Maria Ampartzaki

University of Crete

Dr. Maria Ampartzaki is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Preschool Education, at the University of Crete. Her research interests include science education in the early years, ICT in education, inquiry-based and art-based learning, teachers’ professional development, action research, and the pedagogy of multiliteracies, among others. Dr. Ampartzaki holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Years Education, an MA in Music Education, and an EdD. She has published her research in numerous academic publications and is widely referenced by educators worldwide. She has run and participated in several funded and non-funded projects regarding values education, science, and ICT in education.

1books edited

2chapters authored

Latest work with IntechOpen by Maria Ampartzaki

This book discusses innovative approaches that employ transformative elements (targets, methods, materials, ideas, etc.) in early childhood education. It embraces integrated approaches and conceptualizations, such as the concept of “edu-care,” which signifies the inseparability of care and education. Further, it examines the implementation of the STEM and STEAM approaches at the microlevel of a classroom and at the country level to get a grasp of the degree of implementation and stakeholders’ understanding. It also presents a well-documented attempt at the creation of “transformative” learning experiences for young children through an online course on local history. The book ends with some concluding remarks on the application of post-modernist ideas in early childhood education.

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Early Childhood Education

Edited by Maria Ampartzaki

Chapters authored

Local History in a Digital Environment: Creating an Online Course for Young Children

By Anastasia Stamataki and Maria Ampartzaki

Twenty-first century demands students with critical thinking, digital and other soft skills, and capable of self-directed and self-determined learning. This chapter presents an educational design project, which focused on the development of a history online course for children of pre-primary level and the first grades of primary school, based on the constructivist paradigm of learning. Educational design research was carried out to explore how young children can respond to the demands of a contemporary online course, pursue the online course with growing confidence and independence, and earn history in a meaningful way, while developing twenty-first century skills at the same time. Data were collected by quantitative and qualitative methods and analysis showed that both pre-primary and primary school children responded remarkably well and managed to complete the online course with minimum parental support. They improved their knowledge and displayed critical thinking skills. Children showed no major difficulties in using the digital environment and expressed positive attitudes toward e-learning. The role of parents was also monitored and analyzed since it emerged as a critical factor in the successful completion of the course.

Part of the book: Early Childhood Education

STEAM Implementation in Preschool and Primary School Education: Experiences from Six Countries

By Camelia Delia Voicu, Maria Ampartzaki, Zuhal Yilmaz Dogan and Michail Kalogiannakis

This chapter presents a survey focusing on pre-primary and primary STEAM education in six countries. The survey sought to identify: (a) the perceptions of teachers, parents, and professionals from STEM and the Arts (hereafter STEAM professionals) about the STEAM approach; (b) teachers’ training needs; (c) teachers’, parents’, STEAM professionals’ perceptions of the value of the STEAM’s role in increasing the participation of young girls and disadvantaged students in STEM. Data was collected through focus-group interviews and were qualitatively analyzed. Results showed that teachers, STEAM professionals, and most of the parents had positive perceptions of the STEAM approach; they believed that it increases children’s motivation and engagement in learning, regardless of the child’s gender; it increases creativity, self-confidence and offers good learning opportunities for both boys and girls, taking into consideration their emotional and social abilities. The main difficulties identified were related to curriculum limitations, school infrastructure, and lack of resources, experience, and training in the STEAM approach. Teachers highlighted the need of training on the STEAM philosophy, essential concepts, and specific methods; access to STEAM-specific digital resources/software; practical training/seminars or blended learning training. Student teachers emphasized the need for more STEAM lessons in their initial training.

Part of the book: Early Childhood Education