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Research Findings: Traditional peer sociometric nominations, even at early ages, are not replaceable by teachers' classifications of children's sociometric popularity. The association between reports from the two sources, although not independent, was weak, with teachers perceiving more children as popular and fewer children as rejected. Teacher and peer classifications were similarly associated with social skills and behavior problems. Sociometric popularity obtained from teachers, but not from peers, was associated with children's age and verbal competence. Practice or policy: This study investigated the association between preschool children's sociometric popularity obtained from peer sociometric nominations and from teachers' classifications. A total of 1535 children (731 girls and 804 boys), aged between 34 and 89.6 months (M = 61.96, SD = 8.91), and 89 teachers participated in the study.

Participation in educational settings is a universal right of every child, consigned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This right encompasses the need to protect and encourage young children´s active participation and decision-making in early childhood education and care. Research Findings: This qualitative study, inspired by the Lundy model (2007), examined ECEC teachers' (n = 25) and coordinators' (n = 25) perceptions about participation practices, collected through focus groups conducted in Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. Participants were previously referred as implementing participatory practices. Results showed that the four dimensions of the Lundy model emerged in teachers' and coordinators' group discussions: Participative space, Children's voice, Audience of children's perspectives, and Influence. Furthermore, a number of subcategories in each dimension reflected different orientations toward participatory pedagogy. Practice or Policy: This study contributes to informing and inspiring participation practices in ECEC across Europe and to enriching policy discussions regarding children´s participation rights, particularly in the early years. Promising participatory practices were identified in the various dimensions of participation, though some challenges remain, requiring in-depth knowledge about pedagogical practices and the promotion of initiatives to empower professionals to enhance children's right to participate, particularly at the center-level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is an in-service training program rooted in routines-based early intervention and designed to improve the quality of goals and objectives on individualized plans. Participants were local intervention team members and other professionals who worked closely with each team. This training program involved a small number of trainees per group, providing multiple learning experiences across time and various opportunities for self-assessment and monitoring. We investigated (a) the perceptions of the participants about the strengths and weaknesses of the training program, (b) medium-term outcomes of the training with a comparison group, (c) and variables associated with the quality of goals and objectives. This study involved training more than 200 professionals, and results support the effectiveness of the program in improving the quality of goals and objectives, showing the importance of the routines-based interview in producing that improvement.

Children have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them, and to have them considered and given due weight. Children's participation is most meaningful when rooted in children's everyday lives, and its promotion should be encouraged from the youngest ages, especially in early childhood education and care (ECEC). In this paper we apply the Lundy model of participation, widely used in policy, practice and professional development initiatives, to the ECEC context. Based on examples provided by ECEC professionals from Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Portugal, we illustrate the implementation of the elements of space, voice, audience and influence, proposed by the Lundy model. We also discuss the interrelations among these elements and the need for organisational and contextual support to enhance children's participation. This paper adds to existing literature, highlighting theoretical and practical issues associated with the promotion of children's right to participate in ECEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged all societal domains, including education. Home confinement, school closures, and distance learning impacted students, teachers, and parents' lives worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on Italian and Portuguese students' academic motivation as well as investigate the possible buffering role of extracurricular activities. Following a retrospective pretest–posttest design, 567 parents (n Italy = 173, n Portugal = 394) reported on their children's academic motivation and participation in extracurricular activities (grades 1 to 9). We used a multi-group latent change score model to compare Italian and Portuguese students': (1) pre-COVID mean motivation scores; (2) rate of change in motivation; (3) individual variation in the rate of change in motivation; and (4) dependence of the rate of change on initial motivation scores. Estimates of latent change score models showed a decrease in students' motivation both in Italy and in Portugal, although more pronounced in Italian students. Results also indicated that the decrease in students' participation in extracurricular activities was associated with changes in academic motivation (i.e., students with a lower decrease in participation in extracurricular activities had also a lower decrease in motivation). Furthermore, students' age