and heterogeneous. Gender differences were absent except for involvement, an isolated result reported as exploratory. Prior experience with VR and with head-mounted displays was associated with differences in the ratings, with small effect sizes and a non-monotonic pattern: the intermediate-experience group scored lowest, whereas the low- and high-experience groups did not differ significantly from one another. The study characterises students’ perceived experience of an immersive VR learning object; it does not test its effects on learning. Full article

Educational robotics is increasingly recognized as a promising tool for innovation in teaching and learning. However, its successful integration in schools often depends on the availability of targeted professional development programs that support educators with no prior experience in this field. This study addresses this gap by presenting and evaluating the development and implementation of a training program specifically designed to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to integrate robotics into early and primary education. The program, sfera.BOT, was designed as part of a regional educational initiative in Basilicata, Italy, and was conceived within T.I. Abilito, a national initiative that promotes educational inclusion; within this broader framework, however, the training pathway examined here was addressed to educators working with all children in mainstream early childhood and primary classrooms, rather than exclusively with children with disabilities. It followed a blended learning model and was grounded in hands-on exploration, collaborative planning, and weekly mentoring sessions. The research employed a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of four female educators from diverse backgrounds who completed the training. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, a knowledge assessment questionnaire, and field observations. The findings reveal that participants acquired significant technical and pedagogical competencies, shifted from initial insecurity to confident implementation, and began to see themselves as potential trainers and change agents within their schools. Given the small, purposefully selected sample and the specific regional context, these findings are context-rich rather than statistically generalizable. The study underscores how well-structured, practical, and context-aware training can foster continuing professional development in the field of educational robotics. Full article

Background: Early childhood caregivers are exposed to intensive caregiving demands and have a high risk of depression. Guided by the family stress process model and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this cross-sectional study examined whether psychological flexibility mediates the association between parenting stress and depression. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1140 Chinese primary caregivers of infants aged 0–36 months in Ya’an, Sichuan, China, from 9 October 2022 to 8 October 2025 using convenience sampling. Validated scales included the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) (Higher AAQ-II scores reflected lower psychological flexibility), and Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8). Hayes’ PROCESS Model 4, with 5000 bootstrap resamples, was adopted for the mediation analysis. Results: Parenting stress was positively associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.335, p < 0.01) (weak-to-moderate effect size). Psychological flexibility exerted a partial mediating effect between the two variables, and the indirect effect accounted for 45% of the total effect. Caregivers with lower household income, lower educational level, and those caring for children aged 0–12 months reported significantly higher depression (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Parenting stress is an important risk factor for depression, and psychological flexibility plays a significant partial mediating role in this relationship. ACT-based interventions targeting psychological flexibility may hold implications for depression among early childhood caregivers. Full article

Background/Objectives: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common, preventable, and socially patterned disease, yet the literature on ECC is vulnerable not only to limitations in evidence generation but also to errors in evidence translation. This conceptual framework paper focuses on evidence translation rather than estimating a new treatment effect. Methods: Literature and framework development were informed by targeted narrative searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with an emphasis on ECC literature from 2010 onward and foundational methodological sources. Sources were purposively retained if they clarified an evidentiary domain, a cross-domain bridge, or a competing interpretation; priority was given to systematic reviews, trials, longitudinal and causal studies, natural experiments, clinical guidance, and implementation evaluations. No pooled effect estimates were produced. Results: Evidence drift is the movement of a finding into a stronger or different claim without adequate bridging evidence. The proposed framework comprises association, mechanism, causation, consequence, disease control, and policy implementation, with commercial and structural determinants operating as a cross-cutting upstream layer. It classifies the inference advanced rather than study design alone and permits primary and secondary domain tags. A four-question test asks whether the research question and conclusion occupy the same domain, what bridge supports the movement, and whether uncertainty is retained. Five trajectories illustrate the framework: vitamin D, dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia, oral microbiome research, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), and sugar taxation. In the SDF case, lesion-arrest evidence is explicitly separated from the still-unproven implementation hypothesis that endpoint-only pathways may create differential standards of care. Conclusions: The original contribution is an integrated vocabulary, decision procedure, and validation agenda for ECC evidence appraisal. The framework generates three prespecified, testable hypotheses: (1) trained raters will classify claims with reproducible inter-rater agreement (kappa ≥ 0.70); (2) claims judged to contain evidence drift will be significantly less likely than domain-concordant claims to include an explicit bridge; and (3) using the structured framework will improve the transparency and proportionality of reviews compared with usual appraisal. Prospective testing of content and construct validity, as well as practical utility, in peer review, guideline development, education, and policy evaluation is required before standardized implementation. Full article

This article addresses the need to rethink educational innovation as a transformative driver for sustainability within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG4. Its aim is to analyze the role of arts education as a catalyst for this innovation, with creativity as its primary strategy. To this end, a Scoping Review methodology following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. A review of Open Access (OA) publications indexed in Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus between 2000 and 2025 is conducted. The results of this analysis show that most studies (n = 19) are developed in higher education contexts, with a strong emphasis on publications labeled as innovative and grounded in creativity, as well as a frequent association between innovation and the use of new technologies or digital tools. These publications also explicitly link their proposals to the SDGs, highlighting the central role of arts education in sustainability. However, there is a limited presence of studies at earlier or compulsory educational levels—such as early childhood, primary, or secondary education—as well as in museum contexts, which are closely connected to the arts. The article concludes that arts education holds significant transformative potential to foster engagement with sustainability in the pursuit of critical and creative generations for a more sustainable world. Full article

