Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

Editorial

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Lynn Wilss
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 315-316
ABSTRACT Not available

Creating a Different Kind of Normal: parent and child perspectives on sibling relationships when one child in the family has autism spectrum disorder

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Creating a Different Kind of Normal: parent and child perspectives on sibling relationships when one child in the family has autism spectrum disorder
Author: VIJETTA BACHRAZ; REBEKAH GRACE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 317-330
ABSTRACT This article reports findings from a study that explored the nature of sibling relationships when one child in the family has autism. It employs a collective case study approach to capture the perspectives of parents and young children (aged four to seven years) from three different families. A multifaceted exploration of sibling relationships was achieved by employing qualitative methods including in-depth interviews with parents and children and naturalistic observations. Family systems theory and ecocultural theory provided the theoretical backdrop to this research. The results support previous research which points to issues such as differential treatment of siblings and the development of a non-typical relationship with the sibling with autism. Where this study diverges is in its interpretation of these findings. This article challenges the subjective nature of the concept of 'normalcy' which pervades the dominant discourse in disability research. It seeks to understand the resilience and processes of families as they set about creating their own kind of normal.

The Heteroglossic World of Preschoolers' Pretend Play

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: The Heteroglossic World of Preschoolers' Pretend Play
Author: LYNN E. COHEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 331-342
ABSTRACT This inquiry applied Bakhtin's dialogic process to the pretend play of preschool children using an interpretive approach. It used vignettes from videotaped data and Bakhtin's theories of dialogism and heteroglossia to provide an understanding of how children appropriate social roles and rules in pretend play and use a variety of 'voices' in role enactment. The study also demonstrates how role enactment contributes to the development of children's ideological self; and how the relation between the self and social/cultural contexts, a perennial issue in the social sciences, is evident within preschool children's pretend play. When applying Bakhtin's dialogic theory to pretend play, three facets became evident. First, children appropriated and assimilated others' words in play. Second, children engaged in a heteroglossic world as they employed different ways of talking to enact play roles. Third, children engaged in a struggle between an authoritative voice and internally persuasive discourse.

Girls' Doll Play in Educational, Virtual, Ideological and Market Contexts: a case analysis of controversy

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Girls' Doll Play in Educational, Virtual, Ideological and Market Contexts: a case analysis of controversy
Author: STUART REIFEL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 343-352
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore an example of girls' doll play in contemporary US culture, including its virtual, political, marketing, and other contextual meanings. The narrative that provoked the analysis was a brief news report about a controversial school function - a school fund-raiser fashion show featuring American Girl doll costumes. The show was cancelled when advocacy groups asserted connections between American Girl dolls and pro-abortion, pro-lesbian groups. The textual analysis of this case found complicated interconnections between the education and the culture and politics of doll play, Web support for that culture, the role of merchandizing related to doll play, assumptions about the relationship of play to schooling, morality, and Web communications that seem to enable communities with diverse perspectives on girls and their doll play. The evolution of play's meanings for child development appears to be complicated by connections to the Web, politics ascribed to toys and toy manufacturers, and the web of connections between toys and the larger economic context.

Researching with Families: ethical issues and situations

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Researching with Families: ethical issues and situations
Author: SUE DOCKETT; BOB PERRY; EMMA EARNEY; ANNE HAMPSHIRE; JAN MASON; VIRGINIA SCHMIED
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 353-365
ABSTRACT This article draws on an Australian project engaging with families with complex support needs as their children start school. The project itself is focused on developing collaborative research relationships between families, community support agencies and researchers with the aim of investigating what happens for families during the transition to school. In particular, the project has focused on developing strategies that promote recognition of family strengths, as well as challenges, and that support a positive start to school education. This article reports a range of ethical issues and situations encountered throughout the project. The aim of reporting these is to share some of the critical reflections about the assumptions underpinning the research, ethical engagement with research participants, and the responsibilities researchers have. In particular, the authors share reflections about the nature and implications of conducting research with families, accessing research participants and strategies for engaging with research participants. The approach taken in the project, and this article, reflects assumptions about research as an ethical process and the need for researchers to consider the ethical issues and situations they meet within research contexts.

Intellectual Integrity: examining common rituals in early childhood curriculum

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Intellectual Integrity: examining common rituals in early childhood curriculum
Author: RAMONA FREEMAN; TERRI JO SWIM
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 366-377
ABSTRACT This article examines two constructs - ritual and intellectual integrity - as they might unfold in early childhood settings. The authors use the popular practices of closed-ended crafts, calendar exercises, and worksheets to highlight the difference between learning experiences that have become formulaic habits and those that reflect rich and potent opportunities for children's thinking, imagining, and reflecting. The authors then analyze the calendar ritual and suggest ways to modify these experiences to indicate intellectual integrity and curricular depth that early childhood educators can offer to children.

Storying with Technology: an approach to connect children and adults using the new technology and media landscape

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Storying with Technology: an approach to connect children and adults using the new technology and media landscape
Author: FELICITY M.F. CRUZ; SHARLA L. SNIDER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 378-388
ABSTRACT As our technology-rich society absorbs the impact of fast-paced technology evolution, we face a desperate situation: a widening digital divide, especially the intergenerational divide between adults and children. The proposed 'Storying with Technology' approach presents a structure to guide adults while engaging with children in meaningful activity surrounding technology. The purpose of the approach is to promote connection and reconnection, meaning making, and the development of multiple literacies. Because of the presence of evolving technology, both children and adults must deal with a fluid identity, relationship, culture, and society. Storying with Technology is an approach that guides individuals through activity to maintain relationships with the self, with the other, and with the object.

Intergenerational Beliefs of Mothers and Grandmothers Regarding Early Childhood Stimulation in (Rural) Jammu, India

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: Intergenerational Beliefs of Mothers and Grandmothers Regarding Early Childhood Stimulation in (Rural) Jammu, India
Author: NEERU SHARMA; RUCHIRA SAPRU; RUCHI MAHAJAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 389-392
ABSTRACT The present research was conducted to study the intergenerational differences in parental beliefs of the Lobana community in the rural district of Jammu in the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. The sample comprised 30 mothers and 30 grandmothers, selected from the R.S. Pura tehsil of the Jammu district. Data was collected using a modified parental belief survey. The results reveal that the majority of the mothers were educated and had studied to the higher secondary level, while the majority of the grandmothers were illiterate. The mothers' and grandmothers' views reported from the modified parental belief survey demonstrate a varied perception between the two groups. There was a difference between views expressed about spoiling a child, floor freedom, and discipline and control. The importance of storytelling was emphasised by the grandmothers.

BOOK REVIEWS

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:12 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Pages: 393-399
ABSTRACT Studying Children: a cultural-historical approach (Mariane Hedegaard & Marilyn Fleer, with Jytte Bang & Pernille Hviid), reviewed by Ann Merete Otterstad. Rethinking Learning in Early Childhood Education (Nicola Yelland, Libby Lee, Maureen O'Rourke & Cathie Harrison), reviewed by Shaleen Prowse.

Editorial. Examining a Lifeworld: early childhood policy in practice

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Editorial. Examining a Lifeworld: early childhood policy in practice
Author: Sharon Ryan; Elizabeth Graue
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 190-193
ABSTRACT Not available

Influences on Politicians' Decision Making for Early Childhood Education and Care Policy: what do we know? What don't we know?

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Influences on Politicians' Decision Making for Early Childhood Education and Care Policy: what do we know? What don't we know?
Author: KATHRYN BOWN; JENNIFER SUMSION; FRANCES PRESS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 194-217
ABSTRACT Politicians play a key role in determining policy content and outcomes for early childhood education and care (ECEC). As a result, the quality of formal ECEC provisions for children rests considerably on the policy decisions of politicians. Despite direct and indirect effects of politicians' policy decisions for the ECEC field, few studies explore influences on politicians' policy decisions, and fewer still pertain to ECEC. In light of the significant gap in the research investigating how and why politicians make the decisions that they do, the authors present a case for a research agenda to investigate politicians' policy decision-making processes in ECEC. A review of the literature pertaining to influences on political decision making reveals some possible influences on politicians' decision making generally, but not for ECEC policy specifically. Using the policy sphere of ECEC to illustrate the complexities of social policy development and implementation in a democratic political system, the authors put forward a conceptualisation of policy that generates a wide range of questions to inform the development of a research agenda. They conclude with a discussion of the possible implications that a research agenda investigating politicians' policy decisions in ECEC might have for the early childhood field.

Complicating What it Means to 'Struggle': one young child's experience with a mandated literacy initiative

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Complicating What it Means to 'Struggle': one young child's experience with a mandated literacy initiative
Author: TAMARA GLUPCZYNSKI SPENCER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 218-231
ABSTRACT In this article, the author explores the implementation of the K-3 Reading First initiative and its recommendation for scientifically based reading curricula. During a time of high-stakes testing and accountability, this policy has emphasized a skills-based approach to reading and placed importance on scripted teaching models. Using data from a qualitative study in a public school in New York City, the author draws on the experiences of one young child to see how the standardization of early literacy curriculum shaped his school-based literacy practices.

The Link between Investment in Early Childhood Preschools and High School Graduation Rates for African American Males in the United States of America

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: The Link between Investment in Early Childhood Preschools and High School Graduation Rates for African American Males in the United States of America
Author: PATRICIA BOWENS McCARTHY; ELSA-SOFIA MOROTE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 232-239
ABSTRACT This article reports the investigation of the extent to which US preschool federal funding (Head Start) and the preschool enrollment of African American males (aged three to five) affected the high school graduation rates of this population (aged 14 to 19). The authors found that a link exists between preschool enrollment and the high school graduation rate of this population. They also found a link between Head Start funding and the high school graduation rate for this group.

Confronting the Contradictions: a case study of early childhood teacher development in neoliberal times

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Confronting the Contradictions: a case study of early childhood teacher development in neoliberal times
Author: CHRISTOPHER P. BROWN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 240-259
ABSTRACT As neoliberal polices that emphasize governing the modern state through market-based principles expand across the globe, they are altering the training of early childhood teacher candidates. This creates a range of challenges for those teacher educators who are critical of this reform process. This article presents an instrumental case study that examined the impact of neoliberal education reforms on the development of a sample of early education teacher candidates. Analyzing this case of teacher development offers teacher educators the opportunity to consider the practical and critical steps they might take to better prepare their candidates for these reforms. Doing so will help teacher candidates develop early learning experiences for their children that teach them to become engaged democratic citizens rather than compliant consumers within the neoliberal state.

Response to articles byBown et al, Spencer, Bowens McCarthy & Morote, and BrownFrances O'Connell Rust. Building Bridges between Early Childhood Educators and Education Policy Makers

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Response to articles byBown et al, Spencer, Bowens McCarthy & Morote, and BrownFrances O'Connell Rust. Building Bridges between Early Childhood Educators and Education Policy Makers
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 260-262
ABSTRACT Not available

Parents' Choice of Early Childhood Education Services in Hong Kong: a pilot study about vouchers

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Parents' Choice of Early Childhood Education Services in Hong Kong: a pilot study about vouchers
Author: GAIL YUEN; SUSAN GRIESHABER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 263-279
ABSTRACT The introduction of a voucher scheme for early childhood education in Hong Kong has resulted in significant changes in the field. This article reports data from a pilot study that aimed at understanding better how parents chose an early childhood education service following the introduction of a voucher scheme in Hong Kong. Eighty-six Chinese parents with children aged three participated in interviews and focus group discussions. This group of parents had just undergone the process of selecting a kindergarten or nursery for their children for the school year 2007-2008. The participants were from a range of socioeconomic circumstances and educational levels who had selected non-profit-making kindergartens and nurseries in public and private housing estates. The results showed that what parents looked for in their choice of service closely matched how they defined quality. Moreover, their views on quality greatly resembled the specific notion of quality that the recent reform policy has been heavily promoting. The findings point to the complex interactions among policy, choice, and practices of early childhood education. The new voucher scheme is intensifying the governing of both the self and the field, the impact of which is worrisome.

The Problems with Using the Concept of 'Citizenship' in Early Years Policy

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: The Problems with Using the Concept of 'Citizenship' in Early Years Policy
Author: ZSUZSA MILLEI; ROBERT IMRE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 280-290
ABSTRACT Early years policy increasingly uses the concept of 'citizenship' in relation to children in Australia and worldwide. This concept is used as a taken-for-granted idea; however, there is no singularly agreed-upon answer to the question of what 'citizenship' means when used in relation to children, and what practical considerations it carries both for policymaking and for implementation. This article introduces theoretical ideas of 'citizenship' from the field of political theory in order to begin a discussion on how we imagine and might imagine children as citizens in policy discourses. Some conceptualisations of children as citizens are also discussed and questioned as starting points to consider in regard to the use of the notion of children as citizens in policy and practice.

Queering Child/hood Policies: Canadian examples and perspectives

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Queering Child/hood Policies: Canadian examples and perspectives
Author: DAVID V. RUFFOLO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 291-308
ABSTRACT This article examines how notions of 'child' and 'childhood' are produced in relation to recent early childhood policies in Ontario, Canada. It centers on an ongoing shift from Foucauldian disciplinary societies to Deleuzian control societies where it is argued that early childhood subjects (researchers, students, educators, administrators, and parents) are becoming less confined to specific spaces and tasks and are more controlled by the flows of knowledge, information, and communication. Current public policy debates are used to explore how early childhood education (ece) is becoming increasingly aligned with neoliberal calls for privatization, corporatization, and marketization. For instance, evidence-based practices and quality control indicators are quickly replacing developmental norms that have traditionally normalized and abnormalized children. The consequences of these transformations are examined using queer theory as a critical lens to explore how the identities of ECE subjects are deeply implicated in social, cultural, political, and economic factors - influences that are changing as a result of the shift from discipline to control.

Response to articles byYuen & Grieshaber, Millei & Imre, and RuffoloRebecca S. New. ECE Policies (and Policy Debates) as Sociocultural Mirror

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: Response to articles byYuen & Grieshaber, Millei & Imre, and RuffoloRebecca S. New. ECE Policies (and Policy Debates) as Sociocultural Mirror
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 309-311
ABSTRACT Not available

BOOK REVIEWS

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 312-314
ABSTRACT Making Sense of Every Child Matters: multi-professional practice guidance (Richard Barker, Ed.), reviewed by Sarah Hosken, pages 312-313

Managing Early Childhood Settings (A. Robbins & S. Callan, Eds), reviewed by Megan Gibson

Editorial

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Lynn Wilss
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 90-91
ABSTRACT This second issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood for 2009 retains the customary international perspective with a total of seven articles coming from New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Australia, and covers topics that range from play to mathematics and parent-teacher conferences. In the first article, Ellen Sandseter takes readers through an exploration of how children experience different kinds of risky play. Video observations from two preschools in Norway are used to investigate the emotions that children feel when involved in risky play; with both pure fear and pure exhilaration experienced, often at the same time. Sandseter makes a strong argument that risk taking is an important part of children's play and that children should be able to engage in play that challenges them and that suits their individual 'sense of risk and urge for exhilaration'. In some countries, health and safety regulations restrict what might be thought of as risky play, so it is refreshing to read an article that provides insight into children's emotional responses to risky play and the enjoyment that children experience from such play.

Children's Expressions of Exhilaration and Fear in Risky Play

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Children's Expressions of Exhilaration and Fear in Risky Play
Author: ELLEN BEATE HANSEN SANDSETER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 92-106
ABSTRACT Children naturally seek and conduct exciting forms of play that involve a risk of physical injury (risky play). Even though several prior studies give descriptions of risky play, none of them deeply explore children's expressions of how they experience different kinds of risky play. This study aims to do that. The results from video observations of children's risky play in two Norwegian preschools reveal that children experience several emotions, expressed bodily, facially, and verbally, while engaging in risky play. Their experiences include both pure exhilaration and pure fear, and quite often both emotions are present at the same time. The findings also indicate that one of the main aspects of risky play is to keep the exhilaration bordering on the feeling of pure fear; but if pure fear occurs, the play ends with withdrawal. Suggested implications of the study are that risk taking should be acknowledged as an important part of children's play, and that children should be able to engage in challenging play adjusted to their individual sense of risk and urge for exhilaration.

Mathematics Education in the Early Years: building bridges

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Mathematics Education in the Early Years: building bridges
Author: GLENDA ANTHONY; MARGARET WALSHAW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 107-121
ABSTRACT Aligned with the enhanced international commitment to early childhood education, recognition of the importance of providing young children with opportunities to develop mathematical understandings and skills is increasing. While there is much research about effective mathematics pedagogy in the school sector, less research activity is evident within the early childhood sector. Focused on people, relationships and the learning environment, this article draws on a synthesis of research on effective pedagogical practices to describe effective learning communities that can enhance the development of young children's mathematical identities and competencies. Concerned that the wider synthesis noted limited cross-sector collaboration within the mathematics education community, this article aims to act as a bridge for researchers currently working within the preschool and school sectors. The authors argue that understandings of effective pedagogies that enhance young children's mathematics learning will benefit from more cross-sector research studies.

The Parent-Teacher Conference in the Swedish Preschool: a study of an ongoing process as a 'pocket of local order'

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: The Parent-Teacher Conference in the Swedish Preschool: a study of an ongoing process as a 'pocket of local order'
Author: ANN-MARIE MARKSTRÖM
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 122-132
ABSTRACT This article explores the construction of parent-teacher conferences in the Swedish preschool and focuses on processes that construct and maintain these meetings. The analysis draws upon an ethnographic study in two preschools and the empirical material consists of 11 audiotaped parent-teacher conferences and observations of everyday activities related to them. By using empirical data from a wider context than the specific speech event, it is possible to gain knowledge about the complexity of the construction of parent-teacher conferences. Using the concept of a 'pocket of local order', it is argued that parent-teacher conferences are practices which consist of a large number of activities linked to resources and restrictions that can be interpreted as an imperative to the participants to conduct talks in preschool and at home, to fill in forms and then use these activities in the conference. In addition, parents and teachers, as well as children, contribute to the construction and maintenance of the pocket of local order, i.e. activities that can be interpreted as an imperative to the actors to reach institutional goals.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Inclusion for Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Education

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Barriers to and Facilitators of Inclusion for Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Education
Author: KERRY PURDUE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 133-143
ABSTRACT In the New Zealand education system, as in other countries, legislation and early childhood policy has been developed to support equity, social justice and democratic participation for children with disabilities and their families. However, despite this non-discriminatory and inclusive policy and legislative environment, some children with disabilities and their families experience exclusionary and discriminatory early childhood settings and struggle to access quality education. In this article, the author examines some of the barriers to and facilitators of inclusion for children with disabilities and their families in early childhood education. The author also suggests some changes in cultures, policies and practices that may help create early childhood settings that would see all children included.

