Nurturing Young Minds: SWOM-Based Reading as a Catalyst for Reflective Thinking in Early Childhood

This study examined the perceived effectiveness of the School-Wide Optimum Model (SWOM), an instructional framework designed to support inquiry-based and reflective learning, in enhancing reflective thinking and promoting deep learning among five- to eight-year-old children. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 93 Jordanian early childhood teachers and analyzed using grounded theory. Participants reported notable improvement in children’s cognitive engagement, as almost 97 percent reported observing greater attention to detail, enhanced visual perception and an improved ability to interpret information. Additionally, about 99 percent of the participants reported that children began asking evaluative questions, making logical inferences and engaging more deeply with both visual and written materials. For example, some children linked changes in illustration color to shifts in story mood or questioned a character’s actions using textual evidence, signaling emerging higher-order thinking. These findings suggest that SWOM supports the development of visual literacy, independent reasoning and comprehension skills. However, as the study relied solely on teacher-reported data, the findings should be interpreted with caution. The absence of direct assessment limits the generalizability of the results. The authors recommend integrating SWOM into early childhood curricula and encourage further research using classroom observations and structured assessment tools to validate and expand upon the current findings.