Bassel Akar
is an associate professor of Education. His research and development work in education over the past 12 years has taken place in lower middle-income conflict-affected countries, namely Lebanon and those in the wider Arab region including Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan and Egypt. The studies have focused on: (1) education for social and human development through citizenship, history and early childhood education; (2) education for young people made vulnerable by war and crises; (3) empowering teachers as agents of sustainable change and (4) ethical and inclusive methods of inquiry for highly vulnerable populations. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5300-6348
Anies Al-Hroub
is a tenured Professor of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Al-Hroub completed his PhD and MPhil in Special Education from the University of Cambridge and his MA (Special Education) and BA (Psychology) from Jordan University. His publications appeared in leading international gifted and special education journals in addition to five published books entitled, Theories and Programs of Education for the Gifted and Talented (Shorouk, 1999), ADHD in Lebanese Schools” (Springer, 2016), Giftedness in Lebanese Schools (Springer, 2018), School Inclusion in Lebanon (Springer, 2023), and Serving Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations in Social and Educational Contexts (Frontiers, 2024). Al-Hroub is the co-founding academic advisor of the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4898-5729
Elina Antoniou
holds an undergraduate degree in Educational Studies (Preschool Education) from the University of Cyprus and an MA in Developmental and Therapeutic Play from the University of Swansea. She authored Education Plays: Basic Principles of Play for Parents and Educators (Disigma Publications, 2022) and is a kindergarten teacher in public schools in Cyprus. Previously, she was a specialized scientist at the University of Cyprus and conducted training on Play with various educational institutions. Her focus is on non-formal learning, and she has extensive teaching experience with individuals aged 2 to 65 years. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6298-7514
is a professor of Pedagogy and Teacher Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Her main interests and publications refer to children’s play and relationships in early childhood education, initial teacher education, teachers’ professional learning, participatory and democratic educational practices (http://voice.web.auth.gr/en) and action research. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7157-4720
Ebru Aydın
(PhD) is assistant professor at İstanbul Kültür University, specializing in preschool teaching and interdisciplinary approaches to early childhood education. Research interests include social science studies, thinking skills, and metacognition in early childhood. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6982-5957
Nicoletta Christodoulou
is an associate professor of Curriculum Studies and Instruction at Frederick University, Cyprus. She holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies and Instruction and a Master in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor in Pre-Primary Education from the University of Cyprus. Formerly an associate professor at Augusta University, USA, she founded Cyprus’ pioneering forest school for children. She authored books on curriculum and oral history and translated To Teach: The Journey, in Comics (Teachers College Press, 2010) into Greek. Her research interests include curriculum theory, democratic teaching, assessment, teacher education, and learning in nature. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7581-6114
Rahime Cobanoglu
currently works as an associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Sinop University in Türkiye. She has publications on a range of topics including teacher beliefs, early childhood education quality, teacher practices and curriculum implementation. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4662-8920
Thomas Cook
is an associate professor in the School of Education at Humboldt State University and a visiting professor at An Najah National University of Palestine. Dr. Thomas primary specialty is ESL, and he trains future teachers to teach English as a Second Language. In addition, he teaches educational psychology. He has also been trained as a child and adolescent psychoanalyst and he is interested in the social and emotional side of learning.
is an assistant professor in the Counseling, Special Education, and Neuroscience Division at Emirates College for Advanced Education in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a PhD in Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. She has over ten years of experience as a special and inclusive education teacher, early childhood education teacher and autism specialist. Before joining ECAE, Dr. El Zein held professional positions with renowned higher education institutions in the United States, Canada and Lebanon. Her research work focuses on developing research-informed interventions to support students with disabilities in inclusive educational settings. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8498-3507
Fetiye Erbil
completed her PhD in Learning Sciences at Bogazici University, where she focused on supporting ECE teachers’ wellbeing and social-emotional learning through teacher learning communities. Her research interests include ECE teacher wellbeing, children’s rights, inclusive education, and ECE policy. Erbil has experience in designing and implementing teacher professional development programs and she has contributed to projects aimed at decreasing educational inequalities and increasing accessibility of ECE services for children from all backgrounds. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5270-3005
Abdelbasit Gadour
is a member of the academic staff at the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Derna University in Derna, Libya. He obtained his Bachelors of Education (BSc) from the University of Tripoli in 1990, a Master of Education (MEd) from the University of Newcastle in 1995 followed by a Post-Master Certificate in Professional Studies in Educational Psychology from the University of Newcastle in 1996. He completed his PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of Sheffield in 2003. As an academic he is concerned with the well-being of children. His expertise in child and educational psychology has led him to carry out research both in Libya and the United Kingdom. This research has encompassed studies on children’s learning and behaviour, school psychologists and social workers. Dr. Gadour is a former Cultural Attaché for Libya and was located in London, between 2011–2017. He is a member of the British Psychological Society and a member of the Scientists and Experts at the Council of Derna, Libya. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8097-4694
Mine Göl-Güven
is an associate professor at Bogazici University. After graduating from Istanbul University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Guidance and
Gülçin Gülmez
is an independent researcher. She completed her PhD studies in the field of curriculum and instruction in Türkiye. Her research interests include but are not limited to teacher agency, teacher education and early childhood education. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9357-6353
Thanaa Hashem
is an associate professor at the Foundations of Education Department, College of Education, Fayoum University in Egypt. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals on early childhood education, teacher education and women’s studies. She has also participated in many activities and research projects at Fayoum University and outside.