Relationship Theory in the Nursery: attachment and beyond

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Relationship Theory in the Nursery: attachment and beyond
Author: SHEILA DEGOTARDI; EMMA PEARSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 144-145
ABSTRACT Contemporary approaches to early childhood education widely acknowledge that young children's relationships with others play a fundamental role in their learning and development. This article explores the construct of relationships within the context of early childhood infant programmes through an examination of the contribution and applicability of attachment theory to current understandings of the nature and consequences of young children's relationships in these settings. A review of the sociocultural context of relationships, the infants' role in relationship formation, and the nature of peer relationships leads to the proposal that practitioners, policy makers, and researchers need to adopt a wider, more dynamic approach to relationships that includes, but extends beyond, that afforded by attachment theory alone.

Shaping Conduct and Bridling Passions: governing practicum supervisors' practice of assessment

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: Shaping Conduct and Bridling Passions: governing practicum supervisors' practice of assessment
Author: MICHELLE ORTLIPP
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 156-167
ABSTRACT Courses preparing early childhood professionals through institutes of technical and further education utilise competency standards to guide the assessment of students during professional experience. Some universities offering early childhood teacher education courses use the term 'competencies' in practicum assessment forms and draw on teacher competency standards. This article explores how discourses of competence produced within positivist and liberal humanist discourses shape, guide and direct (govern) tertiary supervisors' beliefs about and understandings of the legitimacy of their professional judgement. Tertiary supervisors take up these discourses and use them as the basis upon which they govern themselves. The author argues that one of the effects of governmentality in this instance is that tertiary supervisors regulate and silence their professional judgement and defer to discourses of scientific rationality when assessing students on practicum placements. They produce assessment strategies that enable them to hide their subjective judgement within what appears to be a logical, rational and objective assessment process and position themselves as the rational, objective assessor, and, at the same time, the fair, responsible tertiary supervisor.

'Crossing the Rubicon': strategic planning or neo-biopower? A Critique of the Language of New Zealand's Early Childhood Strategic Plan

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: 'Crossing the Rubicon': strategic planning or neo-biopower? A Critique of the Language of New Zealand's Early Childhood Strategic Plan
Author: MARGARET STUART
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 168-181
ABSTRACT 'Strategy' is a word that has had an increasing use in recent years. The discipline of organisational studies has adopted this concept to set out the primacy of good business practices, such as foretelling risk and opportunity. Government policy documents use the term where medium- and long-term goals are set out, for example, the New Zealand Ministry of Education's Pathways to the Future. A Ten-Year Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Education. This article uses Michel Foucault's methodology of genealogy to trace the emergence of the term 'strategy', its use in organisational studies, and its displacement to education, specifically early childhood education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The study by Richard Whipp into the effectiveness of strategic planning supports the problematising of the term. The study deconstructs some naturalised truths about the image of people, of time, and of analysts' reflexivity. It asks about the use of terms that originated in the military lexicon, such as 'manoeuvres', 'strategy', 'target', 'plan' and 'risk', but have slipped to that of business practices, retaining traces, however, of the original military intent. Foucault inverted the phrase that 'politics is war by any other means' as institutions centralised control, set up supervision of populations, and collected statistics to plot changed patterns. This article examines some of the tracery that remains in such use of governmental language, and asks if this is the most appropriate lexicon for education.

The Lives of Sesame Street: the impact of foreclosures on young children and families

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: The Lives of Sesame Street: the impact of foreclosures on young children and families
Author: DANNÉ E. DAVIS; MINSUN SHIN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 182-184
ABSTRACT While significant attention has been paid to Wall Street investors and families impacted by the current subprime mortgage crisis in the USA, the lives of Sesame Street are minimally discussed. Children and their families are enduring a variety of consequences of foreclosures. The consequences can be hugely disruptive to the approximately 2 million voiceless victims. For the youngest citizens of the USA - its children - the subprime mortgage crisis, particularly home foreclosures, is impacting school attendance, academic performance and achievement, social development and emotional well-being. The authors argue that media and political attention should also include the unintended and often unnoticed repercussions of foreclosures on young children and their education. It is also argued that educators and policy makers should create policies and develop concerted efforts to alleviate the negative impacts on young children.

BOOK REVIEWS

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:41:44 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Pages: 185-190
ABSTRACT Doing Action Research in Early Childhood Studies: a step by step guide (Glenda MacNaughton & Patrick Hughes), reviewed by Louise Phillips, pages 185-187

Connecting with Children: developing working relationships (Pam Foley & Stephen Leverett, Eds), reviewed by Melinda G. Miller

Editorial

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Nicola Yelland
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-2
ABSTRACT This first issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood for 2009 marks a stage in the journal's evolution past the first decade of its existence. It represents an auspicious start to the new year as we approach the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. When we first had the idea for a journal that would support and reflect alternative visions for early childhood education, we did not find a lot of encouragement until we corresponded with Roger Osborn-King of Triangle Journals (now Symposium Journals). Not only was he our first sign of interest, he suggested an idea which was then, in 1998, almost beyond comprehension! An online journal! At that point in time, in the 'publish or perish' mentality of academe, online journals were derided as not being rigorous and somehow inferior to their article-based counterparts. Yet, the processes inherent to publishing the journal were exactly the same. The only difference was that Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood came in bytes not bits. We believed in what we were doing and agreed that this was an initiative, albeit ahead of its time, that was vitally necessary for encouraging alternative and new paradigms in early childhood. Last year we moved to four issues a year and this has also been a good move.

Being Accountable for One's Own Governing: a case study of early educators responding to standards-based early childhood education reform

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Being Accountable for One's Own Governing: a case study of early educators responding to standards-based early childhood education reform
Author: CHRISTOPHER P. BROWN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-23
ABSTRACT As early childhood education continues to gain prominence on the agendas of policy makers across the globe, members of the field of early childhood education are concerned that these reforms will create new governing discourses that restrict how early educators are defined and limit their work with young children. While these neo-liberal policies tend to alter traditional conceptions of early education and learning, opportunities do arise for early educators to formulate responses to these policies in a way that might expand these neo-liberal conceptions of early education. Through an instrumental case study of standards-based education reform in a large urban early childhood program in the USA, the author examines one such opportunity, in which a collection of pre-kindergarten stakeholders responded to a set of particular policies that emphasize a uniform conception of learning and student performance. This article provides insight into the struggles of early childhood stakeholders as they attempt to address these governing discourses of reform, and it raises questions as to whether proactive responses can destabilize the normalizing power that exists within these policies.

'They Don't Like Us': reflections of Turkish children in a German preschool

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: 'They Don't Like Us': reflections of Turkish children in a German preschool
Author: FIKRIYE KURBAN; JOSEPH TOBIN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 24-34
ABSTRACT In this article, the authors present multiple interpretations of a transcript of a discussion with a group of Turkish-German girls in a kindergarten in Berlin, Germany. These five-year-old girls make statements suggesting they experience alienation from their non-Turkish classmates and teachers, and the wider German society. The authors argue that the meanings of these statements should not be taken at face value. Instead, they employ interpretive strategies borrowed mostly from Mikhail Bakhtin and interpretive frameworks taken from Judith Butler, and post-colonial theory and Critical Race Theory to suggest that the girls' utterances can be usefully seen as having a performative dimension and as expressing tensions around immigration that can be found in the larger society.

The Construction of 'Toddler' in Early Childhood Pedagogy

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: The Construction of 'Toddler' in Early Childhood Pedagogy
Author: GUNVOR LØKKEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 35-42
ABSTRACT The theoretical construction in this article rests on one constitutive pillar of seeing the toddler within the view of Merleau-Pontyan philosophy, combined with a second pillar of empirical toddler peer studies, from both of which an emerging toddler 'style' of socializing is read. 'Style' in this analytical context should be viewed as a phenomenological and hermeneutical construct. To enable the construction of 'toddler' in early childhood pedagogy to stand, the necessary third pillar deals with the inquiry of a pedagogical notion proper to this context. Such a notion must accord with the view that the toddler of our time actively contributes to the construction of him- or herself, as well as of the persons, objects, surroundings and culture of the world in which he or she lives, and with which he or she interacts. To be at all noteworthy in the changeable plurality of post- or late modern times, this notion must be both transformative and transformable. A look at the Bildung tradition of pedagogy, whilst considering postmodern 'hypertransformation' as well as the ancient root of pedagogy, forwards a conclusion that changeability goes side by side with durability, as does uniqueness with universality.

Practitioners' Experiences of Personal Ownership and Autonomy in their Support for Young Children's Thinking

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Practitioners' Experiences of Personal Ownership and Autonomy in their Support for Young Children's Thinking
Author: SUE ROBSON; HIROKO FUMOTO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 43-54
ABSTRACT This article reports the third phase of the Froebel Research Fellowship Project: 'The Voice of the Child: ownership and autonomy in early learning'. Building on the first and second phases of this study, this phase examined early years practitioners' experiences of supporting young children's thinking in relation to the personal ownership and autonomy they felt in their practice. Thirteen early years practitioners (1 male, 12 female) working in private, voluntary and local authority nursery schools and reception classes in England took part in the informal one-to-one semi-structured interview study. Themes such as (1) dealing with constraints, (2) the importance of flexibility based on shared understandings amongst the team of practitioners and (3) interpersonal relationships emerged as central to practitioners' views about concepts of ownership and autonomy, and the ways in which practitioners endeavour to exercise agency in directing the course of their practice in extending children's thinking.

The Complexity of Bodily Events through an Ethnographer's Gaze: focusing on the youngest children in preschool

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: The Complexity of Bodily Events through an Ethnographer's Gaze: focusing on the youngest children in preschool
Author: NINA ROSSHOLT
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 55-65
ABSTRACT This article discusses theoretical, methodological and analytical strategies for researching the material subject. The discussion relates to discursive practices in a preschool setting with children of one and two years of age, where the material subject includes both bodily and discursive practices. Using critical ethnography research, the author follows studies of lived life connected to body/place relations. When the body is the main focus in writing, it may be possible to understand how children at this age relate to each other in complex and multiple ways. From observations, the author deconstructs two events. These relate to how actions and movements are situated not only in language, but also in bodily practices amongst children. The body is a site for negotiation with pleasure, pain, other bodies, space and visibility. Working with bodily practices transforms how power is performed, and whose interests are silenced, marginalized or excluded. From a Foucauldian perspective, this is about knowledge/power relations. From a Deleuzean perspective, body/place relations transform how we may see, feel and think otherwise.

Dialogical Spaces to Reconceptualize Parent Support in the Social Investment State

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Dialogical Spaces to Reconceptualize Parent Support in the Social Investment State
Author: MICHEL VANDENBROECK; TOM BOONAERT; SANDRA VAN DER MESPEL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 66-77
ABSTRACT The study from which this article derives investigated some dominant assumptions of parent support policies and programmes, and suggests new possibilities for the conceptualization of the relations between parents and such policies, inspired by the possibilities of dialogical spaces and 'relational citizenship'. Parent support programmes are increasingly conceptualized within a prevention paradigm, underpinning the individualization of social problems in the social investment state. Early childhood is consequently instrumentalized as the place where early socialization needs to be shaped. In this vein, socialization is understood as the adaptation of children as well as their parents to the prevailing societal norms and values. In an action research project involving researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the city of Brussels (Belgium), the authors explored new possibilities in understanding and conceptualizing work with parents of young children. The project consisted of three parts: the creation of a dialogical space where practitioners and policy makers discussed research, policy and practice; a survey of the parenting conditions in Brussels; and the exploration of the possibilities for new initiatives for parents and children, with a focus on social support. The focus in this article is on a report of the second component (the study), however, elements of the first and third components are included to highlight the dialogical dimensions of the project and possible future developments.

Initial Impressions: reflections of pre-service educators

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Initial Impressions: reflections of pre-service educators
Author: THOMAS L. SWEIGARD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 78-82
ABSTRACT Preservice early childhood educators responded in daily reflection journals on their field experience in local elementary classrooms. These journal entries were categorized according to the frequency of the responses. The focus of the study became the nature of the initial impressions that these preservice educators had of their cooperating teachers. We know that first impressions many times are very important. Much can be learned about how these cooperating teachers handled the first few minutes of interaction with the preservice educators.

Writing Matters! Teaching Writing Development to First-Year Early Years Students

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: Writing Matters! Teaching Writing Development to First-Year Early Years Students
Author: AMANDA FRENCH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 83-85
ABSTRACT This article reports on a current piece of action research designed to explore how the writing skills of first-year early childhood students can be developed in proactive and innovative ways. It describes how the research/tutor team worked with colleagues to produce and deliver a series of activities which were embedded in first-year core modules on the Early Childhhod Studies degree. The activities were designed to stimulate discussions about writing in higher education and provided students with opportunities to write and receive feedback about their writing throughout the first year of their programme. The research discusses the rationale for such activities and describes the reactions of staff and students to the activities.

BOOK REVIEWS

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:58 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2009 Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 86-89
ABSTRACT Thinking and Learning through Drawing in Primary Classrooms (Gill Hope), reviewed by Lyndal O'Gorman, pages 86-88

Children with Cerebral Palsy: a manual for therapists, parents and community workers (Archie Hinchcliffe), reviewed by Anne Petriwskyj

Musical Expressions in Kindergarten: an inter-cultural study?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Musical Expressions in Kindergarten: an inter-cultural study?
Author: CLAUDIA GLUSCHANKOF
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 217-327
ABSTRACT In a study conducted in kindergartens in Israel, three 'cultures' converge: the kindergarten, the community, and the home. The differences among the two kindergartens in this study do not reside solely in the urban vs. non-urban and Jewish vs. Arab. They also reside in the contexts created by the adults as a result of their beliefs about childhood, music, play, and education, and how these beliefs are expressed in their behaviours. This account draws on a larger ethnographic study conducted in a number of kindergarten settings. The aim of this larger study was to describe and understand the self-initiated musical expressions of children aged four to five years, who bring various cultural identities to the early years setting. The sites under scrutiny in this article were two kindergartens in Israel: a non-urban state-sponsored Jewish kindergarten, and an urban Arab kindergarten in a church-operated school. The evidence showed that the musical expressions of the children in the study shared many characteristics. It also showed that differences reside, not only in the culture of the community they belong to, but also in the culture of the kindergarten. This included the physical environment, the degree of structure in the timetable, and the attitudes and rationale of the staff. This article suggests that each kindergarten develops a particular style of musical play, and that inter-cultural issues can include those that are idiosyncratic to specific peer cultures.

Editorial

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Felicity McArdle
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 273-274
ABSTRACT This special issue on the topic of early childhood education and the arts contains nine rich, reflective and passionate articles about experiences and practices related to the arts, but also goes beyond a narrow consideration of the field. For many of us, the arts are the obvious place to do critically reflective work. The earliest documented evidence of critical reflection on ways of seeing and being can be found in the rock paintings done by Indigenous Australians, and artists have continued to work at prompting us to look again, and see things from different angles and through different lenses. Modernist artists of the twentieth century set out to disrupt the established 'rules' for art at the time. When Marcel Duchamp scribbled a moustache on a reproduction of the Mona Lisa, he used art to shift ways of seeing the discursive constructions of art and self. Later, postmodern philosophers used words.

Representing Space: Katie’s horse and the recalcitrant object

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Representing Space: Katie’s horse and the recalcitrant object
Author: CHRISTINA MACRAE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 275-286
ABSTRACT This article is a practitioner's attempt to resist habitual ways of interpreting and responding to young children's drawings. Early art education as a discipline is shot through with complexities, including wider shifting social discourses. This article specifically explores the continuing and powerful effect that Piaget's developmental approach has had on ways that teachers expect children to represent the world. The critique of Piaget examines how his stages of cognitive development intersect with an account of perspective that naturalises the claims it makes to represent the world. Critical analysis of responses to a child's drawing draws attention to the ways that this normative and perspectival approach frames readings of the drawing. In order to create new ways of thinking about the drawing, the article offers a material critique of the logic of representation. In this alternative account the object that has been drawn stubbornly refuses to stand in for the real. Difference rather than resemblance is introduced into the reading of children's drawings.

Children's Improvised Vocalisations: learning, communication and technology of the self

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Children's Improvised Vocalisations: learning, communication and technology of the self
Author: JAN SVERRE KNUDSEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 287-296
ABSTRACT The intention of this article is to explore, challenge and expand our understandings of children's improvised vocalisations, a fundamentally human form of expression. Based on selected examples from observation and recording in non-institutional settings, the article outlines how this phenomenon can be understood as learning and as communication. This is supplemented by suggesting a third possible approach which places these vocal forms within the frame of understanding implied by Foucault's term 'technology of the self'. This theoretical perspective entails recognising improvised vocalisations as tools used to 'act upon the self' in order to attain or reinforce a certain mental state or mood - happiness, satisfaction, anger or longing - in short, as a way in which children learn to know the self as a self. In line with a Foucauldian perspective is also a focus on the negotiation of power and how music serves as an empowering agent in children's everyday social interaction. Finally, informed by Vygotsky's approach to understanding the relationship between language and mental development, the author discusses the gradual disappearance of improvised vocalisations.

Conversation as a Work of Art: will it hang in a museum?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Conversation as a Work of Art: will it hang in a museum?
Author: JEANNE MARIE IORIO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 297-305
ABSTRACT Arts are an expectation in early childhood classrooms - traditionally, visual art, music, drama, and movement. The variety of understandings of art and aesthetic experiences shape approaches to arts education, particularly with young children. Attempts to define the aesthetic experience refer to the presence of an object, most commonly a work of art. The object becomes central to the human response within the aesthetic experience. Through the analysis of data documenting conversations between a child and an adult, the author have previously proposed child-adult conversations as aesthetic experiences. In this article, she re-examines excerpts from child-adult conversations from her research, negotiating the possibility of naming child-adult conversation as art, in order to recognise child-adult conversation as an aesthetic experience. This article continues the conversation around thinking of conversation as art, and the art of conversation - an integral component of pedagogy with young children.

Communication and Transformation through Collaboration: rethinking drawing activities in early childhood

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Communication and Transformation through Collaboration: rethinking drawing activities in early childhood
Author: LINDA KNIGHT
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 306-316
ABSTRACT This article is a study of the arts in early childhood as a way of learning, for both children and their teachers. The author suggests that drawing can be a powerful tool for collaborative approaches to pedagogy. When teachers draw with children, pathways of communication can be opened, and the collaborative exercise can trigger processes of transformation for both adult and child. In order to present challenges to more traditional, hands-off pedagogical practices in arts education, this article is an account of reflexive arts pedagogies, and how they can work to improve communication and understandings between adults and children. Within the educational contexts of Australian preschooling and primary schooling, the author examines the process of collaborative drawing, and how this can enable a process of transformation. Her analysis, and the accompanying examples of reflexive practices, combine complementary lenses, socio-cultural and postmodern, that she sees as working in harmony to produce new possibilities, in arts education in particular, and, more broadly, in early childhood education.

Young Children Being Rhythmically Playful: creating musike together

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Young Children Being Rhythmically Playful: creating musike together
Author: SOPHIE ALCOCK
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 328-338
ABSTRACT This article explores young children's rhythmic, musical, aesthetic and playful creative communication in an early childhood education centre. Young children's communication is musically rhythmic and social. The data, presented as 'events', formed part of an ethnographic-inspired study conducted by the researcher as a participant observer. Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framed the methodology, with mediated activity as the unit of analysis. Critical and related aesthetic theory inform the data analyses, providing open ways of appreciating diversity in young children's aesthetic experience. The collaborative nature of young children's rhythmic musicality is explored and the article suggests that rhythm pervades young children's creative and communicative playfulness.

Reflection, Renewal and Relationship Building: an ongoing journey in early childhood arts education

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Reflection, Renewal and Relationship Building: an ongoing journey in early childhood arts education
Author: JAN DEANS; ROBERT BROWN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 339-353
ABSTRACT The established place of the arts within early childhood education is rarely questioned. Nevertheless, social, cultural and political shifts in values, beliefs and practices impact on approaches to the arts, as early childhood practitioners grapple with increasingly complex views on how children learn and what factors impact on their learning. This article maps some of these shifts over the past 15 years, at one Early Learning Centre (ELC) in Australia. The centre has created and regularly re-conceptualised its vision for the place of the arts in the lives of young children. Curriculum is informed by a layered and multidimensional theoretical framework, where the arts are integrated into the children's learning, and theories are considered as collections of partial truths. The article documents a number of significant events where the children engaged with the arts as ways of making and communicating meaning, and as a means for inquiry-based learning, for developing their artistry and as a space for relationship building between individuals and communities. Reflections on these events examine the image of the child, symbolic languages, emergent curriculum, the role of artist/ teacher and the impact of socio-cultural values on arts pedagogy and practice.

Pre-service Teachers' Critical Reflections of Arts and Education Discourse: reconstructions of experiences in early childhood and higher education

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Pre-service Teachers' Critical Reflections of Arts and Education Discourse: reconstructions of experiences in early childhood and higher education
Author: MELINDA G. MILLER; ELLEN L. NICHOLAS; MEAGHAN L. LAMBETH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 354-364
ABSTRACT This layered account of arts education is produced through the three authors' critical reflections of experiences in their own early childhood education, and their pre-service teacher education. The first layer establishes links between the arts, learning in the arts and critically reflective practices through an account of teaching and learning in Unit X - a compulsory arts unit in a four-year teacher education course. The second layer is a recall of early childhood arts experiences and how these informed our identities as artists, students of the arts and critically reflective teachers. Possibilities for promoting critically reflective practices in teacher education are recommended, alongside a call for more systematic modes of reflective inquiry in a teacher degree program.

The Arts and Staying Cool

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: The Arts and Staying Cool
Author: FELICITY McARDLE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 365-374
ABSTRACT Art can be messy. Teaching art can be messy. Teaching can be a messy process. The art of making a space for the playfulness and messiness of teaching requires courage and letting go. This article develops the verandah metaphor for re-thinking the place of the arts in education, in order to make space for some of the institutionalised ambivalence in arts education. Four sites of practice are examined, where contingencies come into play, and where current practices act to both enable and constrain our ways of working with young children. The article concludes with some new (messy) possibilities for seeing and thinking about arts education.

Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: a reality or a mirage?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: a reality or a mirage?
Author: HANNAH O. AJAYI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 375-380
ABSTRACT Education is the right of every child and must not be denied it for any reason. This has been the assertion of the World Summit on the state of global children, which has led to the inclusion and expansion of early childhood care and education in the global Education for All programme (EFA). As Nigeria has pledged its commitment to this, with the recent inauguration of the policy on this educational arm, this article therefore examines the situation on the ground, on the prospects, and on the problems, and gives recommendations that could make the educational programme a reality in the nation in the interest of the children.

Analysis of Classroom Management Problems in Primary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Analysis of Classroom Management Problems in Primary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria
Author: ENAMIRORO PATRICK OGHUVBU; THERESA EDIRIN ATAKPO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 381-388
ABSTRACT This article identifies classroom management problems, their causes, and possible ways to reduce these problems in primary schools located in Delta State, Nigeria. A total of 600 teachers selected from twelve local government areas participated in this study. Data were collected in a checklist containing 27 items and a two section questionnaire containing 19 items. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested using percentage, bar and pie charts, chi-square and analysis of variance at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that common classroom management problems were related to students shouting, calling names, sleeping and talking/engaging in discussion during lessons. Identified causes of these problems were seen as originating in: overcrowded classrooms; parent neglect of the health conditions of children; and an unhygienic and below-standard teaching and learning environment. School location does not significantly influence teachers' views on identified causes and possible ways to reduce classroom management problems in primary schools in Delta State, Nigeria.

Conditions for Implementation of the Science Curriculum in Early Childhood Development and Education Centres in Kenya

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Conditions for Implementation of the Science Curriculum in Early Childhood Development and Education Centres in Kenya
Author: MILIMU GLADYS SHAJI; FRANCIS C. INDOSHI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 389-399
ABSTRACT Cognitive development and teaching have highlighted the importance of learning based on the relationship among individuals and the learning environment. Teaching and learning of science in early childhood development and education (ECDE) can only be effective if adequate facilities, materials, equipment and activities are put in place. Teaching of science in ECDE centres in Kenya is faced with numerous challenges, hence the negative influence on children's learning of the subject. This raised the question of whether we have appropriate conditions for implementation of the science curriculum in ECDE centres. This study investigated conditions for implementation of science in 115 ECDE centres managed by 230 teachers in Kakamega Municipality, Kenya. It used the ECDE facilities checklist, the ECDE classroom science materials/equipment checklist, the ECDE classroom science activities checklist, and the ECDE teacher classroom science questionnaire to analyse the availability of science materials, equipment, class size and activities for ECDE children in the classroom. Each teacher was videotaped for two consecutive days during science activities. Their attitude towards science curriculum was measured by the use of an attitude scale. The findings of the study indicated that three-quarters of the ECDE centres had appropriate general facilities. However, a majority (91.2%) of ECDE centres lacked adequate and quality classroom science materials/equipment. The activities that the ECDE teachers engaged in were mostly unrelated to science activities (85.7%), even though they had a favourable attitude towards the science curriculum. This study is significant because the resulting findings will influence practice in early childhood education by informing policy makers on prevailing conditions for implementation of the science curriculum. On the theoretical side, the findings will contribute to the development of teaching and learning science materials, science equipment and a children's science curriculum tool kit.

Development of Early Years Policy and Practice in Ghana: can outcomes be improved for marginalised children?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: Development of Early Years Policy and Practice in Ghana: can outcomes be improved for marginalised children?
Author: JOSEPH AGBENYEGA
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 400-404
ABSTRACT Even though several attempts have been made by the government of Ghana towards its goal of eradicating child labour, poverty, and marginalisation in educational outcomes for all children, the condition of disadvantaged children remain terribly devastating compared with those of more advantaged children. This article discusses the extent to which two new major Ghanaian education policy initiatives impact on this situation - namely, the introduction of early childhood care and development (ECCD) and the capitation grant (CG) policies. The article raises concerns regarding corruption, mismanagement and lack of proper monitoring of the policy implementation process and argues that the current trend seems unlikely to deliver the type of outcomes necessary to end marginalisation and suffering of children in Ghana. It proposes inclusion of parents and community participation in all aspects of the policy production and implementation processes.

BOOK REVIEW

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:18:30 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEW
Author: Janet Robertson
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Pages: 405-406
ABSTRACT Letting the Outside In: developing teaching and learning beyond the early years classroom (Rebecca Austin, Ed.)

Introduction

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Introduction
Author: Alan Pence
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 189-190
ABSTRACT The articles in this special issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood are based on an early childhood forum that took place at the University of Victoria, Canada in November 2007. The forum was one in a series that have been organized as part of the Investigating Quality (IQ) project, co-led by Drs Alan Pence and Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw at the School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria.

History Matters: United States policy and indigenous early childhood intervention

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: History Matters: United States policy and indigenous early childhood intervention
Author: MICHAEL D. NILES; LISA G. BYERS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 191-201
ABSTRACT This article discusses the degree to which early childhood practitioners in the United States attend to cultural differences and social injustice in their pedagogy, with a particular reference to indigenous peoples. The article has three major sections. The first describes an indigenous perspective regarding 'improvement' and 'quality' with respect to early childhood programs. Included is a review of United States policy developments regarding indigenous peoples (including an examination of relevant aspects of the Bureau of Indian Affairs) and a discussion of the impact of those policies on indigenous families. The second section discusses the impact of contemporary early childhood policies and practices on indigenous communities. The third section is a review of the dominant research literature and theoretical beliefs.

Honouring Māori Subjectivities within Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Honouring Māori Subjectivities within Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa
Author: JENNY RITCHIE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 202-210
ABSTRACT For the past decade educators working within early childhood services in Aotearoa have been challenged to deliver a curriculum that requires inclusive representation of Māori, the indigenous people, their language and culture. This article reflects on some responses to the challenge of this 'bicultural' curriculum, drawing upon research which has sought to identify some pathways which are enabling and honouring of this indigenous representation.

Agency in Early Childhood Learning and Development in Cameroon

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Agency in Early Childhood Learning and Development in Cameroon
Author: A. BAME NSAMENANG
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 211-223
ABSTRACT This article focuses on agency, as a natural disposition in children to be active and participative. Africa's parenting attitudes and education in African family traditions encourage and foster children's responsible agency in family life, cultural and economic activities, and their own developmental learning from an early, especially within the peer culture. It is amazing that in an era of accentuating efforts to understand and actualize the UNCRC provisions on children's citizenship and participation, international advocacy persists in stigmatizing as child labor the centuries-old productive agency of Africa's children and youth, which disables almost 70 percent of the continent's population, instead of working to enhance and learn from it. The article critiques the conceptual developmental and core rights issues pertaining to children's agency, substantiating the discourse with illustrative impressions on the changing but 'normative' child agency in family traditions in Cameroon.

Childhood Labor in India: issues and complexities

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Childhood Labor in India: issues and complexities
Author: RADHIKA VIRURU
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 224-233
ABSTRACT It is estimated that more than 12 million children in India under the age of 14 engage in paid labor at least part time, due mostly to economic reasons. Dominant discourses about childhood however conceptualize childhood labor not only as unethical but as exploitation. This article explored will the tensions between Western notions of childhood (within which paid labor is considered taboo) and the realities of children's lives in India, arguing that childhood labor must be contextualized and understood not only as a colonial legacy but also as part of its socio-cultural context. The author argues that separating children from the world of work fosters a culture of childhood that emphasizes entitlement over participation and privileges the rights of the consumer over children's rights as citizens.

Hearts of Compassion: a concern for violence against children

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Hearts of Compassion: a concern for violence against children
Author: LOURDES DIAZ SOTO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 234-240
ABSTRACT This article documents the global concern of violence toward children in the post-modern society. The possibility of pursuing altruistic possibilities is explored in light of recent research conducted with children who experienced the events of 9/11 in New York City and immigrant border crossing children. The conclusion explores how early childhood and progressive educators can work toward alleviating violence against children.

Discourses on Quality Care: the Investigating 'Quality' project and the Canadian experience

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Discourses on Quality Care: the Investigating 'Quality' project and the Canadian experience
Author: ALAN PENCE; VERONICA PACINI-KETCHABAW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 241-255
ABSTRACT This article describes the contexts within which reconceptualist approaches to research and practice in early childhood education are taking place in British Columbia, Canada. The authors situate their work on a project entitled Investigating 'Quality' in Early Childhood Education within national and international early childhood discourses.

The Politics of Difference and Diversity: from young children's violence to creative power expressions

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: The Politics of Difference and Diversity: from young children's violence to creative power expressions
Author: VERONICA PACINI-KETCHABAW; AHNA BERIKOFF
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 256-264
ABSTRACT This article reinterprets practising for diversity and difference discursively and contextually using post-colonial, anti-racist feminist, and post-structural lenses. Working with data from a participatory action research project, the article critically reflects on normalized and standardized discourses of difference and diversity by interrogating how young children negotiate racialized identities and power relations during everyday dialogues. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges and possibilities of practising for social justice.

Teaching Early Childhood Teacher Candidates How to Assess Children's Inquiry Skills in Science Learning

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: Teaching Early Childhood Teacher Candidates How to Assess Children's Inquiry Skills in Science Learning
Author: JOOHI LEE; JI YOON YOON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 265-269
ABSTRACT This article presents pragmatic information on teaching early childhood teacher candidates how to assess children's inquiry process skills. The authors list three important steps in choosing inquiry skills. They generated behavioral indicators for each inquiry skill, and designed an assessment rubric using number grading or a satisfactory/unsatisfactory rubric system.

CALLS FOR PAPERS Professionalism in Early Childhood

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: CALLS FOR PAPERS Professionalism in Early Childhood
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 270-271
ABSTRACT Not available

CALLS FOR PAPERS Policy in Early Childhood

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 11:03:47 GMT

Title: CALLS FOR PAPERS Policy in Early Childhood
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Pages: 272-272
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Nicola J. Yelland; Rebecca Beris
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 92-93
ABSTRACT The importance of quality early childhood education has very much been in the spotlight again in Australia. The new (Rudd) government has come to power on a platform that includes an 'education revolution' and they have indicated that they believe that the years from birth to eight years of age are particularly important in laying the foundations for learning. Included in his plan, the Prime Minister's vision is that there will be childcare 'hubs' where a range of services will be available for young children and their families. The plan sounds similar to the Education Action Zones that New Labour initiated in the United Kingdom, which included such services as parenting support mechanisms, parenting classes, access to social workers and health services including things like immunisation and maternal and child health services. At the same time, the government has indicated a commitment to providing education systems that are accountable to parents and a world-class education that will ensure that Australian children are able to achieve outcomes commensurate with their international counterparts. Implicit in this is that a national curriculum is needed to define national content that all children in Australia will experience, including agreement on what constitutes the 'basics' of literacy and numeracy, which are to be tested and will act as benchmarks of performance that will be accepted as minimum performance standards for all students.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: CALL FOR PAPERS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 94-94
ABSTRACT Not available

Teaching Literacy in English Language in Singaporean Preschools: exploring teachers' beliefs about what works best

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Teaching Literacy in English Language in Singaporean Preschools: exploring teachers' beliefs about what works best
Author: CHRISTINA LIM; JANE TORR
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 95-106
ABSTRACT Singaporean preschool teachers are responsible for preparing their young students for a formal education that is predominantly conducted in English. What these teachers believe about how young children learn English literacy skills is important to study, especially when much of the research is situated in very different contexts. Talking to teachers about their roles is a way of examining interpretations of 'effective' teaching and learning in terms of actual literacy pedagogy. Three broad categories were discernible in this exploratory study of interviews with eight teachers, clustering around their concepts of the child as learner, their construction of themselves as active facilitators of children's learning, and the impact of parental pressures on their decision making.

Learning Dispositions and the Role of Mutual Engagement: factors for consideration in educational settings

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Learning Dispositions and the Role of Mutual Engagement: factors for consideration in educational settings
Author: JUDITH DUNCAN; CAROLYN JONES; MARGARET CARR
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 107-117
ABSTRACT This article describes an emerging theoretical framework for examining relationships between learning dispositions and learning architecture. Three domains of learning dispositions - resilience, reciprocity and imagination - are discussed in relation to the structures and processes of early childhood education settings and new entrant classrooms. This framework was developed during the analysis of the data collected for the Dispositions in Social Context project, funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund and headed by Anne B. Smith and Margaret Carr. This article includes examples from this research project, which explored the relationship between learning architecture and the dispositions of children within these education contexts.

Partnership in Integrated Early Childhood Services: an analysis of policy framings in education and human services

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Partnership in Integrated Early Childhood Services: an analysis of policy framings in education and human services
Author: SUE NICHOLS; SARI JURVANSUU
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 118-130
ABSTRACT There is currently movement internationally towards the integration of services for young children and their families, incorporating childcare, education, health and family support. Shifting service provision towards partnership between services, and between these services and families, has been the subject of policy formation at various levels. As part of a study into the first year of operation of integrated children's centres in South Australia, a policy analysis was undertaken surveying policies in two domains: education on the one hand and human services (incorporating health) on the other. This analysis found different policy framings of partnership operating in the two domains. Additionally, the policy landscape is layered with old and new constructions of the relationship between families and services. The authors argue that the terms within which policies frame partnership, families and services should be the subject of debate and also dialogue involving those practitioners whose role it is to make integration work on the ground.

Interpreting Children's Constructions of their Ethnicity

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Interpreting Children's Constructions of their Ethnicity
Author: DONNA J. GRACE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 131-147
ABSTRACT Drawing upon post-structural and post-colonial theories, this study is an investigation into the ways in which five classes of first-grade children (six and seven year olds) in Florida and Hawaii talked about their ethnicities in a video pen pal project. The qualitative methods utilized in this research were participant observation, interviews, and videotaping. The resulting analysis notes that the children in the five different schools talked about their ethnicities differently (ethnicity only, hyphenated ethnic-national identity, or national identity only). Four themes emerge from the analysis related to multicultural education, real-life racism, national identity, and shifting subjectivities. Emphasized in the analysis and interpretation is the importance of situating children's talk about ethnicity within local contexts, acknowledging the multiple and fluid nature of individual subjectivities, and recognizing their location within ideological discourses.

Loss of Parenting Self-efficacy among Immigrant Parents

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Loss of Parenting Self-efficacy among Immigrant Parents
Author: MEHRUNNISA AHMAD ALI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 148-160
ABSTRACT The early settlement experiences of immigrant parents of young children arriving in Canada make it difficult for them to meet their young children's physiological, social and emotional needs, or to help them navigate the structures of their new environment. They lose their sense of self-efficacy in their parenting role in the face of rapid reduction in their social, emotional, cultural and financial resources. This loss of parenting self-efficacy is a consequence of systemic constraints on their ability to exercise agency in raising their children and, unless disrupted, it will perpetuate inequitable and unjust relations among racialized and white populations in Canada.

The New Workforce Generation: understanding the problems facing parental involvement in Jordanian kindergartens

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: The New Workforce Generation: understanding the problems facing parental involvement in Jordanian kindergartens
Author: FATHI IHMEIDEH; SAMER KHASAWNEH; SAFI MAHFOUZ; MOUSTAFA KHAWALDEH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 161-172
ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the problems facing parental involvement in Jordanian kindergartens from the parents’ perspectives. A 36-item questionnaire that addressed five domains was designed by the researchers and distributed among the study participants. The study sample consisted of 297 parents of kindergarten children from various kindergartens in Amman. The results reveal that the main problem facing parental involvement was related to the kindergarten principals, followed by problems related to the kindergarten teachers, while the kindergarten facilities were the least serious problem. Also, the results indicate that there were statistically significant differences only with problems related to the kindergarten instructional program domain with regard to the parents’ gender, while there were no differences attributed to the educational and economic levels of the parents. Based on these findings the researchers address a number of suggestions and recommendations for enhancing parental involvement in Jordanian kindergartens.

Early Childhood Voices: who is really talking?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Voices: who is really talking?
Author: JENNIFER BATYCKY
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 173-177
ABSTRACT The early childhood classroom is a space filled with contradictions. While a primary classroom is full of possibility, there exists a quiet narrative that we take for granted which serves to silence the voices of both children and teachers. This narrative is powerful in the space it occupies and within these contexts it manifests itself in a variety of ways. The goal of this article is to highlight some of the ways in which we are silenced and perhaps offer the courage to reframe our daily lives in the early childhood context. The article is inspired from a critical theory perspective, taking into consideration the issues related to power and oppression. The author believes these themes are real and very alive in our classrooms and it serves us as teachers to look critically at our circumstances so that we may begin to reclaim our voices. To deny that themes of oppression exist in our spaces is to further deny our voices, as teachers, and of those of our youngest learners. This article examines the following themes of classroom spaces and curriculum. The author observes that these themes play themselves out in her own classroom and other early childhood settings, which she believes serve to silence the voices of those who live in these spaces.

A Critical Enquiry into the Implementation of the Montessori Teaching Method as a First Step towards Inclusive Practice in Early Childhood Settings Specifically in Developing Countries

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: A Critical Enquiry into the Implementation of the Montessori Teaching Method as a First Step towards Inclusive Practice in Early Childhood Settings Specifically in Developing Countries
Author: ROSHINI VETTIVELOO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 178-181
ABSTRACT The analysis was carried out as part of a master's thesis and it aimed to analyse the extent to which the Montessori educational philosophy and teaching method incorporated inclusive educational qualities. The Montessori Method was first developed for children who were disadvantaged and considered 'idiots', in the slums of Italy's San Lorenzo. With the usage of her didactic materials, Maria Montessori proved that the children in question were indeed educable given the correct type of instruction. The focus of this article is on the inclusive qualities embedded within the Montessori philosophy and teaching method, which can be reason enough for it to be adopted by developing countries that have limited budgets/funding for the purpose of special education. This method could prove to be an easy alternative for the immediate implementation of early childhood inclusive education for countries such as Malaysia which do not yet possess specific legislation governing special education.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:20 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Pages: 182-188
ABSTRACT Identifying Special Needs in the Early Years (Kay Mathieson), reviewed by Joseph Agbenyega

Last Child in the Woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder (Richard Louv), reviewed by Paula J. Moseley, pages 183-186

Widening the Circle: the power of inclusive classrooms (Mara Sapon-Shevin), reviewed by Leigh M. O'Brien

Editorial

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Katrina Weier
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-2
ABSTRACT For Australia, 2008 marks a new beginning for indigenous children and families. The new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, began Parliament with an apology for the Stolen Generations, those children who were taken forcibly by authorities from their mothers and fathers, families and communities between 1910 and 1970. During this time, approximately 50,000 children, or between 10 and 30% of indigenous children, were removed compulsorily from their families. As part of the apology, the Prime Minister proposed a new partnership, based on closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities. A bipartisan committee is planned to ensure that over 'the next five years, every indigenous child aged four in remote Aboriginal communities will be enrolled in and attending a proper early childhood education centre and engaged in proper preliteracy and prenumeracy programs' (Rudd, 2008). The motion of apology by the Prime Minister was supported by the Opposition and received a standing ovation on the first day of the new parliament. While this historic action is a first step and gives much hope for indigenous children, families and communities, caution is needed so that the errors of the Stolen Generations are not repeated.

Young Children's Access to Real Life: an examination of the growing boundaries between children in child care and adults in the community

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Young Children's Access to Real Life: an examination of the growing boundaries between children in child care and adults in the community
Author: JOHN NIMMO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-13
ABSTRACT Young children in industrialized societies are increasingly separated from the everyday lives of adults in their community. This article explores the historical and cultural dynamics (and contradictions) of a growing boundary between children, particularly those in child care, and adults without primary care-giving roles. The article proposes that young children's participation in and contributions to a democratic society are rooted in access to this real life. The active role of children in the formation of social capital should be recognized by educators and policy makers as significant in the development of identity. A framework and strategies for developing meaningful child-adult relations in the context of child care are proposed as the basis for further research and practice.

Rhyme and Reason: developing children's understanding of rhyme

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Rhyme and Reason: developing children's understanding of rhyme
Author: NIKLAS PRAMLING; MAJ ASPLUND CARLSSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 14-26
ABSTRACT In this study, an extensive episode of teachers working with the intention of developing children's understanding of rhyme is analysed. The data for the analysis consist of a video-recording of two teachers and seven children (aged 3-5 years) working with a type of rhyme-card and trying to construct a poem. The analytical interest lies in the opportunities that the teachers provide children to develop a notion of rhyme. The result shows that what a rhyme is to large extent remains implicit in the talk. The critical distinction between a relation between words based on sound (i.e. a rhyme) and a relation between words based on sense also remains unverbalized. This means that while some children may discover this distinction themselves through participating in this activity and encountering a variety of examples, a child who has not understood this difference is not actually helped to do so. Relevance and implications of this study to the practice of preschool are briefly discussed.

Talk about Text during Independent Writing: what teacher-student interaction suggests for how we understand students' competence

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Talk about Text during Independent Writing: what teacher-student interaction suggests for how we understand students' competence
Author: CHRISTINA DAVIDSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 27-35
ABSTRACT Talk between students and their teachers is central to learning at school, yet students' competence is often understood as the outcome of instructional talk rather than essential to successful participation in instructional talk. Curriculum frameworks used to attribute students with levels of competence reflect these understandings. This article employs Conversation Analysis to consider student-teacher interaction during an independent writing lesson. Discussion of their interaction establishes the link between the student's taken-for-granted knowledge of teacher talk and the teacher's instruction. The finding suggests the importance of locating students' competence within the context of instructional talk between teachers and students.

The Child Care Trilemma: how moral orientations influence the field

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: The Child Care Trilemma: how moral orientations influence the field
Author: MARTHA LASH; MARY McMULLEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 36-48
ABSTRACT The achievement of quality, affordability and availability - what has been called the 'trilemma' of child care - continues to pose relevant, moral challenges for administrators, teachers and parents. These three dimensions of the trilemma are directly related to questions of moral significance related to how the US child care structure affects the families, teachers, and administrators who are intimately involved in the care and education of children. An examination of the trilemma is made to clarify mutually dependent dimensions of this complex system and the inherent moral confounds that accentuate the intra- and interrelated flowing moral tensions. The moral orientations of justice and care are reviewed, not to the exclusion of one another, but to characterize each orientation, the tension between them, and the possibility of moral pluralism. The moral orientations of justice, care and moral pluralism are used as lenses through which to view the perspectives of the three study participants (i.e. a parent, teacher, and administrator) and their exploration, advocacy, and decision making on issues they find salient within the child care trilemma. The perspectives and insights shared by the participants in this study contribute to our understanding about the thinking, decision making and action that surround this inherent moral complexity of the trilemma.

Play and Literacy Learning in a Diverse Language Pre-kindergarten Classroom

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Play and Literacy Learning in a Diverse Language Pre-kindergarten Classroom
Author: KYUNGHEE MOON; STUART REIFEL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 49-65
ABSTRACT This study explores a teacher's understandings of the role of play and her use of play in literacy learning serving children from diverse language backgrounds. The participants in this study were a public pre-kindergarten teacher and her class. Data were collected from interviews, informal conversations, observations, and self-reflexive notes. The teacher believed that play, as she defined it, has an important role in children's literacy learning and development, and she used playful activities (concrete, manipulative, fun, hands-on, and creative activities, including games) as potential teaching and learning mediums for literacy learning, within her own unique understanding and use of play. Implications for understanding multicultural and developmentally appropriate literacy practices are discussed in terms of teacher beliefs and understandings.

'Until the Cows Came Home': issues for early intervention activities? Parental Perspectives on the Early Years Learning of their Children with Down Syndrome

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: 'Until the Cows Came Home': issues for early intervention activities? Parental Perspectives on the Early Years Learning of their Children with Down Syndrome
Author: JONATHAN RIX; ALICE PAIGE-SMITH; HELEN JONES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 66-79
ABSTRACT This article reports the views of parents of children with Down syndrome in the United Kingdom, and those of a parent-researcher, who have recently been or are currently involved in early intervention programmes. It reports on a series of semi-structured interviews with nine parents of eight children with Down syndrome and the reflective engagement of the parent-researcher. The parents reflect upon learning moments and activities with their child that have been most enjoyable, effective and easy to carry out, as well as those that were difficult or a potential cause of conflict. They also prioritise situations that had a positive impact upon their child's learning. This research adds a parental voice to evidence that suggests a need to place a greater emphasis on learning that comes from the child's interests and less upon developmental goals, and the positive impact this may have for both the parents and children currently being encouraged to engage in early intervention programmes.

Formations of New Governing Technologies and Productions of New Norms: the dangers of preschool voucher discourse

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Formations of New Governing Technologies and Productions of New Norms: the dangers of preschool voucher discourse
Author: I-FANG LEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 80-82
ABSTRACT Contemporary reform discourses have been interlaced with a neo-liberal political economic reasoning system globally and locally. Taking the preschool vouchers in Taiwan and Hong Kong as examples, this article seeks to encourage a shift towards a post-structural perspective of theorizing and analyzing as an alternative to problematize how Milton Friedman's voucher model constitutes and shapes our construction of freedom to choose, equality, and social justice in education.

Understanding the Desirability of English Language Education in Taiwan

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: Understanding the Desirability of English Language Education in Taiwan
Author: CHAO-LING TSENG
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 83-86
ABSTRACT The popularity and desirability of English language education has become somewhat unbeatable in Taiwan. This article seeks to understand the multiple threads of reasoning systems that come together to constitute and sustain the desirability of English learning. It conceptualizes that language education is more than teaching and learning a new/foreign language. Language is intertwined with the sphere of culture. Thus, it is hoped to encourage an alternative perspective for rethinking English language education in Taiwan.

BOOK REVIEWS

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:17:46 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2008 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 87-91
ABSTRACT Forced to Fail: the paradox of school desegregation (Stephen J. Bankston & Carl L. Caldas), reviewed by Andrea J. Stairs, pages 87?90Early Childhood: a guide for students (Tina Bruce, Ed.), reviewed by Cathy Meehan

Editorial

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 287-288
ABSTRACT The final issue for 2007 marks the culmination of another successful year for Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. This is in no small part due to those who submit articles, review papers, and write book reviews, and to the continued support of many of our hard-working editorial board members. We would also like to acknowledge the valuable support of Professor Ann Farrell, Head, School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, during 2007. Without this, aspects of producing the journal would be quite a challenge. In addition, we thank the following people who have reviewed for the journal during 2007 and hope that you are able to continue to support us in the future.

2007 Reviewers

Debra Ackerman

Jo Ailwood

Gina Barclay-McLaughlin

Sally Barnes

Judith Bernhard

Mindy Blaise

Jane Bone

Deb Brennan

Liz Brooker

Gaile Cannella

Di Catherwood

Sandra Cheeseman

Laurie Crawford

Susan Danby

Christina Davidson

Karina Davis

Glenn De Voogd

Sue Dockett

Shelley Dole

Judith Duncan

Anne Haas Dyson

Sandy Farquhar

Ann Farrell

Marianne Fenech

Michael Fine

Karen Fisher

Celia Genishi

Andrew Gibbons

Herbert Ginsburg

Miriam Giugni

Tara Goldstein

Joy Goodfellow

Elizabeth Graue

Amos Hatch

Helen Hazard

Archana Hegde

Jayne Keogh

Anna Kilderry

Anna Kirova

Michele Knobel

I-Fang Lee

Audrey Lim

Carrie Lobman

Felicity McArdle

Kym McFarland

Melinda Miller

Peter Moss

Michelle Neuman

Sue Novinger

Joce Nuttal

Berenice Nyland

Jayne Osgood

Ann Otterstad

Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw

Michael Patte

Bob Perry

Anne Petriwskyj

Larry Prochner

Susan Recchia

Jennie Ritchie

Julia Rothwell

Sharon Ryan

Paul Shield

Jonathan Silin

Tracey Simpson

Jen Skattebol

Jennifer Sumsion

Collette Tayler

Joseph Tobin

Sandy Wong

Chris Woodrow

Gail Yuen

While the quality of care continues to be a hot topic in early childhood education, just how those who care for children come to be identified by society is the focus of the first article by Liz Jones & Jayne Osgood. Jones & Osgood take up the complex issue of childminders in the United Kingdom, and through a genealogical analysis from the 1970s to the mid 1980s come to an understanding of how childminders are both praised and disparaged.

The second and third articles are about mathematics and both are from Australia. 'What Counts in Research? A survey of early years' mathematical research, 2000-2005' by Jillian Fox & Carmel Diezmann provides an insightful look at what is being published in early childhood mathematics, the age range of children in the publications, and the content areas covered. The conclusions drawn by Fox & Diezmann are instructive and highlight specific areas where further research is needed with young children. On a similar theme, Mary Klein calls for more research about mathematics in the early years, particularly how it is that young learners become disinterested and therefore disengaged from mathematics so early in life. In 'How is it that Learning in Mathematics in the Early Years Can Become So Difficult? A post-structuralist analysis', Klein attributes part of the problem to traditional practices and reluctance to move with the times.

In the fourth article, Trisha Maynard reports on an initial exploration of 'Forest Schools in Great Britain'. The concept of Forest Schools has been borrowed from Denmark and tried in Somerset after concern about the decline in opportunities for children to play outdoors. Maynard provides data from three Forest School workers to show that the concept has a close fit with traditional ideas about early childhood education, as well as consistency with recent curriculum frameworks in England and Wales.

Providing services for children in remote areas of the world is always a challenge, and no less so for Aboriginal children in Australia. In their article 'Researching Remote Aboriginal Children's Services: it's all about rules', Lyn Fasoli & Ranu James analyse both the written and unwritten rules of a research project that investigated 'the development and sustainability' of services for Aboriginal children in remote areas. They conclude that written rules can only go so far, and that research relationships established with the people in the communities involved in this research are what determines whether they become, and stay, involved.

The final peer-reviewed article discusses an issue that we are beginning to hear more about: spirituality. Jane Bone, Joy Cullen & Judith Loveridge introduce the idea of everyday spirituality and provide three narratives from a Montessori casa in Aotearoa New Zealand that explain how spirituality occurs in everyday moments. The authors draw on Derrida to inform their analysis.

The colloquium for this issue comes from Gail Yuen, who considers the voucher system that has recently been introduced in Hong Kong. Even though the policy is aimed at improving provision for young children, Yuen questions whether this is in fact what is happening. She draws parallels with neo-liberal strategies and claims that the local community is left with much that remains to be explained about the system and its operation.

Book reviews in this issue include some interesting reading. Derek Bunyard considers the collection edited by Gail Boldt & Paula Savio (2006) titled Love's Return: psychoanalytic essays on childhood, teaching and learning. As the title indicates, this collection brings psychoanalysis to bear on twenty-first century childhood, teaching and learning. Susan Benner reviews Inclusion in the Early Years: critical analyses and enabling narratives (2006), which is written by Cathy Nutbrown & Peter Clough. The final book review comes from Louise Hard, who looked at the third edition of Jillian Rodd's book, Leadership in Early Childhood.

We hope you enjoy this issue and wish you all happy and healthy times.

Sue Grieshaber & Katrina Weier

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Mapping the Fabricated Identity of Childminders: pride and prejudice

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Mapping the Fabricated Identity of Childminders: pride and prejudice
Author: LIZ JONES; JAYNE OSGOOD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 289-301
ABSTRACT The principal aim of this article is to highlight how childminders come to be both valorised and demonised. The question of not only who cares for the child but the 'quality' of such care is of course inextricably linked with the identity of the carer. The article focuses on and illustrates the means by which the identity of childminders is fabricated through text. It is by deconstructing certain texts that we discern how it is possible for a particular group of workers to be perceived in both positive and negative terms and importantly what some of the outcomes are when individuals are constructed in such ways. The article is framed within post-structuralist theories regarding language, meaning and identity and draws upon post-colonial theory, Foucault's work in relation to discourse as well as Derrida's insights into the ways in which texts function. Additionally the article takes note of and is sensitive to feminist discourses where the gendered performances of everyday living have been inscribed by sedimented layers of history, culture, economics and so on. Finally, given the authors' own positions as cultural workers within the field of early years, they perceive this article as being a part of the continuing conversation that is located around a new sociology of early childhood.

What Counts in Research? A Survey of Early Years' Mathematical Research, 2000-2005

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: What Counts in Research? A Survey of Early Years' Mathematical Research, 2000-2005
Author: JILLIAN L. FOX; CARMEL M. DIEZMANN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 301-312
ABSTRACT This study reviews 208 articles on early childhood mathematics education sourced from the ERIC database and published between 2000 and 2005 in order to determine the adequacy of the literature. The document analysis identified a heavy emphasis on (1) mathematical concepts and instruction, and (2) articles addressing the school years compared with the prior-to-school years. Overall, this study revealed (1) a lack of peer-reviewed articles that discuss, investigate, examine, or debate early childhood mathematics; (2) a limited emphasis in the prior-to-school years; and (3) a paucity of literature on technology and problem solving, which are fundamental in the twenty-first century.

How is it that Learning Mathematics in the Early Years Can Become So Difficult? A Post-structuralist Analysis

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: How is it that Learning Mathematics in the Early Years Can Become So Difficult? A Post-structuralist Analysis
Author: MARY KLEIN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 313-319
ABSTRACT New times demand new interpretations of what it means to be numerate in a global world. Policy and curriculum documents uphold notions of capable young learners, actively engaged in investigative learning processes that will carry them on to competent and confident participation in the social and economic world of tomorrow. However, as the author attempts to show in this post-structuralist analysis, active learning processes do not always achieve the envisaged aims; subconsciously, teachers hold on to traditional notions of learners and learning mathematics that, in practice, eclipse their best intentions. Even in the early years of schooling the process of learning mathematics becomes difficult when the new becomes the old, and tired old teaching practices and relationships prevail.

Forest Schools in Great Britain: an initial exploration

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Forest Schools in Great Britain: an initial exploration
Author: TRISHA MAYNARD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 320-331
ABSTRACT Closely associated with the Danish early years programme, the Forest School concept was brought to England by staff of Bridgwater College, Somerset, following an exchange visit to Denmark in 1993. Drawing on interviews with three Forest School workers and data posted on the Bridgwater College Forest School website, the article outlines and then evaluates the key aims, approach and ethos of Forest School, focusing specifically on its relevance to young children (aged three to five years). It is suggested that while the significance of self-esteem and learning styles may be over-emphasised and, in some cases, opportunities for environmental education under-emphasised, Forest School fits well both with traditional views of 'good' early childhood education and more recent curriculum frameworks in England and Wales, whilst also addressing current cultural concerns about children's increasingly sedentary and managed lifestyles.

Researching Remote Aboriginal Children's Services: it's all about rules

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Researching Remote Aboriginal Children's Services: it's all about rules
Author: LYN FASOLI; RANU JAMES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 332-343
ABSTRACT This article identifies problems, issues and insights through critical reflection on the rules, written and unwritten, which encroach on the research process in the 'Both Ways' project. The project investigates the development and sustainability of remote Aboriginal children's services in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Children's services, such as child-care centres and outside-school-hours care, are fairly recent phenomena in the NT, with only a handful of services receiving government funding in 1995, increasing to approximately 100 in 2006. This article focuses on problems, issues and insights gained from conducting cross-cultural research in this unique context. In many ways, these insights apply to all research but take on added importance in Aboriginal research contexts where exploitation and unequal power relations continue to exist. Advice, illustrated with practical examples, is provided for researchers endeavouring to undertake cross-cultural research.

Everyday Spirituality: an aspect of the holistic curriculum in action

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Everyday Spirituality: an aspect of the holistic curriculum in action
Author: JANE BONE; JOY CULLEN; JUDITH LOVERIDGE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 344-354
ABSTRACT Early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand includes different philosophical perspectives, may be part of the public or private sector and aims to be inclusive and holistic. The early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, supports these aims. Aspects of the curriculum that are holistic may be conceptualized in diverse ways and this qualitative research focused on the spiritual. Case studies were constructed in three different settings - a Montessori casa, a private preschool and a Rudolf Steiner kindergarten. This article concerns one of these settings and discusses the first day back at the Montessori casa after a two-week break. The concept of everyday spirituality is introduced and three narratives retell moments of everyday spirituality that occurred throughout the day. Three themes are addressed in some detail. The discussion is informed by Derrida's notion of hospitality and by different perspectives about the role of spirituality in educational contexts.

Vouchers in Hong Kong: a new milestone of early childhood education?

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: Vouchers in Hong Kong: a new milestone of early childhood education?
Author: GAIL W.K. YUEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 355-357
ABSTRACT The Hong Kong government has recently introduced a voucher system to early childhood education, indicating that the new policy is a milestone in the field. The overall goal of the policy is to improve the provision of early childhood education for the benefit of the children. Public debates reveal the unfamiliar nature of the subject to the local community and as a result, it has left many issues and assumptions unexamined and unchallenged. In effect, the new policy is an obvious neoliberal response to complex issues in the field. The present article describes and highlights the latest policy change and concerns in Hong Kong.

BOOK REVIEWS

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:24:53 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 358-362
ABSTRACT Love's Return: psychoanalytic essays on childhood, teaching and learning (Gail M. Boldt & Paula M. Salvio, Eds), reviewed by

Derek Bunyard, pages 358-359

Inclusion in the Early Years: critical analyses and enabling narratives (C. Nutbrown & P. Clough), reviewed by

Susan M. Benner, pages 360-362

Leadership in Early Childhood (Jillian Rodd), reviewed by

Louise Hard, pages 362-365

Editorial

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Frances Press; Jennifer Sumsion
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 178-179
ABSTRACT This second part of a special double issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood focusing on 'Childcare Policies and Politics', continues to examine, critically analyse and debate key issues in policy and political landscapes across a range of national contexts. The eight articles in this issue originate from primarily anglophone countries dominated by market-oriented approaches to early childhood education and care (Cleveland & Krashinsky, 2002). Although political, historical, economic, social and cultural contexts differ between and within the four countries represented in this issue (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the USA), several common themes emerge in the concerns identified and addressed by many of the authors. These themes include, but are not limited to, the need for careful interrogation of intended and unintended consequences of policy decisions and initiatives; the marginalisation of sectors, populations and groups that do not conform to neo-liberal agendas and ideals; and the governance of communities, parents, and educators supposedly in the interests of enhancing children's well-being and outcomes.

In the first article, Frances Press & Jen Skattebol propose that we explore spaces that emerge at the intersections of different disciplinary knowledge bases and theoretical perspectives. They contend that if we look for, and learn to utilise, points of convergence between modernist and postmodernist theories and discourses, then we may be able overcome the limiting effects of the ultimately unhelpful bifurcation that has in recent years increasingly come to characterise academic critiques of and contributions to policy analysis and development. As a primarily conceptual contribution, their article sets the scene for the analyses of specific policy and educational contexts that follow.

Helen Penn, in the second article, reviews changes in early childhood education and care policies in the United Kingdom in the decade 1997-2007. She highlights the often uncritical acceptance of the magnitude and rapidity of these changes and their far-reaching implications. In juxtaposing the contradictory discourses taken up by two key reports, Starting Strong 11 (2006) and Babies and Bosses (2004), Penn portrays the disruptions, disarray, difficulties and dilemmas that can eventuate when market mechanisms gain ascendancy in policy decision making. She argues the need for new conceptual frameworks that support critical analysis and discussion of current structures and viable future alternatives.

Zsuzsa Millei & Libby Lee critique the Smart Population Foundation Initiative (2006), an Australian policy that positions parents as lifelong learners. Drawing on constructs of governmentality, Millei & Lee argue that this initiative subjects parents' conduct to surveillance and normalisation, silencing multiple perspectives of parenting, and in doing so, 'closes down' opportunities for parents to explore diverse ways of being 'good parents'.

Working at the intersection of discourses of globalisation and multiculturalism, Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw continues the theme of governance by examining Canadian discourses of multiculturalism and their enactment in childcare settings in British Columbia. She argues that despite their well-meaning intention of fostering sensitivity, tolerance and acceptance, these discourses, in effect, seek to homogenise rather than celebrate difference. By essentialising children from immigrant families and constructing their differences as deficits, they give rise to childcare policies and practices that endeavour to fashion children as ideal 'citizen-subjects'. Pacini-Ketchabaw advocates an ethics of resistance to these normalising discourses.

In the following two articles, Christine Woodrow and Sandra Cheeseman draw our attention to the diminishing space for the early childhood pedagogical voice in contemporary policy developments in Australia. Woodrow traces the marginalisation of early childhood teacher educators in proposed policy initiatives designed to improve teacher professional standards, but which in fact place teacher education courses and teachers themselves under greater regulation. Her article considers the potential gains and losses to early childhood teachers and pedagogies arising from these developments and concludes with a call for strategic engagement with current debates. Similarly, but within a different political terrain, Cheeseman examines the rhetoric and funding directions of many Australian early childhood policies to uncover a silenced voice - that of the early childhood pedagogue. Further, Cheeseman argues that increased funding has not resulted in universal services for children, but the 'welfarisation' of early childhood. Both articles highlight that the early childhood educator's voice is being excluded and diminished, at a time when early years policies have been gaining a great deal of attention.

Peggy Apple & Mary Benson McMullen explore competing influences on the professional development choices of early childhood educators and professional development support systems in the USA. They draw our attention to the interrelated consequences of the decisions of different constituent groups and invite us to consider who may be advantaged and disadvantaged by these decisions. The inherent moral complexities of decision making, they contend, highlight the need for frank and constructive dialogue between decision makers and those affected by their decisions.

In the final article, Lyn Fasoli & Bonita Moss describe ways in which innovative and culturally responsive remote Indigenous childcare services in Australia's Northern Territory have responded to their communities. As Fasoli & Moss argue, these services act as powerful provocation to rethink our assumptions about what childcare 'should be' and to turn our attention to envisaging instead what it might become. In juxtaposing practices in these Indigenous services with mainstream practices and mainstream constructions of quality, these authors open up space for debate as a consciously political act.

Indeed, by challenging policy status quo in their respective contexts, all the authors who have contributed to this issue engage in political action asking discomforting questions. Many of their questions focus attention on the shrinking spaces available to early childhood educators, advocates and other constituents, in many of the contexts described here, in their attempts to effect policy change. Our reading of these articles, however, is not imbued with pessimism but rather with hope, because in highlighting shrinking spaces these authors also invite us to think about how spaces might be constituted differently in ways that open up rather than foreclose opportunities and possibilities. Accordingly, we anticipate that this issue will foster much critical and generative reflection and discussion.

The colloquium provides an insight into the realities and challenges of children's education in Ethiopia. Although families are highly supportive of their children attending school, a lack of resources and infrastructure (e.g. school buildings, seats, books and teacher training facilities), and the reliance of many rural families on their children's labour, severely curtail children's participation in education, particularly over the longer term. Authors Szente, Hoot & Tadesse propose that educational technology, coupled with the systematic collaboration of families, communities, the Ministry of Education and aid agencies, may be a key to overcoming some of the barriers currently restricting the opportunities available to Ethiopian children.

Finally, the three book reviews canvass a range of issues relevant to early childhood teaching. Anne Petriwskyj reviews Dockett & Perry's (2007) Transitions to School: perceptions, expectations and experiences; Claire Spicer provides an overview of Blatchford's (2003) examination of the impact of class sizes in the early years of primary school, The Class Size Debate: is small better?; and Mary Benson McMullen discusses Abbott & Langston's (2005) Birth to Three Matters: supporting the framework of effective practice. Together, these books straddle early childhood educational contexts from birth through to the early years of school.

Frances Press & Jennifer Sumsion

Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia

Reference

Cleveland, G. & Krashinsky, M. (2002) Financing ECEC Services in OECD Countries. OECD Occasional Papers. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/55/59/28123665.pdf (retrieved 3 March 2005).

Early Childhood Activism, Minor Politics and Resuscitating Vision: a tentative foray into the use of 'intersections' to influence early childhood policy

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Activism, Minor Politics and Resuscitating Vision: a tentative foray into the use of 'intersections' to influence early childhood policy
Author: FRANCES PRESS; JEN SKATTEBOL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 180-191
ABSTRACT Many postmodern and post-structural analyses of government policies affecting early childhood education stress the hegemonic nature of neo-liberalism and subsequently primarily focus upon identifying the manifestation of neo-liberal values in such interventions. An unintended and stultifying consequence of such analyses is, at times, to close off the possibilities of envisioning a positive engagement with, and role for, government policy. In addition, the primacy offered to localised knowledges can engender the development of policy responses which are not cognisant of more broadly based social impacts. In response, the authors proffer the use of intersections as key points for the development of analyses and action. This necessitates an active awareness of the ways in which local knowledges and experiences cross, or overlay, information generated from other sites, including disciplinary knowledges and analyses that may be classified as modernist. By utilising points of convergence, as well as understanding points of divergence, intersections can be used to open up spaces for political action that recognise and generate localised responses, whilst at the same time engendering policy that enables more broadly based social justice.

Childcare Market Management: how the United Kingdom Government has reshaped its role in developing early childhood education and care

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Childcare Market Management: how the United Kingdom Government has reshaped its role in developing early childhood education and care
Author: HELEN PENN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 192-207
ABSTRACT This article reviews early education and care policies in the United Kingdom since 1997, when a Labour Government came to power, and sets them in the wider context of international changes. It argues that the Labour Government has, by intention and by default, supported the development of private sector, and especially corporate sector childcare. Corporate childcare has increased sevenfold in the period. The rapid scale of these changes has been ignored, or uncritically accepted, by most commentators. However, the Government's childcare policies have not had the anticipated result of increasing the numbers of mothers in the workforce, with the result that there is considerable oversupply of childcare provision. As a result, the private sector has experienced turmoil, as occupancy rates have fallen to an average of 77%, and the sector has become unprofitable. Within 2005-06 many nurseries closed, and there has been a consolidation of the remainder of the market. The private sector is now actively lobbying for more subsidies and a relaxation of regulations. The article concludes that, despite recent difficulties, trends towards private sector growth will continue and that research is urgently needed to investigate and document the changes.

'Smarten up the Parents': whose agendas are we serving? Governing Parents and Children through the Smart Population Foundation Initiative in Australia

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: 'Smarten up the Parents': whose agendas are we serving? Governing Parents and Children through the Smart Population Foundation Initiative in Australia
Author: ZSUZSA MILLEI; LIBBY LEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 208-221
ABSTRACT This article critiques the Smart Population Foundation Initiative (SPFI), which was established to 'bring parenting information and the science of child development to Australian parents and carers' (Smart Population Foundation, 2006) and to satisfy the need for a credible and easily accessible source of information for parents. The article draws on the notion of modern governance developed by Rose and analyses the Initiative as a deeply political project. It looks at the Initiative from a critical distance created by the context of governmentality. The authors argue that the discourses produced by the Initiative constitute a particular notion of parent as 'smart' (lifelong learner, responsible and informed). These discourses govern parents through 'ethopolitics' to take up a certain art of parenting as their supposed free choice. Through standardising and sanctioning a particular way of acting as a parent, the SPFI translates governmental objectives into parents' own values and practices. As a result, the discourse the SPFI constitutes about parenting effectively 'shuts down' multiple understandings of being a 'good' parent. Hence, parents' conscious formation of their parenting practices are inhibited and with that, the ethical debates around this contentious issue are silenced.

Child Care and Multiculturalism: a site of governance marked by flexibility and openness

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Child Care and Multiculturalism: a site of governance marked by flexibility and openness
Author: VERONICA PACINI-KETCHABAW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 222-232
ABSTRACT This article explores how child care acts as a zone of governance for immigrant young children, enacted through discourses of multiculturalism implied to be flexible and open. It draws on an analysis of early childhood educators' interpretations and understandings of their own practices when working with racialized young immigrant children and families. It disentangles discourses of sensitivity, tolerance, and acceptance of difference that characterize Canadian multiculturalism, as well as discourses of flexibility presented as a condition for performing acts of sensitivity, acceptance, and tolerance when working with young immigrant children.

W(H)Ither the Early Childhood Teacher: tensions for early childhood professional identity between the policy landscape and the politics of teacher regulation

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: W(H)Ither the Early Childhood Teacher: tensions for early childhood professional identity between the policy landscape and the politics of teacher regulation
Author: CHRISTINE WOODROW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 233-243
ABSTRACT Over the last decade teachers, teachers' work and teacher education across all domains of education have been subject to increasing surveillance and regulation. Recent developments in the Australian regulatory context are signalling the emergence of a strengthening bifurcation between prior-to-school and schooling contexts that is forcing a narrowing construction of 'teaching' as work that is only undertaken in schooling contexts. This trend seems likely to have serious implications for the professional identity, status and professional preparation of early childhood teachers and the potential to reposition early childhood contexts as marginalised and non-pedagogical spaces. This article traces some recent developments in teacher regulation and locates an analysis of possible implications for the field of early childhood against a backdrop of emerging trends in the early childhood policy landscape. The emerging tensions invite questions about the potential gains and losses should the current trends become entrenched. The article concludes with a consideration of naming and framing as elements of possible action.

Pedagogical Silences in Australian Early Childhood Social Policy

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Pedagogical Silences in Australian Early Childhood Social Policy
Author: SANDRA CHEESEMAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 244-254
ABSTRACT Growing international interest in the early childhood years has been accompanied by an expansion of public programs in Australia targeting young children and their families. This article explores some of the influences and rhetoric that frame these initiatives. It encourages critical examination of the discourses that shape the nature of early childhood programs in Australia and identifies a range of barriers that inhibit the involvement of early childhood teachers in the design and delivery of social policy initiatives for young children. As the imperatives of programs seeking to overcome social disadvantage take prominence in Australian early childhood policy initiatives, pedagogical perspectives that promote universal rights to more comprehensive early childhood experiences can easily be silenced. The article calls for pedagogical leadership to overcome these barriers and promote the democratic rights of all children to high-quality and publicly supported early childhood education and care programs.

