Adults in Play with Children

Niklas Pramling is a Professor of Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He has a background in cultural studies, psychology and literature history, and a PhD in educational science. His dissertation addressed the use of metaphors in learning and knowledge building. His subsequent research has primarily consisted of studies of communication in early childhood education and care, in the contexts of playing, teaching, and narrating.Cecilia Wallerstedt is a Professor of Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has a PhD in Arts Education and has studied children’s learning in music in varied contexts. Her research is mainly conducted in close collaboration with teachers and focuses on processes of teaching, interaction between children and adults, and play. She is leading a research project on children’s participation in narrative play and their perspectives on imagination.Malin Nilsen is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has a background as a preschool teacher and a PhD in Child and Youth Studies. Her research is deeply rooted in the exploration of digital technologies within early childhood education, encompassing a broad spectrum of interests such as language and communication, multilingualism, early childhood literacy, and media and information literacy (MIL).Ann Farrell is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Earning a PhD from The University of Queensland in 1996, Ann was awarded an Honorary Doctor by Gothenburg University in 2012 for international leadership in early childhood research. Authoring more than 100 scholarly publications, her work focusses on children’s rights to provision, protection and participation. Ann was awarded the Barbara Creaser Memorial Award (2021) by Early Childhood Australia and served as board member of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (2016 - 2022).

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• Editors’ introduction.- Adults’ Involvement in Social Pretend Play (Isabelle Kalkusch and Sonja Perren).- One more attempt to match a child's desire for play with their developmental and learning needs (Milda Bredikyte).- Father-Child and Mother-Child Play in Global South Cultural Communities: Links to Children’s Social and Cognitive Skills (Jaipaul L. Roopnarine and Wusirige).- Agentic imagination in joint play at a home setting (Liang Li).- Guided play for second language learning in spatial-material environments in preschools (Asta Cekaite och Maria Simonsson).- Young and old interacting in intergenerational play spaces (Ann Farrell).- Nature environment as a catalyst for children’s play and educators' relational practices in a refugee context (Marit Heldal and Trond Løge Hagen).- Ethical dimensions of teacher-child play interactions in early childhood education (Jeffrey Trawick-Smith and Kwangwon Lee).- Playful encounters around serious topics (Annukka Pursi, Lasse Lipponen and Saila Poulter).- Playing-with nature: Educators and children caring for the environment (Gloria Quinones and Niklas A. Chimirri).- Playworker narratives from out of school services in Australia (Jennifer Cartmel, Angus Gorrie, Kylie Keane and Cate Jorgenson).- Editors’ conclusions.