Reem Jawabreh
holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in the field of Early Childhood at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, at the Near East University in Turkey. She is a scholar-researcher at An-Najah National University in Palestine. As a dedicated educator at the University College for Educational Sciences, her research delves into early childhood, curriculum and instruction, gifted education, teacher education, technology integration, and education for sustainable development. https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1100-9395
Pandelis Kiprianos
is a professor of History of Education at University of Patras, Greece. His main interests and publications refer to the comparative history of childhood and to the sociology of education in ethnic minorities (http://www.ecedu.upatras.gr/Kiprianos). https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4186-3542
Mohamed Miliani
holds a BA in English from Oran University Algeria; a Magister in education and a PhD in applied linguistics both from the University of Wales, UK. He has
Soheil Salha
is an associate professor of Curriculum and instruction with specialization in the field of Educational Technology (Math Education). Dr. Salha published several articles in using software in learning and teaching Mathematics, curriculum, teacher education, online learning, artificial intelligence, early childhood, Item Response Theory, AIED and STEM. Dr. Salha works as a trainer of instructional design, active learning, E-portfolio and authentic assessment. He has experience in teacher education programs, courses and plans. He worked in several projects with the EU and the World Bank in fields of early childhood, practicum, professional development, eLearning, technical and vocational education and action research. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2791-9925
Valerie Sollars
is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Malta. She was instrumental in firmly placing early childhood education on the national, educational map and was entrusted to draw up policy documents (between 2004 and 2013), including the Early Years Cycle for the National Curriculum Framework (2012) which acknowledged ECEC for the first time as distinct from the Primary Cycle. Valerie was also responsible for introducing undergraduate and post-graduate programmes for pre-service and in-service early years educators at University. Some of her research interests and publications in the field of ECEC have focused on quality issues, transitions and the early years workforce. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2728-1626
Maura Striano
obtained her PhD in Education at the University of Perugia. She is a full Professor of Education at the Department of Humanities at the University of Naples Federico II. She teaches Educational Theory at undergraduate level in the Psychology programme (Psychology and Pedagogy for Deviance and Marginality) and at the post-graduate level in the Master degree course in Coordination of Educational Services for Early Childhood and Social Disadvantage. Her research and studies have been constantly developed
Habib Tiliouine
is a professor of Social Sciences, at the University of Oran2, Algeria. His research interests include child development and education, well-being research, and quality of life. He collaborated with the International Society for Quality-of-Life Research (ISQOLS) since 2003 and was its vice President (2016–2020). Dr. Tiliouine has more than 90 published works in English, Arabic and French. He was the lead editor of The State of Social Progress of Islamic Societies (Springer, 2016) and the Handbook of Children’s Risk, Vulnerability and Quality of Life (Springer, 2022). Tilouine received the 2015 ‘Research Fellow Award’ of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies and the Algeria Scopus Award 2022 (Psychology). https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9714-8041
Nasser Tolba
is an associate professor at the Foundations of Education Department, College of Education, Fayoum University in Egypt. He is currently a research visitor at the Center of Education and Religion, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena (Germany). He has published several volumes among them Student Culture in a Changing World (Ergon, 2019), Zwischen Blankenburg und Kairo (Ergon, 2018). He has also several articles in peer- reviewed journals on early childhood education, policy analysis in higher education and gender studies. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9712-3039
Ziya Toprak
(PhD) holds dual doctorates in Educational Sciences (Boğaziçi University, 2022) and Integrated Studies in Education (McGill University, 2015). His research focuses on academic writing, teacher labor precarity, and the sociopolitical dimensions of education. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including works on neoliberalism, cultural politics of childhood, and neoliberal educational transformation in Turkey. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1309-4902
is a professor of early childhood education studies at Istanbul Kültür University. He received his PhD degree in early childhood development and education from Educational Sciences Institute, Gazi University. His research deals mainly with early childhood education curricula, early childhood education approaches, early childhood education policy, poverty and childhood, and critical pedagogy. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3457-9113
Ivana Visković
is an associate professor at the University of Split. She has authored several research papers, book chapters and one authored book. Her research interests are early childhood education, transition in educational systems and family functioning. She has been organizing workshops for parents within her preschool institution, elementary schools, and psychological support counselling centre. She is a member of OMEP. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4029-044X
Adrijana Višnjić-Jevtić
is an associate professor at the University of Zagreb. Her research interests are early childhood education, partnership between families and educational institutions, early childhood teachers’ profession and education for sustainability. She authored and co-authored over 60 research papers published in highly ranked journals. She is a member of OMEP and EECERA. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3812-7472