The Magic School Bus dilemma: How fantasy affects children's learning from stories

Children learn cause-and-effect relations from fantastical and realistic storybooks

Young children struggle with the "reader's dilemma" (i.e., which aspects of a story with fantasy elements apply to real life), and research finds that incorporating fantasy elements such as anthropomorphic characters and unrealistic settings into storybooks can negatively affect children's learning. To explore whether children can learn about a cause-and-effect relation from fantasy storybooks, we presented children with a realistic storybook or one containing varying levels of fantasy (Study 1) and a storybook with multiple fantasy elements (Study 2). Children learned about a target event depicting a physical cause-and-effect relation (i.e., if you flick your wrist, the stone will skip across the water), and we assessed their comprehension of the target cause-and-effect relation and their ability to generalize this information to the real world and reason counterfactually about the outcome. Across two preregistered studies (3- to 5-year-olds, N = 214), 5-year-olds, and some 4-year-olds, learned and generalized their knowledge about the target cause-and-effect relation from both the realistic and fantastical storybooks, suggesting that fantasy does not hinder children's learning about physical cause-and-effect relations.

What factors are associated with early childhood development in Thailand? A cross-sectional analysis using the 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

BACKGROUND

Early childhood development is essential for lifelong health and well-being. This study aims to assess the proportion of children aged 24-59 months in Thailand who are developmentally on track using the Early Childhood Development Index 2030 (ECDI2030) and to explore associations with household socioeconomic characteristics and environments.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by the Thailand National Statistical Office. The developmental progress of 6557 children was evaluated across health, learning and psychosocial domains using ECDI2030 criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between developmental status and household and participant characteristics.

RESULTS

The study found that 81.3% of children were developmentally on track. Factors positively associated with being on track included being female (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.49), higher maternal education (AOR=2.02 for above secondary education), more books at home (AOR=1.59 for 3-9 books; AOR=2.40 for 10+ books) and increased screen time (AOR=1.68). Living in the Northern (AOR=0.45) and Northeastern (AOR=0.56) regions decreased the likelihood of being on track.

CONCLUSION

Around 20% of children did not meet ECDI2030 milestones, highlighting the need for targeted policy interventions. Gender, region, maternal education, access to books and screen time were significant factors for developmental outcomes. Policies should prioritise support for parents, nurturing care and educational resources, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

Contributions of shared book reading to children's learning of new semantic facts through memory integration

Young children rapidly learn facts about the world. One mechanism supporting knowledge acquisition is memory integration: derivation of new knowledge by combining separate, yet related facts accumulated over time. There are both developmental changes and individual differences in young children's learning through memory integration. However, there is little research on how everyday social interactions may promote memory integration and contribute to individual differences. Accordingly, we investigated how the everyday social interactions of caregiver-child shared book reading support 5- to 6-year-olds' memory integration (N = 82 parent-child dyads; 47 female children; M age 6.10; 56.5% White non-Latinx, 15% Black, 6% White Latinx, 5.5% Asian, 17% more than one race). Caregivers read a narrative book that included opportunities to integrate facts. Half the dyads were assigned to an embedded questions condition (questions on facts included throughout the book) and half to a no embedded questions condition (statements only). We measured dyads' extratextual talk while reading for the extent to which they integrated the facts (integration talk). Children's learning was tested with both memory integration and fact recall questions. Dyads in the embedded questions condition had more integration talk. The extent to which the dyads integrated while reading predicted children's integration performance, above and beyond condition effects. This effect was specific to memory integration: integration talk nor condition accounted for fact recall. These results suggest that shared book reading can support young children's integration, especially when books engage dyads through embedded questions and dyads integrate facts while reading.

Science in stories: Implications for Latine children's science learning through home-based language practices

There is growing interest in stories as potentially powerful tools for science learning. In this mini-review article, we discuss theory and evidence indicating that, especially for young children, listening to and sharing stories with adult caregivers at home can make scientific ideas and inquiry practices meaningful and accessible. We review recent research offering evidence that stories presented in books can advance children's science learning. Nonetheless, most of this work focuses on middle-class European-American U. S. children and involves narrative story books. Given the national imperative to increase Latine representation in STEM education and career pursuits in the U. S., we argue that it is vital that we broaden the definition of stories to include oral narrative storytelling and other conversational routines that Latine families engage in at home. Cultural communities with firmly rooted oral traditions, such as those from Latin American heritage, rely frequently on oral storytelling rather than book reading to convey world and community knowledge to young children. Therefore, we advocate for a strengths-based approach that considers Latine families' everyday practices around science and storytelling on their own terms instead of contrasting them with European-American middle-class practices. We offer support for the view that for young children in Latine communities, culturally relevant oral practices, including personal narrative storytelling, can engender significant opportunities for family science learning at home.

Self-Reported Parental Interactions through Play with Young Children in Thailand: An Analysis of the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)

Parental interactions through play contributes significantly to child development of cognitive and executive functioning skills. In Thailand, there is little evidence of factors contributing to parental–child interactions. In response to SDG target 4.2.3 monitoring (the percentage of children under 5 years experiencing positive and stimulating home learning environments), this study aimed to assess the prevalence and profile of parental interactions with their children under the age of five. We analysed data from the 6th Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by the National Statistical Office in 2019. Face-to-face interviews with mothers and/or legal guardians were conducted. A total of 8856 children under the age of five were enrolled in this survey. Most participants, 90.3%, had engaged in at least four out of six activities with their children. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that children raised by parents with secondary or post-secondary educations had a significantly greater chance to have parental interactions than children raised by parents who completed primary education (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.66, and AOR = 2.34 for secondary and post-secondary education). Children who possessed three or more children’s books and had experience of toy play had a significantly higher chance of having parental interactions (AOR = 3.08 for book possessing, and AOR = 1.50 for the experience of toy play). Children who spent 1–3 h daily screen time had a significantly lower chance of having parental interactions than those who spent less than one hour of screen time (AOR = 0.67). In conclusion, with the emerging influence of digital technology, we recommend family and community promote parental interactions through play with young children.

Brave new world: Imaginative fictions offer simulated safety and actual benefits

Human engagement with imaginary worlds pervades history (e.g., Paleolithic cave paintings) and development (e.g., 18-month-olds pretend). In providing a safe environment, separate from the real world, fiction offers the opportunity for simulated exploration regardless of external circumstances. Thus, engagement with imaginary worlds in fiction may afford individuals opportunities to reap benefits and transfer these benefits back to the real world.