International Journal of Early Childhood

Top Research Topics at International Journal of Early Childhood?

The journal aims to foster the development of research in Early childhood education, Pedagogy, Humanities, Developmental psychology and Early childhood. It is concerned with the study of Early childhood education and Economic growth in general. While Pedagogy is the focus of it, it also provided insights into the studies of Context (language use) and Philosophy of education.

Studies on Humanities discussed in International Journal of Early Childhood link to the field of Ethnology. The work on Developmental psychology tackled in it brings together disciplines like Cognitive development and Social psychology. International Journal of Early Childhood focuses on Early childhood as well as the interrelated topic of Gender studies.

• Early childhood education (77.86%)
• Pedagogy (27.96%)
• Humanities (22.56%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Play with language and metalinguistic awareness: one dimension of language experience (129 citations)
• Exploring the resistance: An Australian perspective on educating for sustainability in early childhood (96 citations)
• Parent participation in children’ school readiness: The effects of parental self-efficacy, cultural diversity and teacher strategies (84 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at International Journal of Early Childhood:

The journal publications focus on Early childhood education, Pedagogy, Early childhood, Developmental psychology and Sustainable development. The journal publications focus on Early childhood education research as part of the broader topic of Economic growth. The journal publications about Preschool education are all disciplines of Pedagogy that connect with topics in Pre school.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Law
• Education
• Social science

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The main points discussed in International Journal of Early Childhood deals with Early childhood education, Early childhood, Gender studies, Developmental psychology and Power (social and political). In the journal, researchers investigate the Early childhood education study as part of research in the field of Pedagogy. International Journal of Early Childhood explores issues in Early childhood which can be linked to other research areas like Psychological intervention, Disease cluster, Multiple indicator, Higher education and Demography.

While the journal focused on Gender studies, it was also able to explore topics like Teachable moment, Social environment, Politics and Single parent. Developmental psychology research featured in it incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Diversity (politics) and Sense of community. Issues in Power (social and political) were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Social relation, Social psychology, Phenomenon and Lifeworld.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Young Children’s Belonging in Finnish Educational Settings: an Intersectional Analysis (2 citations)
• Racial Awareness and the Politics in Play: Preschoolers and Racially Diverse Dolls in a US Classroom (1 citations)
• The Power of Belonging: Interactions and Values in Children’s Group Play in Early Childhood Programs (1 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in International Journal of Early Childhood (based on the number of publications) are:

• Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson (16 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Eva Johansson (15 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Margaret Roberts (11 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Anna-Maija Puroila (10 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition,
• Madeleine Goutard (9 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in International Journal of Early Childhood (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Gothenburg (33 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Queensland University of Technology (23 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of Stavanger (22 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
• University of Melbourne (18 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (14 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 10.53% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 29.41% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 23.53% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 17.65% of all publications and 29.41% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Opportunities and Requirements in Early Childhood

Engaging with the aforementioned research areas in early childhood and pedagogy can open several career paths. For those currently studying or planning to study these fields, it is worth considering the various professional roads that can be undertaken. Jobs in these fields can range from early childhood educators, education consultants, and school counselors to specialized roles such as marriage and family therapists.

Specific requirements can vary based on each track; however, most of these professions would require at least a master’s degree in a relevant field, a certain number of practical experience hours or internships, and in cases like marriage and family therapists, additional state licensing exams need to be cleared.

For example, becoming a marriage and family therapist in Hawaii would require a specific educational path and compliance to the stipulated rules of the state. Detailed information for aspiring therapists in Hawaii can be found in this guide: Marriage counselor education requirements in Hawaii.

Understanding educational and professional requirements is key to planning a successful career in early childhood studies and pedagogy. Through this journal, the range of topics discusses provides not just educational insights but also allows for exploration of possible career specialties.