Background/Objectives: Authentic assessment—the systematic observation of naturally occurring social–emotional behavior by familiar caregivers—is increasingly mandated by international early childhood frameworks, yet the field lacks a comprehensive tool inventory, conceptual clarity on “authenticity,” and synthesized evidence on contextual coverage. This scoping review maps authentic social–emotional development (SED) assessment tools for children aged 0–8, examines how authenticity is conceptualized, and identifies gaps in cultural adaptation, disability inclusion, and age-range coverage. Methods: Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework enhanced by Levac et al. and JBI methodology, six databases (PsycINFO, ERIC, Education Source, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched for English-language peer-reviewed publications (2006–2026), supplemented by hand-searching and forward citation tracking. Inclusion criteria targeted children aged 0–8 assessed via authentic modalities (naturalistic observation, play-based assessment, portfolio, performance-based tasks, curriculum-embedded measurement) in any global setting. Data charting used an integrated sociocultural and interpretive assessment framework. Reporting followed PRISMA-ScR. Results: Thirty-three studies yielded 43 instruments, 29 meeting authentic assessment criteria. Naturalistic observation predominated (23 studies; 69.7%), followed by play-based assessment (10; 30.3%); portfolio and curriculum-embedded approaches were under-represented. Most studies originated from the United States (57.6%) and targeted preschoolers (3–5 years; 75.8%), with thin coverage of infants/toddlers and primary-grade children. “Authenticity” was operationalized across ecological, participatory, and cultural dimensions rarely integrated theoretically. Conclusions: This review provides the first systematic landscape map of authentic SED assessment for children aged 0–8, confirming feasibility and diversity while revealing gaps in age coverage, geographic reach, and cultural adaptation. The integrated framework offers a potentially transferable analytic model, and findings can inform equitable, contextually responsive assessment practice and policy. Full article

Caregivers’ knowledge of language milestones and active engagement in responsive interactions are critical predictors of children’s long-term literacy and communication outcomes. Qualitative inquiry that captures caregivers’ personal perspectives and systemic barriers is essential in order to fully understand how these language-rich environments are created. This study examines caregivers’ perceptions of their natural everyday interactions with children under five, exploring their knowledge of resources and barriers to accessing speech–language support services. Eight primary caregivers of at least one child aged under five participated. After completing a brief demographic questionnaire each participant engaged in a semi-structured interview focused on their perceptions and knowledge of supporting children’s language development through everyday verbal interactions and navigating barriers to services. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings highlight the new insights that emerge when caregivers are asked to reflect on how they create language-rich environments. Participants valued Early Childhood Education (ECE) networks as a key source of information but reported a lack of reliable, accessible guidelines on language developmental milestones. Caregivers also expressed a need for practical strategies to enhance everyday interactions. Despite sample size limitations, these findings highlight challenges faced by caregivers and the critical need for further qualitative inquiry into how caregivers’ perceptions shape communication-supportive practices. Full article

This study utilized an experimental single-case design to evaluate a professional development package to support educators’ implementation of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)-supported, play-based naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI), which we called naturalistic AAC intervention (N-AAC). Participants were three minimally speaking students with autism (4–8 years of age), each paired with one of their educators (i.e., speech-language pathologist, pre-service special education teacher, early childhood assistant teacher). The primary aim was to examine the effects of professional development on educator implementation of N-AAC. We also descriptively examined changes in students’ communication and language use during educator–child play and generalization to peer interactions. The findings showed that professional development was effective at teaching educators to implement N-AAC with fidelity. Student communication outcomes showed descriptive improvements following educator training and coaching and N-AAC implementation. However, as expected, gains did not generalize to peer interactions. The findings suggest that professional development improves educator implementation of AAC-supported NDBI strategies during play and that their increased implementation fidelity is accompanied by promising descriptive changes in student communication. Future research is needed to further examine the impact on student communication, promote generalization to peer interactions, and evaluate the potential for larger-scale implementation. Full article

Background/Objectives: School-based programmes may play an important role in promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary habits from early childhood. This study described and evaluated a community-based intervention aimed at promoting Mediterranean diet (MD) principles, improving food literacy, and raising awareness of sustainable food practices among primary school children in the Tagus Lezíria region, Portugal. Methods: The intervention was implemented in 23 schools across 11 municipalities and included two seasonal rounds of participatory educational activities focused on healthy eating, local and seasonal foods, sensory exploration, balanced meals, composting, food storage, sustainable food production, and food waste prevention. A total of 872 children participated in the intervention activities, and 370 provided paired baseline and follow-up KIDMED assessments. Results: The mean KIDMED score decreased significantly from 8.0 ± 2.2 at baseline to 7.5 ± 2.4 after the intervention. Overall, 31.6% of participants improved their score, 18.9% showed no change, and 49.5% showed a decrease. The proportion of children who did not skip breakfast increased from 79.8% to 88.6%, and avoidance of fast-food restaurants more than once weekly increased from 85.4% to 89.6%. Smaller favourable changes were observed for pastry, sweet, and fish consumption, and olive oil use, whereas fruit, vegetable, pulse, and nut consumption did not improve. Conclusions: The intervention produced heterogeneous outcomes. Although overall MD adherence decreased, almost one-third of participants improved individually, with favourable changes in breakfast and selection of less healthy behaviours. Longer programmes with stronger family involvement may be required to reinforce core MD foods and achieve broader, sustained improvements. Full article