2026-03-05
Adam Davies, Cameron Greensmith, Lauren Spring, Simon Adam, Brooke Richardson, Carla Rice, Olga Smoliak, Nidhi Menon, Alexander Purnell, John Beaton
This qualitative study investigates how sanist systems of oppression within early childhood education both reflect and reinforce dominant discourses on mental health and madness. Through a Mad studies analysis of both qualitative interview data with postsecondary early childhood education and child studies students, as well as policy and curriculum documents relevant to Ontario postsecondary early childhood education studies, we seek to disrupt taken-for-granted assumptions and create space for mental difference. This study was conducted with 25 postsecondary early childhood education and child studies students, with the data analyzed using both Foucauldian and institutional ethnographic methods. Ultimately, this study illustrates how madness and Mad educators are constructed as a potential harm to the profession, reinforcing sanist forms of discrimination against educators with mental health differences.
2026-03-05
Gizem Nur Şakar, Ayşenur Mumcuoğlu, Güneş Ezgi Demirci, Feyza Tantekin Erden
This study evaluates the content of the most popular YouTube videos worldwide in terms of the presence of messages that support or hinder children’s food and nutrition literacy, using Azam Doustmohammadian and colleagues’ conceptual framework of food and nutrition literacy in children. Forty-four food-related videos were selected from the three most popular child-themed YouTube channels. The results revealed that the cognitive aspects of the framework were slightly supported in the selected videos; however, negative messages were prevalent. Although there was no positive content to support children’s food and nutrition literacy regarding interactive, emotional, and discussion skills, it was found that only contradictory messages were given in the emotional skills dimension. Another significant aspect of the findings, as discussed through the lens of childhood studies, is that certain types of eating behaviours were presented as more favourable than others, and many subtle moral messages were detected regarding normative assumptions about bodies, health, and food practices.
2026-03-05
Hayoung Lee
This book review discusses Queer Kids and Social Violence: The Limits of Bullying, edited by Elizabethe Payne and Melissa J. Smith, which unpacks the anti-bullying framework that depoliticizes and individualizes LGBTQ+ youth in schools. Thirteen chapters with different methodologies and critical perspectives on social violence against queer youth focus on better understanding the experiences of queer and trans youth and disrupt the simplistic and individualized intervention to create “safe space” in schools. The book emphasizes how bullying is a structural mechanism through which gender privilege is (re)produced in different forms, by different agents, and in different directions within schools.
2026-03-05
Oluwole Falode
Addressing the underrepresentation of male early childhood educators is crucial due to their role in fostering children’s holistic development. Male educators provide unique perspectives and serve as role models in a gender-sensitive environment. This study builds on existing research through a literature review and semistructured interviews with a global sample of ECE practitioners and students. Findings reveal that social, psychological, and economic barriers contribute to the gender imbalance. Raising awareness about men’s positive impact in ECE and creating incentives for male educators are essential. Inclusive instructional designs in ECE programs can encourage gender diversity and support balanced development for young learners.