Envisioning the Impact of Decisions Made about Early Childhood Professional Development Systems by Different Constituent Groups

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Envisioning the Impact of Decisions Made about Early Childhood Professional Development Systems by Different Constituent Groups
Author: PEGGY APPLE; MARY BENSON MCMULLEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 255-264
ABSTRACT In this article the authors explore the need for early childhood practitioners and scholars to engage in joint problem solving to create and support early childhood education and care (ECEC) professional development systems in which all constituents benefit. Primary constituent groups and principal decision-making bodies are defined and analyzed, and the interrelated influences within professional development systems are considered. At the heart of the discussion is how decisions made by all constituent groups are interrelated and affect all parts of the system. For instance, decisions made about professional qualifications have an impact upon pre- and in-service ECEC professionals, current ECEC professionals, children and their families, and individuals within ECEC businesses and communities. Although the discussion in this article is about these issues as they are played out within the USA, the authors believe that the implications raised may be usefully considered by ECEC professionals and those engaged in professional development in other cultures and contexts.

What Can We Learn from 'Innovative' Child Care Services? Children's Services Purposes and Practices in Australia's Northern Territory

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: What Can We Learn from 'Innovative' Child Care Services? Children's Services Purposes and Practices in Australia's Northern Territory
Author: LYN FASOLI; BONITA MOSS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 265-274
ABSTRACT This article explores the diversity of services designed for young children currently operating in Australia in remote Northern Territory (NT) Indigenous communities as a provocation for the renewal and revitalisation of mainstream (typical Australian conventional, Western values oriented and urban-based) child care services. Australian society has accepted a standardised model of child care and conceptualised it as a service designed primarily for parents who work. It has become remarkably uniform in look, nature and purpose, regardless of where it is located. The article refers specifically to 'Innovative' Indigenous Children's Services (the term 'Innovative' refers to a federally funded government initiative called the 'Innovative Child Care Scheme', an initiative stemming from the 1992-96 National Child Care Strategy) as a new kind of children's space in the child care landscape. The authors reflect on the findings of recent research which explored what could be learned from remotely located Indigenous children's services staff, particularly in relation to the important questions the research raised for the social agendas and public policies that underpin development and theory currently shaping mainstream centre-based long day care programs.

Early Childhood in Ethiopia: initiatives in education

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: Early Childhood in Ethiopia: initiatives in education
Author: JUDIT SZENTE; JAMES HOOT; SELAMAWIT TADESSE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 275-281
ABSTRACT This article informs readers about early childhood in one of the poorest nations in the world - Ethiopia. Within the context of ecological systems theory, it emphasizes the characteristics of early education programs such as pre-school and basic (primary) education, and creates connections with families' views about education. The article concludes with recommendations for further research.

BOOK REVIEWS

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:38:22 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Pages: 282-286
ABSTRACT The Class Size Debate: is small better? (Peter Blatchford), reviewed by Claire Spicer, pages 282-283

Birth to Three Matters: supporting the framework of effective practice (Lesley Abbott & Ann Langston, Eds), reviewed by Mary Benson McMullen, pages 283-286

Editorial

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 96-97
ABSTRACT This is the first of two issues of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood focusing on childcare politics and policy. In these special issues we hope to open up to analysis and debate the role of politics and policy in framing community perceptions of childcare. How do policy discourses position children, families, teachers and childcare staff? How do early childhood activists and advocates interact with and influence policy? What is there to be learned from critical analyses of policy trends? And how do we both deconstruct and reconstruct the policy landscape?

This first issue contains a rich and diverse collection of articles collectively examining historical and contemporary trends in early childhood policy primarily, but not exclusively, in Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand contexts. Commencing with a cross-national examination of policy designs from researchers based in the USA, the articles are ordered and interlinked thematically. The collection begins with the contemporary policy context, with the first two articles examining specific tools of government policy (funding and regulation). Then we are offered two different perspectives on the Aotearoa/New Zealand policy landscape: the first concerned with the deconstruction and reconstitution of 'care' in contemporary early childhood policy; the second drawing heavily upon the history of early childhood policy trends and advocacy in Aotearoa/New Zealand to highlight, in particular, trends in the provision and staffing of childcare. In the final two articles, the historical lens transfers to the Australian context, each contribution offering different perspectives on past influences on the contemporary childcare landscape.

In the first article, Elizabeth Rigby, Kate Tarrant & Michelle Neuman propose a framework for comparing childcare funding policy design that uncovers hidden assumptions and discourses about the role and purpose of childcare, and helps make explicit the social constructions of childcare which are privileged by these approaches. They draw our attention to the implications of the individual design choices of policy makers; the need to be cognisant of the cumulative impact of incremental policy changes; and the way in which policy can become institutionalised, 'sticky' and difficult to reshape. Their critical examination of common funding tools helps explicate the intent and impact of such policy design. Continuing the focus upon policy mechanisms, Marianne Fenech & Jennifer Sumsion draw upon an Australian study of early childhood teachers' perceptions of regulations to complicate analyses which frame regulation primarily as constraint. Their exploration and analysis of teacher interactions with regulatory processes and the politics of regulation provide an insight into the multiple ways in which teachers both experience and position regulation. The authors' analysis underscores the agentic potential of critical engagement with the enactment and formulation of policy.

The linguistic intertwining of care and education, within the framework of early childhood educational policy, has gained widespread acceptance. Andrew Gibbons places this rhetorical and institutional conflation under the microscope with a particular focus on how this plays out in the context of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Drawing upon the work of Readings and Arendt he urges a 'working of the ruins' of care to open up spaces for care, paying particular attention to the knowledge and propensities of the carer. Whilst providing a thoughtful critique of the normalising and constraining potential of the contemporary discourse of education and care, Gibbons also brings our attention to the possibilities of 'positively reconstituting' care and education.

Helen May provides a review of the major policy shifts which have shaped the Aotearoa/New Zealand early childhood sector, particularly in relation to childcare, over the past 60 years. May characterises each period of significant policy shift as being shaped by a specific government gaze which has, in turn, positioned childcare, and the staff who work within it, in particular ways. Her historical overview is mindful of not only the ways in which childcare and childcare staff have been positioned, but also of the ways in which childcare advocates have opened up windows for change. Her potted history of the Aotearoa/New Zealand experience is a reminder of the ways in which political ideology and national concerns can shape policy, and also that the shape of policy is influenced by strategically coordinated activism.

May's 'minding', 'working' and 'teaching' is illustrative of the ways in which advocates can consciously make use of the dominant paradigms to work toward the reform of the system. In a similar vein, Sandie Wong argues that early childhood activism can involve strategic use of nationalist and economic discourses in order to broaden the base of public support for the universal provision of early childhood education and care. Ranging over trends in contemporary social constructions of early childhood education and care in Australia, Wong then examines historical constructions of early childhood education in Australia as national work. Wong argues that by utilising these constructions, early childhood advocates successfully legitimated their claims for public support, and suggests that this holds lessons for contemporary advocacy.

The final contribution also provides a historical perspective, with Jo Ailwood considering the historical points at which discourses of maternalism have been embedded in Australian early childhood policy. Her article examines the construction and influence of maternalism in the ideas and teacher training expounded by Froebel, and the subsequent spread of the kindergarten movement. Like Wong, Ailwood recognises connections between the rhetoric of nation building and the spread of early childhood education, and draws our attention to the ways in which these were intertwined with constructions of idealised womanhood and maternalist discourses. Ailwood uses her historical analysis to make us mindful of maternalist discourses in contemporary debates concerning childcare.

Helen Logan's book review discusses the recently released Theorising Early Childhood Practice: emerging dialogues (2007) edited by Linda Keesing-Styles & Helen Hedges. This edited collection brings together the writings of a range of researchers and practitioners from Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa, creating a trans-Tasman dialogue about critical issues in early childhood.

In their abstract, Elizabeth Rigby, Kate Tarrant & Michelle Neuman make the point that '[p]olicy design choices ... are in fact social, political, moral, and value-laden choices that shape the nature of young children's experiences'. This understanding permeates the themes and analyses of this issue's collection. Policy is expressed not only in the formal language of political parties and the official statements of government departments, but it is also played out in the use and interpretation of language, the formal mechanisms of funding and standard setting, the conditions in which childcare staff work, the design and ostensible purposes of childcare, and the action of advocates and activists.

The wide-ranging perspectives offered by these contributions are illustrative of the multiple influences to which childcare policy is subject and the multifaceted nature of policy itself. Each article adds to our capacity to scrutinise, analyse and to engage actively with childcare policy. Together, they contribute to an enriched understanding of the policy and the role of early childhood activists as advocates in that landscape.

Alternative Policy Designs and the Socio-political Construction of Childcare

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Alternative Policy Designs and the Socio-political Construction of Childcare
Author: ELIZABETH RIGBY; KATE TARRANT; MICHELLE J. NEUMAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 98-108
ABSTRACT Policy makers and advocates have a variety of tools from which to choose when designing childcare policy. Policy design choices, such as whether to provide childcare assistance through a new government program or via a voucher for use in the private market, are in fact social, political, moral, and value-laden choices that shape the nature of young children's experiences in care settings. Although rarely discussed, these choices also privilege particular social constructions of childcare by defining our understanding of the policy problem and the characteristics of the target populations. In addition, policy designs institutionalize and legitimize particular forms of governmental involvement in children's lives - as well as give power and voice to some interests over others - resulting in a new political context for future policy debates. To better illustrate these socio-political effects, this article documents and compares these consequences of five common childcare policy designs.

Early Childhood Teachers and Regulation: complicating power relations using a Foucauldian lens

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Teachers and Regulation: complicating power relations using a Foucauldian lens
Author: MARIANNE FENECH; JENNIFER SUMSION
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 109-122
ABSTRACT This article both supports and complicates the positioning of reconceptualists who frame the regulation of early childhood services as repressive. Drawing on Foucault's construction of power and, in particular, his notion of an 'analytics of power', the authors analyse findings from an Australian study investigating university-qualified early childhood teachers' perceptions of regulation. The authors contend that whilst most participants in this study experienced regulation as constraining, they resisted perceived threats to themselves and quality practices in ways that problematize a reconceptualist repressive construction of regulation. The authors show, firstly, that teachers strategically positioned regulation as an ally so as to resist perceived threats to themselves and to children; and secondly, that they strategically positioned themselves to resist perceived adversarial aspects of regulation. Exercising agency in these ways meant that regulation was experienced as enabling and its constraining potential somewhat mitigated. After highlighting the role critical thinking plays in early childhood teachers' exercising of agency through resistance, the authors conclude by urging early childhood teachers to contest not only the elements of regulation they perceive to be constraining, but also the contextual factors that can influence how early childhood teachers view regulation.

Playing the Ruins: the philosophy of care in early childhood education

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Playing the Ruins: the philosophy of care in early childhood education
Author: ANDREW GIBBONS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 123-132
ABSTRACT A recent 'strategic initiative' literature review developed for the Aotearoa/New Zealand Ministry of Education advised that care and education are no longer distinct. This article explores this suggestion in terms of the politics and the philosophy of early childhood education. It argues that the synthesis of care and education reflects an economy of 'expert' knowledge in which care is increasingly subject to an educational regulatory gaze. While the influence of a sociocultural perspective in early childhood education research and practice engenders a sense of acknowledging the margins, this article argues that the margins have very little say with regards to what constitutes caring and educating practices. The synthesis of care and education legitimates increased state regulation of early education, and reflects a contemporary will to iron out social seams (engendering the seamless society). This article argues that the conflation of education and care troubles truth regimes that have, in Aotearoa/New Zealand and elsewhere, governed practices of caring for the child during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Hence, care is a concept in ruins.

'Minding', 'Working', 'Teaching': childcare in Aotearoa/New Zealand, 1940s-2000s

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: 'Minding', 'Working', 'Teaching': childcare in Aotearoa/New Zealand, 1940s-2000s
Author: HELEN MAY
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 133-143
ABSTRACT Over a sixty-year period, staff working in childcare have been transformed from childminders into teachers on a path towards pay parity with teachers in the kindergarten, primary and secondary school sectors. Similarly, childcare provision has shifted from being deemed potentially harmful for children, and unnecessary except in exceptional situations, to become the major provider of early childhood education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sixty years ago, childcare centres were excluded from government interest in terms of policy and funding. In the 2000s, childcare is a major plank of government policy interest. This article documents the political 'gazes' that have framed three 'windows' or points in time when significant government reports became blueprints for policy shifts. Advocacy was a key driver in shifting government opinion and policy.

Looking Back and Moving Forward: historicising the social construction of early childhood education and care as national work

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Looking Back and Moving Forward: historicising the social construction of early childhood education and care as national work
Author: SANDIE WONG
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 144-156
ABSTRACT Whilst it is possible to construct early childhood education and care (ECEC) in multiple ways, this article focuses on constructions of ECEC that have emerged within nationalist discourses privileged in advanced Western countries today, that is, ECEC as 'national work'. Although these constructs are problematic and thus subject to criticism, the author shows that, historically, positioning ECEC as being of national benefit proved a powerful strategy for the early advocates of ECEC in New South Wales, Australia. The author argues that, despite their problematic nature, contemporary advocates of universal ECEC should strategically use nationalist and economic discourses.

Mothers, Teachers, Maternalism and Early Childhood Education and Care: some historical connections

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Mothers, Teachers, Maternalism and Early Childhood Education and Care: some historical connections
Author: JO AILWOOD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 157-165
ABSTRACT Many current debates in Australia regarding the policy, politics and practicalities of childcare provision are embedded in dominant discourses of maternalism. This article places these debates within some historical contexts, emphasising the long history of these debates and the enduring centrality of maternalism - where the most revered of roles and relationships a woman can have is that of mother and one-on-one carer for her young child. In this article, the author discusses some of the historical points at which maternalism came to dominate early childhood education and care. The author considers Froebel, and the women who spread his word, nation building and the rise of psychology, making links between these and current debates in Australia.

Countering the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Epidemic: a question of ethics?

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Countering the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Epidemic: a question of ethics?
Author: LINDA J. GRAHAM
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 166-169
ABSTRACT Recently in Australia, another media skirmish erupted over the problem currently called 'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder'. This particular event was precipitated by the comments of a respected District Court judge. His claim that doctors are creating a generation of violent juvenile offenders by prescribing Ritalin to young children created a great deal of excitement, attracting the attention of election-conscious politicians who appear blissfully unaware of the role played by educational policy in creating and maintaining the problem. Given the short (election-driven) attention span of government policy makers, the author bypasses government to question what those at the front line can do to circumvent the questionable practice of diagnosing and medicating young children for difficulties they experience in schools and with learning.

Doing and Unpacking De/Colonising Methodologies: who is at risk?

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: Doing and Unpacking De/Colonising Methodologies: who is at risk?
Author: ANN MERETE OTTERSTAD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 170-174
ABSTRACT Contemporary research processes might be identified as having neither a beginning nor an end. This article is written as an interruption in the ending of the author's doctoral processes. The project is to critically reflect and examine complexities involving who is at risk when methodology and theory argue for displacements that unpack taken-for-granted norms. These are unequal sociological binaries such as white/black, privileged/non-privileged, the researcher/the researched. By working within the epistemology of differences the author has been inspired by multiple methodologies involving stories, voices and metaphors. From theories of the critical social sciences, feminisms and post-structuralisms, knowledge is reconfigured from static, fixed disciplines towards dynamic fluidity and complexity.

BOOK REVIEWS

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 12:57:16 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Pages: 175-177
ABSTRACT Theorising Early Childhood Practice: emerging dialogues (Linda Keesing-Styles & Helen Hedges), reviewed by Helen Logan,

Transitions to School: perceptions, expectations, experiences (S. Dockett & B. Perry), reviewed by Anne Petriwskyj

Editorial

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Nicola J. Yelland
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-2
ABSTRACT As we enter the eighth year of the journal it is interesting to note that the contemporary issues which are being frequently discussed in the discipline seem not only to reflect topics that have been around for decades, but also new ones that require us to rethink the ways in which we interact with young children and their families in a range of contexts. The articles in this issue reflect both types of topic. On the one hand, we have articles which interrogate the ways in which we are required to comply with the mandates and imperatives set out by increasingly conservative governments in order to regulate the care and education sectors, while, on the other, we have articles which ask us to think about the twenty-first-century kids in our classrooms, whom Marc Prensky (2000) has called 'digital natives', and alternative ways of looking at conflict in the playground.

In the first article, Penn & Lloyd consider a systematic review of what constitutes evidence-based policy and practice in the United Kingdom. They view the review process as a means by which an independent assessment can be made that analyses and critiques existing practices in a useful way so that it informs those who work with young children and their families.

Zevenbergen contends that the young children of today have grown up in very different contexts from those who were in care and education before them. She questions whether the learning environments we create are considerate of the digital worlds in which children are fluent, and calls for new ways of looking at learning in new times which address the needs and skills of such learners.

Bown & Sumsion report on a study that discussed the experiences and impact of regulatory requirements on early childhood teachers' lives. They uncover some themes that emerged from their data which identified constraints for them and they thus used the metaphor of being fenced in and diminished of their professional freedom.

Hard & O'Gorman describe a recent initiative in their state to introduce a compulsory and full-time Preparatory Year at the beginning of schooling. They present a scenario in which play-based activity has the potential to be overcome as a basic tenet for effective teaching by a more formal approach. They suggest that teachers of young children have been placed in a 'push-me-pull-you' situation between the play-based and more formal approaches, and elucidate four key elements that need to be considered when thinking about effective learning contexts for the early years.

Hanley & Jones worked with pre-service teachers to unravel the ways in which they justify and explain their practices. They encourage the pre-service teachers to reflect on their professional beliefs and practices, which have been derived from a government-controlled environment in the United Kingdom. The authors' Lacanian analysis provides a means of looking at their rationalizations in alternative ways and highlights how these justifications support their understandings of self. Additionally, the authors link the process to their own roles as tutors to the students, and the ways in which they are required to make their own judgments on performance and effectiveness.

Wohlwend's article reports on data collected during a year-long investigation of children's play and their peer culture in a school playground context. Gender identities are explored and Wohlwend suggests that teachers and children access laminated and contradictory identities that impact on their daily displayed actions in differing ways. She uses a specific event to describe and analyse this phenomenon and problematises the dilemmas of teachers who confront conflict resolution during play contexts on a daily basis.

In this issue we also have four book reviews. They are by Joanne Ailwood, who writes about The Excellence of Play; Eva Dakich, who reviews A Guide to Developing the ICT Curriculum for Early Childhood Education; Jill Robbins, who reviews doing Your Early Years Research Project: a step by step guide; and Corine Rivalland, who considers Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education: issues for theory and practice.

