This study investigated the short-term impacts of Theraplay play therapy on temperament and early positive social behaviors in infants and children. The research sample consisted of 30 caregiver-child pairs aged between 18 and 34 months. Over 8 weeks, these participants participated in weekly Theraplay group therapy sessions. The primary data collection instrument was the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ), designed for children aged 18–36 months. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to comprehensively evaluate the therapy’s effectiveness. Quantitative data were collected using a pretest-posttest control group design. The pretest scores from the ECBQ for the experimental and control groups were first compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Following the therapy sessions, differences between pretest and posttest scores within each group were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Finally, posttest scores were again compared between the experimental and control groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Qualitative data were collected through observations and reflective journal entries made during and after the therapy sessions, allowing for detailed insights into changes in children's behavior and emotional responses. The results demonstrated that the eight-week Theraplay intervention, an attachment-based play therapy, significantly impacted the behavioral and emotional development of early childhood. Specifically, there were noticeable reductions in negative temperament traits such as fear, frustration, sadness, and shyness. Furthermore, the therapy enhanced children’s attention span, focus, affectionate behaviors (like hugging), and overall emotional expressiveness, particularly in physical contact behaviors.

Integrating digital games into educational contexts has become a growing area of research and practice. Digital technologies — including digital games — play a critical role in supporting the development of these skills. Interactive environments foster critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability by engaging learners in meaningful, complex tasks. Moreover, digital platforms can facilitate self-directed learning, allowing learners to choose, plan, and reflect on their educational journeys. This study adopts a survey research design to explore teacher candidates’ intentions on using digital games for teaching 21st-century skills via demographic and motivational variables, including preferences and engagement. Findings suggest that gender and academic department have a significant influence on students' digital game-playing behaviors. Overall, the data highlight that intrinsic motivations, such as personal enjoyment, emotional regulation, and leisure, were more prevalent than extrinsic or social motives. In conclusion, the findings indicate that playing digital games is associated with higher levels of creativity, critical thinking, research skills, and technological proficiency among pre-service teachers. However, no significant differences were observed in communication and digital citizenship skills. These results suggest that digital games could be strategically integrated into teacher education programs to support the development of specific critical 21st-century skills.

Integrating symbolic interactionism and mindfulness into teacher education enriches both theoretical understanding and practical application in contemporary classrooms, as new media tools are the main actors in shaping today’s students’ learning. This study examines the interplay between symbolic interactionism and mindfulness within the context of new media, exploring its implications for teacher education. Symbolic interactionism explains how individuals make sense of their social world through micro-level interactions and shared symbols. In parallel, mindfulness, the practice of conscious, non-judgmental awareness, offers individuals strategies to resist the emotional and cognitive manipulation often driven by digital media environments. Together, these frameworks provide educators with critical tools to decode student behaviors, develop inclusive pedagogical strategies, and cultivate emotional resilience in increasingly complex and symbolic classroom environments. This study argues that integrating symbolic interactionism and mindfulness in teacher education enhances teachers’ ability to respond thoughtfully rather than reactively, interpret student interactions meaningfully, and foster mindful and ethically grounded classroom cultures.

This study aims to examine ethical, pedagogical, and applied approaches to the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) technologies in preschool education within a theoretical framework. GAI offers significant advantages for teachers, including creative content production, effective time management, and individualized learning opportunities. In particular, tools such as ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Suno AI can be used to quickly and effectively develop story, song, poster, animation, and game-based activities for preschool children. However, the integration of these technologies into the classroom environment requires teachers to possess multidimensional competencies such as ethical sensitivity, pedagogical intuition, digital literacy, and content control. A literature review reveals that teachers exhibit both promising and cautious attitudes toward AI. Issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, cultural appropriateness, and digital inequality are at the center of teachers' ethical concerns. Furthermore, considering the developmental characteristics of preschool children, it is emphasized that AI-based content should be designed in a game-based, interactive, and age-appropriate manner. In this context, the study offers a guiding framework for teachers and policymakers, identifying the key principles that should be considered when integrating AI technologies into early childhood education.

This study aimed to identify, synthesize, and critically analyze the existing scholarly sources on teachers’ learning agility (TLA) within K–12 education. First, the characteristics of the eligible sources on TLA were descriptively explored. Then, the outcomes and implications of these studies were qualitatively analyzed. The findings highlighted that studies have been conducted since 2019, and the topic is a contemporary and emerging area of inquiry. All the eligible studies were conducted in the Asian context. The studies covered the academic fields of general education, educational technology, and lifelong learning, and this highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the concept. Although learning agility was the central concept across all studies, there was no consensus on a shared theoretical framework. The outcomes of the publications associated learning agility with positive educational and professional outcomes, and the implications reinforced the importance of TLA as a crucial, context-sensitive, and multifaceted 21st-century competency. Finally, the study suggested the need for further research to contribute theoretical clarity, explore underrepresented contexts, and provide practical strategies for fostering TLA.

This study examines teacher professional development processes from the perspectives of quality and quality assurance in Finland, the United States, Japan, and Germany. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research utilized the document analysis method. The data were sourced from national laws and regulations, policy documents, reports from international organizations, and peer-reviewed academic articles on teacher professional development and quality assurance published between 2004 and 2025. The analysis was conducted across three main dimensions: policy orientations, implementation mechanisms, and quality assurance tools. The findings indicate that Japan's emphasis on lifelong professional development and lesson study practices has fostered a strong professional learning culture. The U.S. demonstrates a multi-actor quality assurance system supported by standards, certification, and accreditation processes. Germany's federal structure relies on a cyclical quality management approach. In Finland, teacher autonomy and research-based teacher education are highlighted. The comparative analysis reveals similarities and differences in how these countries integrate teacher professional development with quality assurance. The findings reveal a range of balances between centralization and autonomy, supervision and guidance, and individual and collective learning. The study emphasizes that effective quality assurance mechanisms are critical in enhancing educational quality. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Turkey's policymakers strengthen quality assurance mechanisms in teacher professional development, expand practice-oriented training, and establish a flexible system responsive to local needs. It would be particularly beneficial for Turkey to examine and integrate approaches such as mentoring, peer learning, and performance-based feedback, as seen in these international examples.