Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Journal of Research in Childhood Education
ISSN 0256-8543 · eISSN 2150-2641 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Research in Childhood Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.6 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 219 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 23% (journal website); 93 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Research in Childhood Education is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Early Childhood Education and Development, Parental Involvement in Education and Child Development and Digital Technology, together about 41.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Research in Childhood Education (JRCE) publishes high-quality research from around the world that advances our knowledge and practice related to education and caregiving from birth through age 10. Recognizing the critical nature of adult–child interactions in shaping children’s learning and development, the journal is placing a particular focus on illuminating how adults and children co-construct learning, culture, and meaning across diverse social, linguistic, and cultural contexts. A distinguishing expectation of JRCE is that all manuscripts should offer clear implications for practice and policy development. Contributions must meaningfully inform the development of new or improved teaching pedagogies, parenting practices, models for teacher professional development, learning activities or interventions, or educational policies that strengthen children’s development and educational experiences. JRCE is committed to publishing research that not only advances theory but also provides actionable insights that educators, policymakers, and families can use to promote equitable, inclusive, and developmentally meaningful learning opportunities. The journal’s central mission is to provide a scholarly platform that informs educational policy, enriches pedagogical practice, supports family engagement, and guides the design of innovative learning experiences. By bridging global research perspectives, JRCE aims to catalyze dialogue and innovation that improve the quality, equity, and cultural responsiveness of early and middle childhood education worldwide. Focus Areas JRCE welcomes empirical and theoretical contributions that examine the role of adult–child interactions in shaping children’s learning, development, and daily experiences across home, school, and community settings. Manuscripts should clearly connect their findings to implications for practice, pedagogy, or policy. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: The nature, quality, and impact of adult–child interactions Instructional practices in sociocultural contexts, including play-based, inquiry-based, and culturally responsive pedagogies Learning-focused interactions, including scaffolding, dialogic reading, and multilingual development Social–emotional interactions with adults and peers, including co-regulation, behavior support, and relationship-based practices Interactions that promote STEM reasoning, problem-solving, and exploratory learning Classroom organization, learnin
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 48, Mainland China 5, Hong Kong, China 5, United Kingdom 3, Canada 3 (74 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences21%
- Parental Involvement in EducationSocial Sciences10.5%
- Child Development and Digital TechnologySocial Sciences9.8%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology7.1%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences5.8%
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychology4.2%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology3.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedPsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, Canada in Context, EBSCOhost, Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson), Child Development & Adolescent Studies, Current Abstracts, Education Abstracts (H.W. Wilson), Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), Education Index (Online), Education Research Complete, Education Research Index, Education Source, Educational Administration Abstracts, OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson), OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson), TOC Premier (Table of Contents), Elsevier BV, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Gale, Academic OneFile, Biography in Context, Educator's Reference Complete, Expanded Academic ASAP, General OneFile, General Reference Center, General Reference Center Gold, General Reference Centre International, InfoTrac Custom, InfoTrac Junior Edition
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.59Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.04Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 64OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 606OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.64OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 13.9%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 91LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 211,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,280 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 20 | 8 |
| 2025 | 93 | 30 | 145 |
| 2024 | 50 | 21 | 192 |
| 2023 | 50 | 21 | 284 |
| 2022 | 33 | 6 | 276 |
| 2021 | 36 | 6 | 489 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
219 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 152 days – 308 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 55 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 293 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (173 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 70 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 67 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted3
- case studies and design-based researchCase studies and design-based researchLength not stated
- cross-cultural and international comparative researchCross-cultural and international comparative researchLength not stated
- ethnographic and observational studiesEthnographic and observational studiesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving the option to publish open access. Model summary
Journal of Research in Childhood Education is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0256-8543
- Electronic ISSN
- 2150-2641
- Society / sponsor
- Association for Childhood Education International
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 40, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Research in Childhood Education
What CAS zone is Journal of Research in Childhood Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Research in Childhood Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Research in Childhood Education?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.6 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.8, h-index 64.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Research in Childhood Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 219 days (interquartile range 152–308 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What JCR quartile is Journal of Research in Childhood Education in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Education.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Research in Childhood Education based?
Of the 74 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (48), Mainland China (5) and Hong Kong, China (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Research in Childhood Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Research in Childhood Education is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Research in Childhood Education open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Research in Childhood Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .