As educational institutions seek to strengthen domain-specific areas of development, particularly in STEM, understanding early influences is crucial. This study focuses on parental beliefs and the home learning environment. Parents may have beliefs and practices specific to literacy, numeracy, science, and executive functions (e.g., self-control). Alternatively, parents may have consistent beliefs and practices across all these domains. We address three main questions: whether parental beliefs and expectations about early learning skills are general or domain-specific; if the early home learning environment is a single, domain-general construct or comprised of distinct yet related factors, such as for math versus literacy versus science; and how parental beliefs and expectations relate to the home learning environment. To address these questions, we will use secondary data from a survey by Ellis et al. (2022) of 1,046 parents and fit categorical Confirmatory Factor Analysis models to test whether parental beliefs and the home learning environment are domain-general or domain-specific. The best-fitting models will then be incorporated into a final model to examine their interrelations. This approach will clarify the relations among parental beliefs and expectations and the early learning activities they reported engaging in at home. This will provide insights to inform interventions that support early learning skills, especially in domains of interest such as STEM.

Nigeria's education system has long struggled with challenges such as low literacy rates, high out-of-school numbers, and increasing exam failure rates. While past reforms like the National Policy on Education (1977) and Universal Basic Education (2004) aimed to address these issues, they largely focused on academic achievement, overlooking the broader developmental needs of students. This policy brief advocates for a “Whole Child” approach, a progressive framework prioritizing not just academic but also social, emotional, physical, and mental development. By addressing these areas, this approach prepares students for life, not just exams. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the gaps in Nigeria's education system, highlighting the need for resilience-building skills and support structures. Implementing a Whole Child policy would provide students with essential competencies—such as emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and collaboration—that are increasingly critical in today’s digital and interconnected world. This policy shift calls for a collaborative effort involving curriculum redesign, professional development for educators, and strategic resource allocation to create a learning environment that nurtures all aspects of student development. Adopting the Whole Child approach can potentially bridge educational inequalities, reduce social issues like bullying and substance abuse, and foster a generation of well-rounded, employable, and resilient young Nigerians ready to contribute meaningfully to society.

This project explores the roles of educators in impacting, fostering, and inhibiting students’ creativity while also reflecting on my own creative identity. In my creative journey, I struggled to identify and embrace myself as a creative person, feeling disconnected from the knowledge and experiences I had accumulated over the years. Through my participation in the M.A. in Creative & Innovative Education (MACIE) program, my creative identity shifted as I pondered the question: How can teachers support students who struggle to recognize their creative selves or even their creative potential? Thus, I examined how spaces, materials, and pedagogical approaches influence learning and, in turn, one’s creativity. The patterns that emerged from my reflection pointed to three key questions that I benefitted from pondering, and I believe other educators would benefit too. (1) Am I (or educators) keeping up to date with new perspectives and ways of thinking through a variety of texts? (2) Am I (or educators) providing necessary, intentional environments? (3) Am I (or educators) keeping up to date with new strategies, ways of teaching? Going back and forth, revisiting my personal experiences through the context of new texts, environments, and strategies not only fostered my creative growth but also reshaped my understanding of creativity as a dynamic, fluid process. Creativity, I concluded, not only is influenced by concepts and perspectives we engage with but also adapts to our environments and interactions. Thus, educators can utilize thoughtful and intentional resources, spaces, and strategies to nurture creativity in their students, especially those who feel disconnected or inhibited.