Kate E Williams

This Prospectives article traces an interdisciplinary research trajectory at the intersection of music, movement, and child development to argue that beat synchronisation is an underutilised but promising construct for advancing developmental science and addressing inequities. Drawing on personal and professional experiences spanning music therapy, developmental psychology, and intervention research, I reflect on the development and evaluation of the Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR) programme as an example of translating science to practice. I then outline a future research agenda with four priorities: (1) developing reliable and scalable measures of beat synchronisation in early childhood; (2) establishing developmental norms; (3) investigating beat synchronisation as a potential transdiagnostic neurodevelopmental marker; and (4) clarifying mechanisms within rhythm- and movement-based interventions. Collectively, this agenda highlights opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration which will yield valuable and exciting outcomes over time.

Although a close interdependence between motor coordination and executive functioning (EF) has been widely recognized in early childhood, we currently lack a systematic understanding of how intrinsic heterogeneity of motor and EF skill development conjointly affects children’s emotional and behavioral problems. Therefore, we used latent profile analysis (LPA) in typically developing preschoolers to (1) identify distinct constellations of motor and EF skills that characterize subgroups of children, (2) determine how motor and EF profile membership is associated with behavioral problems, and (3) identify the extent to which motor and EF profile membership is associated with behavioral difficulties and demographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender maternal education). Parents/guardians of 422 children aged 2 years 5 months to 5 years 9 months completed informant-based measures related to their child’s motor skills, EF, and internalizing/externalizing behavioral problems. The LPA revealed five distinct profiles: the “Competent” profile with average motor skills and EF (Profile 1: 38.9%); the “Poor EF” profile with average motor skills and below average EF (Profile 2: 21.1%); the “At-Risk” profile with weak motor skills and the poorest EF (Profile 3: 15.4%); the “High Motor” profile with strong motor skills and above average EF (Profile 4: 12.6%); and the “Highly Skilled” profile with above average motor skills and the highest EF (Profile 5: 12.1%). Compared to the Competent profile, children in the At-Risk profile had the highest odds of elevated internalizing problems but no elevation in externalizing problems, while children in the Poor EF profile had the highest odds of elevated externalizing problems but no relative elevation in internalizing problems. These findings could identify at-risk subgroups for early movement-based interventions that strengthen children’s motor and EF skills to reduce the frequency of behavioral problems and improve school readiness.

A randomized controlled trial in Hong Kong examined the effectiveness of the Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR) intervention for low socioeconomic status children's self-regulation. This is the first study of the intervention outside of Australia, and in which teachers were trained online to deliver the intervention (16 sessions over 8 weeks). Participants were 286 4-5-year-old children randomized at the classroom level (129 experimental, 157 control; 48.6% girls; 91% Chinese; Mage = 53 months) and their teachers (9 experimental, 8 control). Results from multi-level modeling revealed significant intervention effects for the intervention group across three time points (2022-2023) for teacher-reported self-regulation (np2 = .019), and the Head Toes Knees Shoulders task tapping executive function (np2 = .034).

Understanding and strengthening the developmental pathways of Australian Aboriginal and Torres strait islander young people is of critical importance to efforts seeking to redress more than 200 years of disadvantage due to colonization. Although systemic factors play a key role in addressing disparities, individual-level capacities such as self-regulation and executive function are also essential for positive developmental outcomes and may act as protective factors. This study advances the first longitudinal model of adolescent executive functioning in Australian Indigenous children, examining the role of early home and learning environments and key developmental skills. Using longitudinal data for 473 young people from Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, we found preschool visual motor and literacy skills (β = .15) and early school classroom self-regulation (β = .18) predicted adolescent executive function. Contextual factors, including socioeconomic status, preschool attendance, home learning engagement, and parent social support, were linked to early skill development but did not directly predict executive function outcomes. Children living in more remote areas had lower early skill capability, underscoring the important role of environmental constraints. Findings support strengths-based approaches, in which policy and programs reinforce families as children’s first teachers in the home and build social capital for parents. Family and early learning services should be made equitably available, particularly in remote areas, and should focus on core skill development for children, as well as home learning and family social support, to ultimately enhance executive function development among Indigenous children.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an initial teacher education (ITE) programme within a higher education setting in preparing Primary school preservice teachers (PSTs) to integrate information, communication, digital, and robotics technologies (ICDRTs) into classroom teaching. While situated in an ITE programme, the methodology, based on a Rasch-calibrated self-audit, offers an actionable approach to evaluating students’ digital confidence and learning needs across higher education disciplines. Using a Rasch-validated 77-item self-audit instrument, responses from 490 final-year PSTs were analysed to identify curriculum gaps and assess the programme’s capacity to develop digital pedagogical readiness. Regression analysis examined associations between readiness and socio-demographic variables (sex, age group, and qualification) to explore equity-related differences. The findings revealed consistent shortfalls in ICDRT readiness related to spreadsheets, robotics, and commonly used classroom technologies, aligning with broader concerns about digital capability in initial teacher preparation. These results offer actionable evidence for curriculum redesign and institutional evaluation within higher education and demonstrate the value of structured student self-audits as institutional evaluation tools. The study contributes to equity-focused, data-driven approaches to programme improvement in higher education.

