Conference Agenda

Outdoor pedagogies are typically marginalised through pressures driven by a neoliberal ideology, positioning children as future economic investments and education as concerned with efficiency (Sims, 2017). Teachers and student teachers experience overwhelming workload and time pressures, resulting from imposed curricula, standards and accountability measures that promote simplistic binaries in education, such as product over process (Attick, 2017). Strict government control over what and how teachers teach diminishes professional autonomy, while inspection regimes compel compliance with national curricula focused on predetermined outcomes (Moss, 2014). Discourses of risk, fear of injury, getting dirty or lost, alongside limited understanding and confidence, further reinforce compliance with impoverished views of outdoor learning. Consequently, teachers are discouraged from adopting pedagogies that fall outside dominant expectations. For outdoor pedagogy to be valued, teachers must be assured that it contributes positively to inspection outcomes (Prince and Diggory, 2023), and professional confidence must be fostered across the sector to recognise outdoor learning as a legitimate pedagogical tool.

This research examines the pedagogical importance of outdoor learning in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and explores, through the lens of a teacher educator, the challenges of embedding outdoor pedagogies into educational practice. The research took place in Wales, one of the four nations of the UK, where extensive educational reform has recently taken place. In Wales, despite recognition of the value of outdoor learning ( Estyn 2023), its implementation is not a mandatory element of the revised Curriculum for Wales (3–16yrs) (Welsh Government, 2022a), and nor is it explicitly framed as a pedagogical approach. Similarly, Rusitoru, (2023) notes that in countries including Spain, France and Cyprus, time restrictions and rigid curricula present barriers to implementation despite learning in outdoor spaces being recognised as beneficial to children’s development. In contrast, the Welsh curriculum for funded non-maintained nurseries (ages 2–5yrs) places ‘outdoor learning and play’ at the centre of ECE provision and links it clearly to pedagogy (Welsh Government, 2022b). This disparity highlights a gap in pedagogical continuity as children progress through the education system. Children do not cease to learn through outdoor, experiential approaches as they transition into the later phase of primary education; however, policy shifts infer standardised practices (Nutbrown, 2011) which reinforce binary thinking.

This doctoral research reflects on fifteen years of lived experience, working as a teacher educator with the aim of exploring how cultural and social dynamics and practice-based innovation contribute to knowledge of outdoor pedagogies. Drawing on a range of published outputs used with teachers and student teachers, including teaching resources, continuing professional development workshops, magazine articles, journal articles and a published book, the research sought to address the following questions:

1. How have key concepts drawn from established philosophies influenced my teaching and values in relation to outdoor pedagogy in early childhood education?
2. How does knowledge co-construction address binary thinking in early childhood education and teacher education, and support outdoor learning as a valued pedagogy?
3. How does engaging with marginalised discourse in education lead to innovative pedagogies and influence teacher priorities during a time of educational reform?

In the context of enhancing the quality of rural preschool education, research and supervision serve as essential intermediaries, bridging local educational administration with on-site practice. The identity recognition and role development of research supervisors directly affect the effectiveness of research support. This study, based on a mixed training program in L County, Yunnan Province, follows 11 rural research supervisors over time, employing qualitative analysis to examine their identity construction patterns and the mechanisms underlying their evolution during the intervention. The theoretical framework draws on the ecology of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and teacher agency theory (Priestley, Biesta, & Robinson, 2015), emphasizing the dynamic interplay between individual development and broader environmental influences. This study also integrates a global perspective, reflecting international educational reforms, particularly models from Europe, that emphasize the need for localized teacher development and institutional support.

The study introduces a dual-axis, four-quadrant bubble model of “initial recognition—development trajectory” to explore the evolving roles of research supervisors. Four distinct identity construction patterns are identified: the “Steady Development Type,” characterized by an intrinsic sense of responsibility; the “Gradual Improvement Type,” marked by a cognitive shift; the “Enthusiasm Decline Type,” constrained by insufficient support; and the “Identity Transformation Type,” which evolves through practical interaction. The findings suggest that identity construction is not a linear process, but a dynamic, evolving one shaped by embodied practice and the negotiation of meaning within the tension between administrative expectations and professional ideals. When institutional expectations and support conditions are misaligned, supervisors face an “oxygen deprivation” dilemma, which impedes their role development.

Drawing from global perspectives, including European models of educational supervision (Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop, 2004; York-Barr & Duke, 2004), this study emphasizes the importance of providing ongoing institutional support, reinforced scaffolding, and fostering collaborative research communities. It highlights that, globally, sustainable educational reform relies on robust, context-specific support structures that enable educators to navigate the complex interaction of administrative duties and professional growth. The study suggests that, particularly in rural and resource-constrained settings, a supportive ecosystem is crucial for fostering the continuous professional development of research supervisors. This model aligns with international approaches to teacher leadership, where empowerment and community-building are central to the success of educational reforms (Wenger, 1998; York-Barr & Duke, 2004).

