Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 18-30, March 2025.
The research presented in this article scrutinises how baby room leaders construct babyhood and how this impacts their practice. Our research feeds into a growing body of research that challenges the dominant developmentalist paradigm in early childhood ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 93-106, March 2025.
Despite the extensive research evidence about the importance of high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), English policy makers continue to promote nurseries for the ‘childcare’ they provide, rather than the transformational effects they can ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 46-60, March 2025.
Structured and teacher-directed play focused on children’s academic outcomes has proven problematic in Indonesian early childhood education. This contrasts with the PlayWorlds model, which emphasises both the primary activity of play and conceptual ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 31-45, March 2025.
In light of ongoing inequalities within society, the role of social justice leadership in educational spaces remains a central arena amongst research and practice. It is widely recognised that clear recognition and understanding of social justice among ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 78-92, March 2025.
Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored attachment insecurity and disorganization (assessed using the Strange Situation Procedure) in 90 toddlers (aged 14–24 months) with and without autism traits and assessed the associations between autism ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 3-17, March 2025.
Across the world, more and more children are introduced to digital literacy alongside print literacy. In many settings, children are initiated to literacy by their families prior to formal education, and emergent research shows that children’s awareness ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Volume 23, Issue 1, Page 61-77, March 2025.
While there is an increasing global call for integrated approaches to early childhood development (ECD) policy-making and implementation, parenting practices are not consistently measured against comprehensive ECD indicators. This study on parenting for ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a learning method considered suitable for the spirit of the times and the period because of its ability to promote the acquisition of the skills required in the 21st century. In recent years, this method has been gaining ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Over recent years there has been a raft of literature drawing attention to the inequity of working conditions for those in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector in England; however, it remains rare that we have the opportunity to hear the ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Risky play provides various benefits to child growth and development. The culture of overprotection among Hong Kong parents have decreased young children’s opportunities to engage in play that involves physically challenges. This study expanded our ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Offering choice and opportunities for play in the classroom are ways to increase children’s motivation by appealing to their needs for autonomy and competence. Research shows that implementing choice-based learning in the classroom is beneficial for ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Ensuring access to high-quality programs and services can improve children’s long-term health and education outcomes and reduce inequities in health, income, and education in the population. The professional well-being of those working in the early ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
High-quality early childhood education is key for children’s positive and long-term outcomes. Countries differ on how they quality assure provision. In England, Ofsted is the independent inspection body, often the source of controversy for lack of ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Play is an integral part of childhood which is done for the sake of enjoyment but also confers many benefits. For young children who attend childcare, preschool, and elementary school, play is frequently done outside the home and with peers. The public ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Internationally, there is a growing interest in both intergenerational practice and outdoor learning opportunities such as those provided in Forest School settings. This participatory action research project, planned by a university researcher and early ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Gratitude has been regarded as a moral virtue in most cultures. This study examines how cultural differences may influence children’s expression and understanding of gratitude. Two vignettes involving a high- and low-cost situation of expressing gratitude ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
What might the concept of queer joy offer to early childhood educators in New Brunswick, Canada? As a part of a study about the supports and barriers to comprehensive sexuality education in New Brunswick, Canada, we sought to speak with early childhood ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
In this article, we consider the academic literature regarding how racial discrimination isprefigured in societal norms and habits in early learning and childcare in Scotland and England. Specifically, we outline what we see as a salient opportunity to ...

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
What might the concept of queer joy offer to early childhood educators in New Brunswick, Canada? As a part of a study about the supports and barriers to comprehensive sexuality education in New Brunswick, Canada, we sought to speak with early childhood educators about the ways in which sexuality education happens in early childhood centers. We wondered: What kinds of sexuality education is already happening within early childhood centers and under what conditions? What do educators need to feel supported in this work? In a study with 11 early childhood educators, we found that they often spoke about 2SLGBTQI+ people and families through a lens of inclusion. Yet, despite this inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ identities into the normative ECE space, there was no understanding of queerness and transness as joyful—and no real thinking through what queerness and transness might offer the educator and the classroom space in early childhood centers. As we imagine the possibilities for sexuality education within ECE contexts, we look forward to seeing what might happen when children and educators summon queer joy.

Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ahead of Print.
Gratitude has been regarded as a moral virtue in most cultures. This study examines how cultural differences may influence children’s expression and understanding of gratitude. Two vignettes involving a high- and low-cost situation of expressing gratitude were presented to Japanese preschool-aged children, and their responses to the scenarios were recorded. Compared with the results of a previous study conducted with American children (Nelson et al., 2013), more Japanese children associated positive feelings with the benefactor when they were helped, would help the benefactor if they were in need, and cited reciprocity as a reason for doing so. The findings confirm the hypothesis that the emergence of gratitude as a moral virtue is also observed in preschool children from non-Western countries, and commonalities in moral development across cultures were found. At the same time, depending on the cost incurred by the benefactor on offering help, we found cultural differences in various aspects of gratitude. The findings suggest that gratitude, which encompasses the norm of reciprocity, is triggered in Japanese children in response to the cost to the benefactor.