was significantly associated with changes in motivation (i.e., older students had lower decrease). No significant associations were found for students' gender nor for parents' education. This study provides an important contribution to the study of students' academic motivation during home confinement, school closures, and distance learning as restrictive measures adopted to contain a worldwide health emergency. We contend that teachers need to adopt motivation-enhancing practices as means to prevent the decline in academic motivation during exceptional situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive social experiences with peers are important for children with disabilities attending inclusive early childhood education (ECE). This study investigated the associations between classroom quality; children's verbal, social, and behavioral skills; and the friendships and social acceptance of children with disabilities, while testing the moderating effects of ECE dosage. Eighty-six children with disabilities (63 boys; M age = 67.53 years, SD = 10.54 years), attending 86 inclusive ECE classrooms from the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal, participated in the study. We found no effects of classroom quality on children's social acceptance and friendships and ECE dosage did not moderate this association. However, ECE dosage moderated the association between children's individual skills and their social acceptance and friendships. Findings suggest that more time in ECE is not enough to support children's social acceptance, particularly for children with increased language and behavioral difficulties, who likely require more intensive and individualized interventions to support their peer-related social experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on peer sociometric reports, we examined how number of friendships, social acceptance, and characteristics of social networks vary as a function of disability profile. We also investigated teachers’ awareness of the sociometric status of young children with disabilities. Participants were 86 children with disabilities (63 boys) enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal (Mage = 67.33 months, SD = 10.54). Findings suggest that children with severe or sociobehavioral disabilities may be at increased risk of social rejection and isolation, having fewer friends and lower social network centrality than children with mild disabilities. Low agreement between teachers’ classifications of the social status of children with disabilities and classifications based on peer nominations raises concerns about their awareness of processes of social rejection and neglect. Findings highlight the need for interventions to support positive social experiences at the dyadic and group levels in Portuguese inclusive preschool classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Teachers ideas about children's right to participate in ECE. • Results suggest four profiles of teachers' ideas about participation. • Profiles are significantly associated with years of professional experience. • Profiles are significantly associated with type of institution. • Teachers' age is significantly different in the diverse profiles. This study investigated teachers' ideas about children's right to participate in ECE. Participants were 59 teachers, aged between 26 and 60 years old (M = 43.07 years, SD = 8.58), all female, from 59 ECE classrooms from 24 randomly selected ECE centres located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Teacher's ideas were collected using a qualitative interview specifically designed for the purpose. Based on content analysis, multiple correspondence analysis, and cluster analysis, we identified profiles of teachers' ideas and clusters of teachers. Results suggest four teacher profiles: Teachers motivation, Teachers' conditioned responsibility, Children's benefits, and Context dependent. Profiles were significantly associated with years of professional experience and type of institution. Teachers' age was significantly different across profiles. Findings provide insights to fuller understand teachers' positioning about this right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ECE teachers' ideas influence children's perceived participation trough practices. • Findings suggest the mediating role of observed participation practices. • Findings suggest the mediating role of observed process quality. • This study illustrates the interdependence of subjective and objective properties. Participation is a fundamental right of all children. Its promotion is considered a key investment in children's well-being, crucial to support high-quality early childhood education (ECE). In this study we aimed to investigate if ECE teachers' ideas on children's participation were associated with children's perceived participation, analysing the mediating role of teachers' practices and dimensions of process quality. Participants in this quantitative study were 336 children (163 boys) aged between 44 and 84 months, and 58 ECE teachers (all female) aged between 26 and 60 years old, from 24 randomly selected ECE centres in the Lisbon metropolitan area. Using multilevel modelling, given the hierarchical structure of data, we found that ECE teachers' ideas about participation do influence children's perceived participation, through teachers' perceived practices. Further, ECE teachers' perceived participation practices were associated with children's perceived participation, through observed participation practices and observed process quality. This study suggests the interdependence of the subjective and objective properties of ECE classrooms, and how both should inform our understanding of the conditions needed to promote children's participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]