The research also contributes to the growing body of literature on teacher agency, especially in rural areas, by examining how supervisors develop professional agency and identity through localized training interventions. By focusing on the specific challenges faced by supervisors in rural areas, the study offers insights into how mixed training programs can be designed to address the unique needs of teachers in resource-limited settings. The findings suggest that context-specific, sustainable support mechanisms, such as tailored professional development programs and strong community ties, are vital for ensuring the long-term success of educational reforms globally.

In the face of a global teacher shortage and rising attrition rates, the sustainability of the teaching profession has become a critical European priority (UNESCO, 2024). This inquiry moves beyond the neoliberal focus on individual "resilience" and investigates teacher happiness as professional flourishing – a dynamic, socio-ecological state of value-alignment and temporal agency. The primary objective is to map the "architectures" (the interplay of time, space, and relational quality) that afford or constrain flourishing in early childhood pedagogy. Specifically, the study focuses on how educators navigate the growing tension between holistic educational values and the systemic "schoolification" and "datafication" of the early years.

The research adopts a socio-ecological perspective, situating flourishing at the intersection of professional agency and institutional structures (Hascher & Waber, 2021). The framework integrates three core pillars:

• The Politics of Time: Utilizing the concept of temporal agency, the study examines how educators reclaim pedagogical rhythms from "systemic acceleration" and administrative urgency (Clark, 2023).

• Pedagogical Resonance: Drawing on Rosa’s (2019) theory of resonance, we identify moments of deep relational connection between teacher and child as a primary counter-force to professional alienation.

• Moral Injury: The study employs the lens of moral injury to explore the ethical dissonance occurring when institutional mandates (e.g., rigid assessment frameworks) conflict with the teacher’s core pedagogical beliefs, such as child-centeredness and play-based learning (Biesta, 2014; van Manen, 2016).

Research Questions:

• How do early childhood teachers experience and negotiate professional flourishing as a form of temporal agency within their daily practice?

• In what ways do moments of pedagogical resonance allow educators to reclaim autonomy over their professional identity?

• How do institutional time-structures and performativity-based mandates contribute to experiences of moral injury versus flourishing?

This study aligns with the European Commission’s priorities regarding the professionalization of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce. By addressing the crisis of teacher retention and the quality of professional life, the research contributes to the European-wide debate on 'Teacher Policy' and the long-term sustainability of the early years sector.

One of the key challenges of contemporary education concerns the conditions created to prepare children for the uncertainty and plurality of perspectives that characterise the modern world.
Accordingly, it is important to develop teachers’ competences in responsiveness and their readiness to engage with situations of uncertainty that inevitably arise in the discussion of problem situations and in the joint search for creative solutions with children.
This study aims to investigate the competences teachers need to foster problem-solving in early childhood settings, with particular attention to the teacher’s role.

The study is devoted to the analysis of shared problem solving as one of the conditions for the development of creative thinking in early childhood education. Creative (dialectical) thinking is understood as reflecting development processes, formulating a contradiction and setting a task for its resolution. For solving creative (dialectical) problems, collaborative discussion is essential, as it allows for the presentation of opposing ideas through distributed activity (Shannon et al., 2024).

Research shows that adults often fail to support children's reasoning and problem-solving (Perret-Clermont A.-N. & Mehmeti, 2017; Galton et al., 1999; Siraj‐Blatchford I., 2002). Shared problem solving is more common in groups with a high-quality educational environment (Siraj‐Blatchford & Manni, 2008; Sylva et al., 2004).

Research using the "Creativity Environment Rating Scale (CERS): ECERS extension" (Shiyan et al., 2025a) showed that situations in which adults provide meaningful responses to children and engage in extensive dialogue with them about problem situations, where children can offer their ideas, are extremely rare (Shiyan et al., 2025b). Researchers in developmental education point out that all adult actions cannot be reduced to scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, Ross, 1976; Pramling et al., 2019 )., since this phenomenon was originally described in a situation where a child masters a method of action already known to an adult. It is important to analyze the actions of an adult in a situation of solving problematic situations for which the adult himself does not have only a ready-made answer, but also a pre-thought-out “conversation script.”

This study aimed to move beyond the description of observed situations, as captured in the CERS scale indicators (dialogue with children, discussion of problematic situations, etc.), to identifying the specific teacher actions that serve as the conditions for the development of such situations.

The research question is what specific actions a teacher should take when leading a shared problem solving in a group of preschoolers.

The theoretical basis of the study is the cultural-historical psychology of Vygotsky (1997), which considers learning based on the child’s zone of proximal development as a condition for the amplification of child development.