Learning Values Through Stories: The Impact of Narrative-Based Activities on Social and Civic Development in Early Childhood Education

“Not Just Boring Adult Stuff” Issue-Based and Critical Pedagogies for Civic and Political Learning in Welsh Primary Classrooms

The effectiveness of animated stories on elementary school students’ moral reasoning: A mixed methods study

The development of moral reasoning among elementary school children in the digital era faces increasing challenges due to limited family literacy, weak classroom discussion culture, and socioeconomic disparities. These contextual barriers often lead students to interpret moral values as mere compliance with external rules rather than as principles requiring critical reflection. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of animation-based moral learning while highlighting the role of sociocultural and literacy ecosystems in shaping children’s moral internalization. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study involved 80 fifth-grade students (N = 80) from two public elementary schools in Cirebon Regency—SDN 1 Losari Lor and SDN 1 Mundu Mesigit—selected through purposive sampling. The research procedures included pretests, an intervention using five animated moral-dilemma stories, posttests, classroom observations, and interviews with students, teachers, and parents. Quantitative analyses employing paired-sample t tests, chi-square tests, and ordinal logistic regression indicated that animation significantly improved students’ moral reasoning scores in SDN 1 Mundu Mesigit, while the results in SDN 1 Losari Lor remained statistically insignificant. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three key mediating factors: family literacy practices, classroom discussion culture, and socioeconomic support. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrates that animated stories function primarily as cognitive–affective triggers rather than independent determinants of moral development. Their effectiveness is strongly conditioned by the surrounding literacy ecosystem and sociocultural context. This study contributes a contextualized framework that positions animation within a broader ecological system of moral learning, offering important implications for designing culturally responsive and equity-oriented moral education in elementary schools.

Material-discursive dimensions of early narrative learning in a kindergarten classroom

This study applies posthuman theory and materiality to early literacy learning to support shifts in school-based practices from human-centered, developmental models using scripted curricula to one that acknowledges literacy as an intra-active, material-discursive process. The research was conducted in a kindergarten public school classroom where, twice per week, children listened to read alouds and crafted narratives using paper-based and digital tools. The intra-actions recognized children, books, recordings, and writing tools as active participants in the learning process. Learning was entangled with children’s bodies, voices, emotions, and memories. The material-discursive engagements altered the children’s becomings as literate beings. The findings challenge a narrow view of literacy and the child as the sole agent of literacy, highlighting how objects, gestures, playfulness, and cultural stories intra-act to shape learning. The study reimagines storytelling as a dynamic, embodied, and relational practice that disrupts conventional literacy pedagogies.

Writing and Silent Reading (of Oneself): Critical Reflections and Personal Growth in Teacher-Training Courses at University

I Feel Like My Kids are Always Up and Doing Something that’s Loud: A Holistic Framework for Integrating Culturally Responsive Literacies and Physical Activity into Elementary Classrooms

The following article summarizes implications that extend from research of a positive youth development afterschool program into one Kindergarten teacher’s classroom in a public elementary school. The teacher was mentored and supported through implementing physical activity with mathematics and literacy activities in their classroom, intentionally framed by culturally relevant pedagogy and the teaching personal and social responsibility model. The case study was meant to explore and understand the nature of prioritizing physical movement and holistic development in a classroom setting along with promoting academic literacies with fidelity to school standards. Data samples included the teacher’s activities including classroom activity videos, images, observation notes, survey feedback, and two semi-structured interviews. Our data analysis and professional development with the teacher reveal three themes related to the combination of these frameworks and physical activity into instruction with multiple literacies including opportunities for: overcoming obstacles with creative adaptations, balancing optimization with engagement, and honoring holistic authenticity and relevance. These findings illuminate significant possibilities for strategic partnerships and connections in youth development. Holistic frameworks that elevate physical, sociocultural, and academic facets can be inclusively and strategically supported in programs, schools, and classroom contexts to promote equity and access in youth development rather than keeping these aspects distinct and isolated.

Autobiographical Writing and Silent Reading (of Oneself): Critical Reflections and Personal Growth in Teacher-Training Courses at University

This article presents a pedagogical project developed within a university course in Social Pedagogy involving one hundred students of all genders. Participants were invited to write and read their own coming-of-age narratives (Bildungsroman), reflecting on formativeexperiences emerging from formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts. The educational design combined three interconnected phases: autobiographical writing, individual silent reading aimed at fostering critical self-reflection, and dialogic sharedreading focused on reciprocal feedback and collective meaning-making. The impact of the project was assessed through a structured questionnaire exploring dimensions of self-awareness, reflexivity, and professional identity development. Findings suggest that the integration of individual narrative work and collaborative dialogue promoted multidimensional learning processes, strengthening participants’ capacity to connect personal educational trajectories with future professional aspirations. The study highlights the pedagogical value of autobiographical and dialogic practices in supporting identity construction and reflective learning in higher education.