Evidenced-based programs designed for education settings often prove effective under research conditions, but are underexplored in real world contexts, revealing a research-to-practice gap. Understanding teachers’ implementation experiences, including facilitators and barriers, is crucial to inform the future scale-up of effective approaches. This study explored the implementation experiences of early childhood teachers (n = 7) incorporating a rhythm and movement intervention into their everyday educational practice. Qualitative interviews investigating the facilitators and barriers teachers experienced were thematically analyzed deductively using an existing ecological framework derived from implementation science. Key findings emerged across the individual, intervention, and contextual levels of the framework. At the individual level, aligning program goals with teachers’ interests increased engagement. Coaching options and realistic examples of expected behavioral changes addressed varying levels of professional preparedness and workload constraints. At the intervention level, offering flexible training formats and providing clear evidenced-based rationales boosted teacher engagement. Hard copy materials, troubleshooting guides, and adaptable program design supported individual teacher preferences. Contextually, clear program descriptors enabled teachers to effectively communicate the program’s value to leadership. Clear recommendations are made for future program designers and implementers to support the successful scale-up of evidence-based programs within diverse educational environments.

Active music and movement engagement has been widely integrated in human socialization across history and cultures, and is particularly prevalent in early childhood play and learning. For clinical populations, music therapy is known to support social skills and wellbeing for young children. However, there is less evidence for the value of active music engagement for non-clinical populations in terms of supporting social and behavioral wellbeing in the early years. This study reports results from the Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR) program delivered by generalist kindergarten teachers in low socioeconomic communities. This randomized control trial involved 213 children across eight preschools in disadvantaged communities in Queensland, Australia. The intervention group received 16 to 20 sessions of RAMSR over eight weeks, while the control group undertook usual preschool programs. Data was collected through teacher report at pre and post intervention, and again six months later once children had transitioned into their first year of school. Robust mixed models accounting for repeated measures and clustering of children within kindergartens (random effects), evidenced significant intervention effects across the three time points for improved prosocial skills (p = 0.04, n p 2 = 0.02), and reduced externalizing (p < 0.01, n p 2 = 0.03) and internalizing behavior problems (p = 0.04; n p 2 = 0.02), with small to moderate effect sizes. These findings highlight the valuable role that intentional active music engagement in universal settings such as preschool can play in terms of social and behavioral wellbeing. The importance of these results lies in the fact that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to experience risks to social and behavioral development, requiring additional supports, yet experience inequities in access to high-quality music and movement programs.

School improvement is generally assessed by the extent to which several indicators show improvement over time. However, much less is known about the ways in which these indicators interact over time. This study analyses 10 years of school-level administrative data from over 896 elementary schools in Queensland, Australia, using a cross-lagged panel model to explore bidirectional associations among school improvement indicators. Descriptive statistics show net improvement over the decade on indicators of academic achievement and student attendance, and an increase in the use of exclusionary discipline. In the cross-lagged panel model, there were associations between unexplained absences and out-of-school suspensions with later declines in achievement data and satisfaction. There was some indication that the reverse was also true, with achievement associated with later non-achievement indicators, though these paths were less consistent. The findings point to potentially modifiable factors within the school context likely to enhance achievement over time.

Few studies have analyzed the effectiveness of online music professional development (OMPD) on teachers’ pedagogical competencies. We evaluated the effectiveness of an OMPD designed to train kindergarten teachers in a music-and-movement intervention, drawing on the notion of implementation fidelity (i.e., level of accuracy with which an intervention is delivered). In addition, we investigated teachers’ perspectives on the factors that facilitated their learning. After 83 teachers from seven kindergartens took the OMPD, all Kindergarten 2 teachers (N = 9) were observed implementing the intervention. In this mixed-methods study, we used implementation fidelity checklists completed by teachers and external observers and individual teacher interviews. Findings revealed consistently high implementation fidelity ratings by both teachers and external observers. School support, practice, preparation, sufficient time and space, and reflection were the facilitative factors identified in the interviews. The study highlights the potential of OMPD in fostering the music-specific pedagogical competencies of general classroom teachers.

This study evaluated a relationships and sexuality education (RSE) programme for upper primary [elementary] school-aged children, delivered by specialist relationships and sexuality educators in Queensland, Australia. Students (n = 148) in Years 4, 5 and 6 (ages 9–12 years) of six participating schools attended a two-hour programme and completed a self-report questionnaire before and after it. Parents/caregivers (n = 174) and school staff (n = 6) were also consulted. Before the programme, parents/caregivers were asked to provide information on the RSE resources available at home, parent–child communication about relationships and sexuality and self-efficacy for parent–child communication about relationships and sexuality. After the programme, school staff were asked about school-level RSE facilitators. Results showed that, after the programme, students improved in knowledge and self-efficacy. RSE at home was limited to a relatively narrow breadth of topics, even though parents reported feeling confident to discuss relationships and sexuality with their children. Schools indicated the need for support to ensure the delivery of RSE. Findings suggest that when this programme is delivered, children can develop knowledge and confidence about relationships and sexuality topics that are relevant to them. These findings will be of interest to those advocating for the inclusion of RSE in primary schools.