Nicola J. Yelland

Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Reference

Prensky, M. (2000) Digital Game-Based Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Richness or Rigour? A Discussion of Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Policy in Early Childhood

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Richness or Rigour? A Discussion of Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Policy in Early Childhood
Author: HELEN PENN; EVA LLOYD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-18
ABSTRACT In this article, the authors report on the experiences of the Early Years Review Group, one of a number of education groups contracted to carry out systematic reviews for the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating (EPPI) Centre in the United Kingdom. The Early Years Review Group has carried out three systematic reviews: one on the impact of integration of care and education in the early years; one on providing support to young children affected by war and armed conflict; and one on the long-term cost benefits of early childhood interventions. Using the evidence from the third review, the authors address the issue of what constitutes useful evidence for policy makers in the field of early childhood and whether certain kinds of evidence are privileged. They conclude that the systematic review process is an independent and useful tool for analysing and critiquing existing studies.

Digital Natives Come to Preschool: implications for early childhood practice

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Digital Natives Come to Preschool: implications for early childhood practice
Author: ROBYN ZEVENBERGEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 19-29
ABSTRACT This article explores the implications of young learners' dispositions towards the use of digital technologies in contemporary early childhood settings. It is proposed that young learners have grown up in very different social conditions from previous generations, mainly through the saturation of digital technologies, in particular computers. This creates very different learners than previous generations. When educators fail to recognize such differences, there is potential for gaps in learning. This is particularly the case when equity dimensions are considered. It is proposed that early childhood settings need to reconceptualize pedagogy and learning opportunities for the new generation of learners. Drawing on Bourdieu's theoretical project, it is proposed that young learners come to early childhood settings with a digital habitus, which is differentially constructed in the home environment and needs to be considered in early childhood practice.

Voices from the Other Side of the Fence: early childhood teachers' experiences with mandatory regulatory requirements

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Voices from the Other Side of the Fence: early childhood teachers' experiences with mandatory regulatory requirements
Author: KATHRYN BOWN; JENNIFER SUMSION
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 30-49
ABSTRACT Guided by feminist research principles, the study reported in this article contributes to the growing research dialogue on early childhood teachers' experiences with, and perceptions of, the impact of regulatory requirements on their teaching and on their perceptions of themselves as professionals. Specifically, three teachers from metropolitan Sydney (Australia) offered insights into their experiences working under the state of New South Wales (NSW) Children's Services Regulation 2004 ('the Regulation'), a mandatory Regulation applicable to all children's services in NSW. Three early childhood teachers participated in research conversations and a visual/textual enquiry process, which involved teachers collecting, developing and constructing seven panels using photography, artefacts, text and visual art media, to represent their 'sense of place' in their work environment in light of the impact of the Regulation. Themes emerging from the data were identified and considered in light of the regulatory intent for children's services, and possible unintended adverse consequences for teachers. The themes include regulatory tension, mistrust, surveillance, sacrifice, resistance, compliance, relationships, interpretation and ambiguity, and the stifling of an educational focus. The findings suggest that early childhood teachers may operate behind a metaphorical regulatory 'fence', which contributes to their perceptions of safety but impinges on their professional freedom, integrity and passion for teaching.

'Push-Me' or 'Pull-You'? An Opportunity for Early Childhood Leadership in the Implementation of Queensland's Early Years Curriculum

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: 'Push-Me' or 'Pull-You'? An Opportunity for Early Childhood Leadership in the Implementation of Queensland's Early Years Curriculum
Author: LOUISE HARD; LYNDAL O'GORMAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 50-60
ABSTRACT Recent developments in the Queensland early childhood context have seen the phased-in introduction of a full-time Preparatory Year to replace current part-time preschool provision. Surrounding this development has been discussion of the potential role of the play-based Early Years Curriculum in shaping the implementation of early primary schooling. This article explores this change to early childhood provision in Queensland and the opportunity it provides for leadership from the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Will those from the ECEC field step forward to articulate the value of a play-based curriculum such that it influences the curriculum in the early years of school? Could we see a 'pull-you' of early childhood philosophy rather than a 'push-me' of more formal approaches? This article draws on two research projects to raise questions about the potential for leadership in the new world of Queensland's Preparatory Year. It suggests four key elements, which include knowledge of self, the field and the context, and the challenge that might be considered by those who would advocate early childhood philosophy in primary schools.

Mathematics and Fantasies of Effective Practice

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Mathematics and Fantasies of Effective Practice
Author: UNA HANLEY; LIZ JONES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 61-72
ABSTRACT This article seeks to deepen understanding of the ways in which trainees account for and justify their practice. The area of particular interest to the authors is early years education where, in England at least, centrally issued governmental curriculum advice can be viewed as calling upon conflicting conceptions of education. The article reports on a study in which trainee teachers describe aspects of their training experience. The study sought to encourage the trainees to reflect on their professional beliefs and practices relating to their teaching of mathematics from a personal perspective. Yet this personal perspective was derived from experience on a course steeped in government prescription. The analysis not only centred on how the trainees' rationalisations supported their beliefs and practices, but also on how these rationalisations struggled in certain areas. By drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the study sought to offer alternative accounts of how such rationalisations function in supporting the trainees' understanding of themselves. This supports an analysis of how these rationalisations are built out of 'personal' fantasies of what it is to teach, and how these fantasies result from the trainees' immersion in the discursive environment. Finally, the authors make clear the significance of such accounts in relation to their own role as tutors, where they are obliged to make decisions regarding the 'professional effectiveness' of trainee teachers.

Friendship Meeting or Blocking Circle? Identities in the Laminated Spaces of a Playground Conflict

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: Friendship Meeting or Blocking Circle? Identities in the Laminated Spaces of a Playground Conflict
Author: KAREN E. WOHLWEND
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 73-88
ABSTRACT Drawing from an incident that took place during a year-long investigation of children's play and peer culture on a school playground, the author argues that seemingly neutral child-centered techniques can maintain and even strengthen existing gender inequalities as teachers and children access laminated but contradictory identity positions surrounding agentic educational discourse. As children revisit the original conflict, they laminate time-spaces to discursively reconstruct events and position themselves advantageously. Critical discourse analysis problematizes the effects of a conflict resolution strategy based upon gendered notions of learner agency in a cultural model of teaching: developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Although the focus of this article is a single event on one elementary school playground in the USA, the author suggest that the presence of the DAP cultural model internationally means that many early childhood teachers may experience similar ambiguity over gendered tensions that arise around issues of agency and authority as they attempt to resolve children's conflicts during play.

BOOK REVIEWS

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:24:57 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2007 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 89-95
ABSTRACT The Excellence of Play (2nd edn) (Janet Moyles), reviewed by Joanne Ailwood, pages 89-90

A Guide to Developing the ICT Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (Iram Siraj-Blatchford & John Siraj-Blatchford), reviewed by Eva Dakich, pages 90-91

doing Your Early Years Research Project: a step by step guide (G. Roberts-Holmes), reviewed by Jill Robbins, pages 92-93

Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education: issues for theory and practice (Kerry H. Robinson & Criss Jones Díaz), reviewed by Corine M. Patricia Rivalland, pages 93-95

Editorial

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Kerry Wardlaw; Nicola J. Yelland
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 188-190
ABSTRACT The theme of this issue is power and resistance, whether that is in terms of dominant discourses exemplified by policy agendas, individuals transforming and negotiating their practice within cultural constraints, the ability to reflect on how power is exerted in adult-children relationships, or how theories become a means for reflection that can both constrain and open up new opportunities for children. The articles are ordered on the following basis: their emphasis on policies and how they provide constraints and opportunities; how teachers can reflect on and learn from theories to transform their own pedagogies; and ways in which to reflect on and rethink the dynamics between adults and children, and to expand our understanding of children.

The first article shows how even though policy documents may be on appearance progressive, they can reinforce dominant discourses and power relations. In 'The Making of Global Citizens: traces of cosmopolitanism in the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whariki', Iris Duhn applies a critical lens to the New Zealand early childhood curriculum outlines in Te Whariki. She contends that the document is consistent with the neo-liberal ideology which has dominated New Zealand since the mid 1980s, despite being widely regarded as progressive. Te Whariki's 'good child' is adaptable, flexible, autonomous, a problem solver and a lifelong learner who can thrive in a globalised, competitive world. The cosmopolitan emphasis of the curriculum, which also reinforces family and community, creates the type of person required to cope with constant uncertainty and change in an era of globalisation.

Furthermore, even progressive policy initiatives have the potential to be undermined by broader social forces. In 'Steering Debate and Initiating Dialogue: a review of the Singapore preschool curriculum', Lynn Ang Ling-Yin explores the social and political constraints that may neuter the child-centred focus of the new kindergarten framework in Singapore, which in itself signifies recognition of the importance of early childhood education. The policy builds upon a framework previously used which focused primarily on moral and social development, which is compatible with Confucianism. Again, the new kindergarten framework advocates play and a child-centred curriculum, steering away from teaching a set knowledge-based curriculum. However, there are tensions with the later demands of schooling and parental expectations that kindergartens should instruct children in bilingualism, literacy, linguistic and general academic skills that are examinable in primary schools. This has the potential to undermine the wishes of policy makers to implement an innovative approach to curriculum in preschool contexts.

This potential for conflict is also evident in the US context, where an emphasis on accountability in terms of academic criteria by the federal government could undermine a broader understanding of readiness for school, and the approaches that best facilitate this transition from pre-K and kindergarten settings. In 'Educators' Views of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Readiness and Transition Practices', Sukhdeep Gill, Dixie Winters & Diane Friedman provide a detailed examination of issues associated with this transition, such as how to facilitate communication between educational settings and how to better educate parents to help their children cope with school. An academic focus is too narrow and caters to middle-class, white families' perceptions of what is important. It misses the important aspects of social and emotional development. This article provides concrete suggestions to move beyond mere information in the form of leaflets and letters, to open days, phasing in the move to school and opening up communication channels between teachers at the different levels of education. Parental expectations and involvement are identified as important for children to make the transition more or less smoothly.

Attempts to transform teaching in the early years in Hong Kong are also vulnerable due to parental views about what is required to equip their child for schooling, and curriculum constraints imposed by testing in primary schools. In her article 'The Translation of Western Teaching Approaches in the Hong Kong Early Childhood Curriculum: a promise for effective teaching?' Doris Cheng Pui Wah highlights a policy initiative in Hong Kong which draws on the Project Approach, Reggio Emilia and High/Scope to encourage early years teachers to move to more interactive rather than didactic pedagogical models. There were seven participants in the project, who were involved in being introduced to the approaches, transforming teaching accordingly and reflecting on their practice with researchers. The study identified contested constraints such as parental expectations and a strong emphasis on drills and examinations. Teachers also seemed to introduce the pedagogical models in ways that did not help children become active learners, but focused on results. Curriculum also constrained their options. There was by no means a straightforward translation of theory into practice.

This raises issues about the relationship between theory and practice in terms of how to effectively transform practice in progressive ways. Despite the best intentions of academics, professional development models are often inadequate in translating and integrating theories into pedagogical practices. Suzy Edwards, in ''Stop Thinking of Culture as Geography': early childhood educators' conceptions of sociocultural theory as an informant to curriculum', interrogates how theoretical advances in sociocultural theory are understood by practitioners and integrated into early childhood education. She had 16 participants from Melbourne, Australia, who were involved in various roles in teaching in preschools. An initial session focused on participants' prior philosophies of education and understanding of sociocultural theory through group discussion. Other sessions introduced developmental theories, Vygotsky, Rogoff and the project work of Reggio Emilia. Each session involved criticism and discussion. Over the course of the workshops the teachers' positions changed significantly from assuming sociocultural theory was about multiculturalism to understanding that all children bring distinctive backgrounds which affect their learning experiences and response to the school environment. The study points to the need for more careful professional development to move teachers beyond their current perceptions, and sometimes misinterpretations, of the latest academic theories.

Yet theoretical frameworks can provide an ability to reflect upon and resist cultural norms, while also being adaptive and critical of these theories in a practical context. In 'Beyond 'Because I Said So!' Three Early Childhood Teachers Challenge the Research on the Disciplinary Beliefs and Strategies of Individuals from Working-class Minority Backgrounds', Gay Wilgus challenges stereotypes about adults from working-class minority backgrounds using authoritarian, coercive disciplinary techniques by showing how three early childhood teachers do not simply reproduce and accept cultural attitudes about discipline. The study involves classroom observations and a series of interviews with the preschool teachers.

Finally, educational research can enable practitioners to go beyond a restrictive understanding of children's behaviour to the dynamic aspects of multimodal expression. Susan Young, in her article 'Seen but Not Heard: young children, improvised singing and educational practice', draws our attention to the spontaneous musical activities of children in her study based on observations of two- and three-year-olds. She challenges the traditional approach to musical education and shows how 'sound effects' give additional emotional effect to children's everyday actions, play and movements. Young suggests that our preoccupation with isolating different modes of expression on disciplinary divides is too static, and does not allow us to capture the spontaneity, multimodality and emotional aspects of children's play and learning. Young highlights how power is exerted through narrow ideas of musicality that discipline and restrain children's expressive potentials. Her article has the potential to open up our minds to new possibilities of engaging young children.

Jeanne Marie Iorio, in 'Rethinking Conversations', reinforces this approach by challenging us to rethink the power dynamics between adults and children so as to listen carefully to children and give them space to explore, think and communicate. She presents her own reflections on conversations with children about painting that either close down the conversation or open up the conversation so the child can speak. Being attentive and reverent in the moment allows adult-child conversations to shift to aesthetic experiences, where each person honours themselves 'within' the conversation.

The two colloquia in this issue are reflective pieces regarding memories in teaching (Liz McCaw) and a professional development process that is responsive to the New Mexico context (Luis-Vincente Reyes).

The Making of Global Citizens: traces of cosmopolitanism in the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: The Making of Global Citizens: traces of cosmopolitanism in the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki
Author: IRIS DUHN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 191-202
ABSTRACT The first New Zealand early childhood curriculum framework, Te Whariki, was published in 1996. Te Whariki presents quality in early childhood education as productive of a particular type of child. In this article the author argues that Te Whariki is not about 'best practice' but about producing the ideal child. This child emerged at a time when New Zealand was deeply entangled in neo-liberal visions of globalisation. The type of child embedded in New Zealand's early childhood curriculum has the potential to affirm neo-liberal visions of the future global subject.

Steering Debate and Initiating Dialogue: a review of the Singapore preschool curriculum

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Steering Debate and Initiating Dialogue: a review of the Singapore preschool curriculum
Author: LYNN ANG LING-YIN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 203-212
ABSTRACT This article presents a discussion of the new kindergarten framework in Singapore. The recent launch of the framework indicates a step forward in the field of early years, with a clear recognition of the importance of the early childhood experience. However, it also raises pertinent issues about the social, cultural, and political maxims that surround the curriculum. Looking closely at the preschool context in Singapore, this article considers the conflicting paradigms that underpin the curriculum: the idealised aspirations of policy makers and early years professionals in creating a child-centred, interactional curriculum; the ideology of a Chinese, Confucian culture which extols scholastic achievements and the pursuit of academic, moral and cultural attainments; parental expectations; and the demands of a meritocratic, economically driven society which perceives education as a commodity to be obtained for financial success and social mobility. In seeking to initiate dialogue and steer debate, this article therefore forces readers to consider some of the tensions and conflicts that underpin the new kindergarten curriculum, and questions the ways in which the curriculum can be conceptualised by practitioners amidst these competing maxims.

Educators' Views of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Readiness and Transition Practices

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Educators' Views of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Readiness and Transition Practices
Author: SUKHDEEP GILL; DIXIE WINTERS; DIANE S. FRIEDMAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 213-227
ABSTRACT The transition from pre-kindergarten (center-based programs for four-year-olds) to kindergarten is a critical milestone with far-reaching consequences for children and their families because positive transition and school readiness are integrally linked as predictors of future school success. This study was conducted to explore the existing kindergarten readiness and transition practices in a local county, to examine educators' perspectives regarding factors influencing readiness and transition, and to explore their perceptions of the parents' role in these domains. A semi-structured survey was mailed out to 129 school districts and pre-kindergarten programs in the county; 86 returned them. The results indicated that kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs were equally focused on child readiness as far as development of academic skills was concerned. Compared to pre-kindergarten, kindergartens were more involved in information-sharing activities associated with school transition. The importance of the role of family as well as of the communication between family and school was noted as an area of challenge. Follow-up action and implications are discussed in light of these results.

The Translation of Western Teaching Approaches in the Hong Kong Early Childhood Curriculum: a promise for effective teaching?

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: The Translation of Western Teaching Approaches in the Hong Kong Early Childhood Curriculum: a promise for effective teaching?
Author: DORIS CHENG PUI-WAH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 228-237
ABSTRACT This article reports data from a study about the challenges of teaching reform carried out by three in-service kindergarten teachers in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Intending to improve the quality of teaching and learning, these teachers adapted Western teaching approaches such as High Scope and Project approaches, which they had learnt about in their teacher education course, to Hong Kong classrooms. By tracking the enactment process of an implemented change for half a year, it was observed that teaching reform could not simply be achieved by just putting theories into practice. It requires the constant dialectical interplay of practice with theories in a continuous manner in the specified context. The findings highlight the difficulties of making pedagogical shifts and the merits of employing collaborative inquiry to support the use of effective pedagogies.

'Stop Thinking of Culture as Geography': early childhood educators' conceptions of sociocultural theory as an informant to curriculum

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: 'Stop Thinking of Culture as Geography': early childhood educators' conceptions of sociocultural theory as an informant to curriculum
Author: SUZY EDWARDS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 238-252
ABSTRACT The discourse and concepts associated with sociocultural theory have become increasingly important in discussion associated with early childhood education and curriculum at a theoretical level since the early 1990s. However, the extent to which such ideas have been adopted and understood by early childhood educators at the level of practice remains unclear. This study reports the findings from an investigation aimed at examining the understandings of sociocultural theory held by a group of early childhood educators and assistants without previous in-depth exposure to the discourse and concepts of sociocultural theory. The findings suggested that the educators initially interpreted sociocultural theory in multicultural terms. As opportunity to explore their ideas continued, this understanding shifted to one in which the educators saw sociocultural theory as related to the children they taught within their educational contexts. Questions were raised by the educators regarding the extent to which sociocultural theory challenged their existing sense of self as teachers.

