Kate E Williams

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Background
The early primary school years provide a unique opportunity for improving executive functions on a classroom-wide scale. While mindfulness, music, and movement have each demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing executive functions in early primary classrooms, no previous studies have integrated these modalities into a single program. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of a novel program that combines mindfulness with movement to music: the Mindful Movement Program (MMP).

Methods
This single-arm within-subjects study evaluated the feasibility of teachers delivering the MMP within the early primary years classroom setting. The program was integrated into the classroom curriculum and delivered across two school terms, to seven primary school classes, with a total of 133 students (mean age 6.61 years; standard deviation 0.90).

Results
High rates of student recruitment (91%), and both student and teacher retention were obtained (98% and 100% respectively). Fidelity of implementation was moderate for core practices (68%) and video resource use (66%); and acceptability of the intervention high, despite teacher absences due to COVID-19 restrictions. Mixed-effects modelling showed that teacher-reported global executive functioning (b = -2.95, p < .001), externalising (b = -1.06, p < .001), and internalising (b = -0.52, p < .01) behaviour problems significantly reduced from baseline after receiving the intervention. A subset of students (n = 50) who were directly assessed on general motor skill and specific body coordination skills also showed significant improvements (p < .001) with medium to large effects.

Conclusions
This study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a structured approach to movement and mindfulness developed by an experienced dance teacher, and delivered by teachers within the existing classroom setting. The program showed encouraging findings of improvement in a pre-post assessment. Further research is warranted to establish effectiveness in a controlled study design.

Music and movement activities are universal in children's play and socialisation and are fundamental tools to utilise in early years teaching. Early childhood teachers tend to value the positive role music and movement can play in their work, however teacher confidence to implement music-based activities varies, often due to a lack of professional learning opportunities. Findings from a study that trained and coached five early childhood teachers, with no prior formal music training, to deliver a specific rhythm and movement program are highlighted throughout this paper. Qualitative data gained through interviews articulates the teachers' experiences of professional learning, the approach to building their skills and confidence in this area, and the key areas that led to success. Important elements of the professional learning approach included active participation , provision of a video resource library, the nature of the evidence-based and structured program, ease of access, and coaching and implementation support throughout. These key elements, identified as being successful in boosting teacher confidence to use music in their practice, may be readily taken up by other programs, and are transferable to other curriculum and pedagogical areas beyond music.

Optimal child cognitive developmental outcomes occur when the environment provides opportunities for challenge, development, and structure. For some children, additional support is required, with many interventions including a rhythmic element (e.g. instrumental music or group singing), or complex coordinated physical movement (e.g. structured sport or physical activity classroom breaks), to support cognitive development. While many studies examine the impact of these interventions, and some existing reviews examine effectiveness in discrete topic areas, the field requires a comprehensive overview and consolidation of the extant evaluation literature to guide future meta-analyses and primary studies (including replications). This systematic review and Evidence Gap Map identifies and synthesises studies that evaluate interventions where rhythmic and/or complex coordinated physical components are explicitly included. A systematic search of 17 databases yielded 402 studies that evaluate the impact of these interventions on cognition (including executive function and memory) using a randomised, quasi-experimental, or single group design in children aged birth to 12 years. Findings suggest that there is high saturation in the literature for interventions that include complex coordinated movement (62.70% of total sample) and moderate representation of rhythmic interventions (21.80% of total sample). Interventions that included both complex coordinated movement and rhythmic elements, such as martial arts, dance, or gymnastics, were sparse (15.50% of total sample). Children in the early primary school years (ages six to ten years) are the most common target population, and executive function is the most commonly measured outcome. Findings identified gaps in the literature for further research and evaluation to include interventions that incorporate both a complex coordinated movement element and a rhythmic element; incorporate the use of more rigorous randomised controlled study designs when evaluating these interventions; and use of a broader range of measures to capture different aspects of cognitive functioning (e.g. memory). These findings should inform the development and focus of future intervention studies, which in due course will lead to systematic reviews and network meta-analysis.

Many teachers and parents know neuroscience, the study of how the brain functions and develops, is important for children’s education.

Brain development is recommended as part of teacher education in universities. Neuroscience is even mentioned in Australia’s “early years framework”, which guides early childhood programs.

Previous research has shown there are misunderstandings about how neuroscience works (or “neuromyths”) among teachers both in Australia and overseas.