Beyond 'Because I Said So!' Three Early Childhood Teachers Challenge the Research on the Disciplinary Beliefs and Strategies of Individuals from Working-class Minority Backgrounds

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Beyond 'Because I Said So!' Three Early Childhood Teachers Challenge the Research on the Disciplinary Beliefs and Strategies of Individuals from Working-class Minority Backgrounds
Author: GAY WILGUS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 253-269
ABSTRACT Research literature suggests that adults from working-class minority backgrounds demonstrate authoritarian and coercive tendencies in their choices of disciplinary strategies when compared with adults from middle-class, 'white', 'Anglo', or 'North American' backgrounds. However, in a recent study in New York City, three early childhood teachers from working-class, Latino backgrounds were conspicuously democratic and non-authoritarian in teacher-child interactions involving discipline. This study points to the need to examine suggestions in the literature that adults from working-class minority backgrounds simply accept and reproduce traditional childrearing and early educational practices of the cultures in which they were raised. In addition, these data identify a need to question the usefulness of certain binary oppositional dualisms often appropriated for analysis of social phenomena, including minority/non-minority, working class/middle class and individualism/collectivism. The ultimate demand is for innovative language and concepts that take into account the complex interactions which come into play as teachers, parents and other adults formulate beliefs about disciplinary strategies. A major piece of this project involves re-evaluating the way we define, examine and write about culture.

Seen but Not Heard: young children, improvised singing and educational practice

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Seen but Not Heard: young children, improvised singing and educational practice
Author: SUSAN YOUNG
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 270-280
ABSTRACT In this article the author suggests that the persistence of a 'performance model' of early childhood music education has detracted attention from children's spontaneous musical activity. The article focuses on one dimension of children's spontaneous musicality: improvised singing. Descriptions of short episodes taken from two periods of observation, the first in a day-care setting among two- and three-year-olds and the second in a nursery among three-year-olds, provide examples of different kinds of improvised singing and how they are integrated into physical movement, and play with objects and malleable substances such as sand and water. The descriptions move into detailed discussion which draws attention to the way in which, as they play, the children's singing represents one mode blended among many and gives insight into time-based processes. The author goes on to suggest that these time-based processes support ways of engaging, either with material things or in interacting with others. The article contains a number of propositions for the benefits which might accrue from a reconsideration of singing in early childhood education.

Rethinking Conversations

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Rethinking Conversations
Author: JEANNE MARIE IORIO
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 281-289
ABSTRACT As teachers, researchers, caregivers, and people who take care of young children, we are often in conversation with children. These conversations are complex, filled with child and adult interactions. Further, both the child and the adult hold various levels of power, and work as a group within the interaction. As an artist and early childhood educator, these considerations are central to the author's own rethinking of adult-child conversations as aesthetic experiences. Through the observation and documentation of several adult-child conversations with three preschoolers, the author attempts to understand when an adult-child conversation is an aesthetic experience, as well as to negotiate the power present within the interaction. Further, the author discusses the implications of the experience on her own practice and future research.

Teachers' Memories and their Relevance Today

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Teachers' Memories and their Relevance Today
Author: LIZ McCAW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 290-291
ABSTRACT The author suggests that the connection between teachers' early memories and the way they conceptualize their work is likely to be enormously important in the long run.

Creating an Inclusive Early Childhood Professional Development System in New Mexico, USA

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: Creating an Inclusive Early Childhood Professional Development System in New Mexico, USA
Author: LUIS-VINCENTE REYES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 292-301
ABSTRACT Creating a state comprehensive professional development system for the preparation of early childhood personnel in the USA requires a development framework that is inclusive and responsive to diversity. Over the past few years, states from around the country have begun to embark on journeys towards the development of such a system. The purpose of this article is to share New Mexico's experience and lessons learned from its work in the creation of a professional development system in early childhood that is culturally and linguistically responsive.

BOOK REVIEWS

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:23:24 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 302-306
ABSTRACT Observing Harry: childhood development and learning 0-5 (Cath Arnold) reviewed by Megan Gibson

Beyond Listening: children's perspectives on early childhood services (Clark, Kjorholt & Moss) reviewed by Julie Zagdanski, pages 303-304

Popular Culture, New Media and Digital Literacy in Early Childhood (Jackie Marsh) reviewed by Rachel Holmes

Editorial

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Kerry Wardlaw; Nicola Yelland
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 95-96
ABSTRACT There are numerous ways in which moral and political issues are relevant to early childhood education. In this issue, moral issues are raised in articles discussing discourses about goodies and baddies evident in boys' discussions of superheroes and Jesus, and Korean early childhood textbooks that emphasise morality in terms of learning to be respectful and belonging to a group and being open to diversity. Understanding aspects of young children's political views through a semiotic analysis of their drawings lends itself to thinking through political and moral education of young children. The political also intersects with regulation of bodily practices in early childhood contexts. The disciplining and normalising of desires through practices in crèches circumscribe and reinforce particular identities of young children. Gender is another theme that threads throughout this issue. A critical discussion of the political agenda around increasing the presence of male teachers in early childhood education and the ways male teachers can reinforce dominant gendered discourses offers the potential to go beyond the limited public discussion of this issue. Additionally, predominantly female childcare directors in Australia are effective leaders in providing nurturing environments for children and staff, but need to develop confidence in advocacy and business skills. Again gender is relevant to understanding their self-perceptions in terms of their abilities.

Children's play in early childhood education contexts draws from their everyday lives informed increasingly by popular culture. Miriam Giugni ('Conceptualising Goodies and Baddies through Narratives of Jesus and Superman') demonstrates through a case study how young boys negotiate their identities and sense of belonging through the narratives of superheroes, and how they could integrate Jesus within this discourse. Rather than merely dismissing these discourses as negative in terms of encouraging violence and rough play, she argues that they should be recuperated to encourage reflection on morality and gendered identities. Engagement with the cultural capital these children bring can produce the possibility of challenging their performative enactment of hegemonic masculinity of dominant discourses in popular culture.

Potentials for unconscious resistance by young children to the operation of microprocesses of power within crèches in France is the focus of Liane Mozère's article ('What's the Trouble with Identity? Practices and Theories from France'). Drawing on the work of Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari provides a basis to understand how power operates through normalising and disciplining the individual and social body, and how capitalism both channels desires and requires desires as a source of innovation. As institutions, crèches reinforce certain identities, routines and expectations such as teachers not kissing or holding children, children not being naked, and hygiene practices that contain the desires of young children.

In terms of explicit state and societal agendas, early educational contexts are usually considered immune to social ideology. An emphasis on developmental stages has the effect of depoliticising this stage of education. However, Lena Lee & Mary McMullen ('Social Ideology and Early Childhood Education: a comparative analysis of Korean early childhood teacher education textbooks written in 1993 and 2003') illuminate how Korean government agendas and the broader socio-political context have transformed expectations in early childhood education. They analyse Korean early childhood textbooks in 1993 and 2003. There is a significant contrast between an earlier emphasis on social and moral development as a reaction to a 'moral crisis' resulting from modernisation, and an emphasis on multiculturalism as a response to globalisation. The 1993 textbook encourages teaching children to behave respectfully and cooperatively in a group and assumes young children are inherently egocentric. The 2003 textbook has a large section on multicultural education, and sections on the influence of peer groups and the mass media on children's social development. Clearly, this sort of research encourages reflection on the ways in which the sociocultural and political context may influence early childhood agendas in other countries as well.

The push for more male elementary teachers is another example where there has been overt politicisation of early childhood education. Catherine Ashcraft & Brian Sevier ('Gender Will Find a Way: exploring how male elementary teachers make sense of their experiences and responsibilities') challenge the idea that increasing males in the profession will automatically lead to better educational outcomes for boys through providing healthy role models. They conducted interviews with fourteen male elementary teachers in the Denver metropolitan area. Common themes that emerged from this research were concerns over how to interact with girls, working in a female-dominated environment, and pressures on men to take up the role of disciplinarian for problem boys. The men interviewed used traditional gendered narratives in discussing their relationships with female students and female teachers, yet some of them questioned societal expectations about their ability to discipline unruly boys. Analysis from the interviews also suggests that the ideas that male teachers can act as surrogate fathers for single-parent families, that they can provide role models of males as nurturing, and that they will bring alternative pedagogies to the classroom are all infused with gendered discourses that reproduce dominant narratives. Ashcraft & Sevier propose that a way forward may be to encourage reflection on what it means to be a male teacher in order to challenge gendered stereotypes through teacher education and professional development programs.

There has been a neglect of research on leadership and management in childcare centres in Australia. Drawing from interviews, Hanna Nupponen ('Framework for Developing Leadership Skills in Child Care Centres in Queensland, Australia') discusses the issues confronting childcare directors in Queensland and suggests some strategies for specialized training to enhance leadership competencies. Most directors interviewed prioritised the well-being of children and a democratic approach to management of staff that involved developing a shared vision for the group. They emphasised the importance of interpersonal and communication skills, and of creating a caring environment for both staff and children. The interviewees identified the need for business management skills, communication skills and professional development pathways. The area in which the directors had the least confidence was as advocates for childcare in the wider community. Nupponen argues that this is an area that needs to be redressed in order to promote high quality childcare.

Like the article on superhero discourses, Takis Bessas, Ifigenia Vamvakidou & Argyris Kryidis ('Greek Pre-schoolers Crayon the Politicians: a semiotic analysis of children's drawing') show a way to gain an understanding of children's perceptions of the world. They conduct a semiotic analysis of children's drawings of politicians. The drawings have specific signs, such as the use of blue or black and serious expressions to signify the politicians they are attempting to capture. These are strongly influenced by television images, suggesting early socialization. More generally, the authors are concerned with how children evolve as moral and political beings. Children are generally less cynical about politicians and the government than adults until the ages of 12 or 13. Exploration through drawing may open up children's exploration of their political life.

A colloquium by Zohra Nisar Hunzai focuses on policy initiatives in Pakistan in early childhood education. The priorities are accessibility, quality and training of teachers. There are still many barriers to providing a high standard of early childhood education. Nonetheless, at least the government has started to take this area of education more seriously as a policy arena linked to human development indicators.

Book reviews in this issue include Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education, edited by Nicola Yelland and reviewed by Liz Jones; Gender Equity in the Early Years, by Naima Browne and reviewed by Kerrin Lee-Thomas; Learning from Sure Start: working with young children and their families, co-authored by Weinberger, Pickstone & Hannon and reviewed by Kathy James; and Rethinking Parent and Child Conflict, written by Susan Grieshaber and reviewed by Susan Groenke.

Kerry Wardlaw & Nicola Yelland

Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Conceptualising Goodies and Baddies through Narratives of Jesus and Superman

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Conceptualising Goodies and Baddies through Narratives of Jesus and Superman
Author: MIRIAM GIUGNI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 97-108
ABSTRACT Religion, like Superhero discourse, is a contested topic of question and debate in early childhood education. This article draws on data from a small ethnographic study that took place in a long day care centre in Sydney Australia. The study examined how children negotiated their 'identity work' in the context of popular culture. In this article, the author explores one example from the study in which a group of four-year-old boys drew upon discourses of Christianity and Superheroes in the negotiation of their identities within an early childhood curriculum. Using post-structural and critical theory, the article highlights how these moral and cultural epistemologies appeared easily accessible and desirable to the children and were particularly useful in their negotiated narratives of goodies and baddies. Consequently, questions are asked of the ways early childhood guidelines for practice both embody and reject discourses of religion and Superheroes because such values appear to be culturally risky in an inclusive curriculum. It is clear, therefore, that both superheroes and religion hold exchange value for some children in the negotiation of their identities, yet, such discourses are often invisible or banned in early childhood curriculum.

What's the Trouble with Identity? Practices and Theories from France

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: What's the Trouble with Identity? Practices and Theories from France
Author: LIANE MOZÈRE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 109-119
ABSTRACT To theorize the 'becoming child' this article presents desire rather than identity, following Deleuze and Guattari. For desire to proliferate differently, everything that social, religious and moral identities try to control and police, following Foucault, must be deconstructed, reconceptualized and enabled. To show how this is possible the article exemplifies contemporary and historical practices from France, using the author's 30 years of experience as a researcher and a transdisciplinary sociologist there. The article thus transcends languages and normalized genres of English-language academic writing. In doing so it provides new directions for identity theory, from European genealogies and from a history of French early childhood from birth to age three. Arguing that identity is a keystone in modern capitalist society and that individualized processes come from micro-processes of subjugation, the article describes how institutions are organized not to operate or function but to assign status, identities and functions. Hence when you are a child in a preschool your identity must conform to what is demanded, and be limited to that of a preschooler or day-care child. Nevertheless, uncontrollable and unconscious desires operate. To make such theorizations, the article builds from sociology, anthropology, history and psychology. The author contends that Deleuze and Guattari's use of desire is akin to agency, and that those adults still close to childhood keep this alive.

Social Ideology and Early Childhood Education: a comparative analysis of Korean early childhood teacher education textbooks written in 1993 and 2003

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Social Ideology and Early Childhood Education: a comparative analysis of Korean early childhood teacher education textbooks written in 1993 and 2003
Author: LENA LEE; MARY B. MCMULLEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 119-129
ABSTRACT Analysis of the contents of textbooks is a meaningful way to examine individuals, groups and institutions, as they reflect social values, attention and interests of a society. Education as an institution reflects a society's social ideology, and examination of the sociocultural components of schools can reveal the cultural paradigm upon which a society is based. A content analysis of Korean undergraduate early childhood teacher education social studies textbooks was used to illuminate aspects of social change and dominant sociocultural beliefs in Korea. Specifically, textbooks written in 1993 and 2003 were examined in terms of how the authors treated Korean social concepts and pedagogical expectations of early childhood education, the needs of young children, and the roles of teachers over the two time periods, in light of the socio-historical demands of early childhood education in Korea. The primary focus of the textbook written in 1993 was the social and moral development of children, whereas the 2003 textbook stressed multiculturalism and preparation for living in a cooperative, global society. How the textbook authors' areas of emphases reflected the sociocultural realities and expectations of Korean society at the time they are written is discussed.

Gender Will Find a Way: exploring how male elementary teachers make sense of their experiences and responsibilities CATHERINE ASHCRAFT Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University, USA

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Gender Will Find a Way: exploring how male elementary teachers make sense of their experiences and responsibilities CATHERINE ASHCRAFT Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University, USA
Author: BRIAN SEVIER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 130-145
ABSTRACT In recent years, public discussions over the socialization of boys have increased dramatically. These concerns have fueled a number of proposed remedies, one of which has been a push to increase the presence of men in elementary schools. To date, however, this call for increased male participation in elementary education has focused primarily on boosting the numbers of men in the field. The authors contend that simply increasing male representation is not enough. Drawing from interviews with fourteen male elementary teachers, they explore how these teachers understood and talked about their experiences and responsibilities as male teachers. At times, they illustrate ways in which they drew from dominant discourses of gender, race and class to make sense of their experiences and responsibilities. At the same time, the authors highlight moments of instability and/or potential disruptions to these discourses as men sometimes challenged or questioned traditional narratives of gender. They then identify implications for teacher education, professional development, public rhetoric and debate, and future efforts to recruit and incorporate more male teachers.

Framework for Developing Leadership Skills in Child Care Centres in Queensland, Australia

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Framework for Developing Leadership Skills in Child Care Centres in Queensland, Australia
Author: HANNA NUPPONEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 146-161
ABSTRACT There has been minimal Australian research focused on leadership and management aspects of directors' work in centre-based child care to date. In Australia, practices in early education have been drawn largely from studies in other cultural contexts, particularly research undertaken in the United States. It is timely that Australian research informs social policy about quality child care programs. The data in this article is part of a larger doctoral study where case studies of directors of child care centres were developed through interviews with the directors. The interview methodology focused on exploratory semi-structured, open-ended questions in relation to management and leadership in centre-based child care. Directors were interviewed on two occasions within a three-month period. This article concentrates on the second interview which explored directors' perspectives on leadership. In the current context of the delivery of child care services in a market-driven climate, the language of business and organisational theory has entered the lexicon of the early childhood field. The findings indicate that directors of child care centres need to have training and experience in business management and leadership to enhance their competencies for management of centres in today's competitive environment.

Greek Pre-schoolers Crayon the Politicians: a semiotic analysis of children's drawing

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: Greek Pre-schoolers Crayon the Politicians: a semiotic analysis of children's drawing
Author: TAKIS BESSAS; IFIGENIA VAMVAKIDOU; ARGYRIS KYRIDIS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 162-173
ABSTRACT This article concerns the ways in which pre-school children use the visual arts to portray their understanding of politicians. The purpose of this research was to discuss children's drawings of politicians using semiotic analysis. The use of semiotic analysis was based on the need to understand the nature of the drawings and their relation to the ways in which children regarded their politicians. This method can be used to analyze the particular sample of children's drawings as there is an 'intention to inform' and also as the signs, which offer information, are dependent on the objects-persons being described.

A Long-term Investment in Pakistan: early childhood education

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: A Long-term Investment in Pakistan: early childhood education
Author: ZOHRA NISAR HUNZAI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 174-176
ABSTRACT This article explores the importance of early childhood education in the context of child development and focuses on Pakistan initiatives in the area of early childhood for long-term investment as child development and human development.

BOOK REVIEWS

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:26:22 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Pages: 177-187
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial. Rethinking 'Professionalism' in the Early Years: perspectives from the United Kingdom

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Editorial. Rethinking 'Professionalism' in the Early Years: perspectives from the United Kingdom
Author: Jayne Osgood
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-4
ABSTRACT This special issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood presents a collection of perspectives on the issue of professionalism in early childhood education from the UK context. As guest editor, I have come to appreciate the work that Sue Grieshaber and Nicola Yelland undertake in preparing each edition of the journal and I thank them for providing me with the opportunity to edit this edition. The impetus for presenting the idea of a special issue to the editors stemmed from a very personal interest in the notion of professionalism in the early years, which I briefly outline.

I occupy the enviable position of working solely on research endeavours, located, as I am, in a research institute in London. In wrestling with current issues facing the early years community I overcame a persistent sense of isolation (as a specialist researcher in this field at an institute that covers other education phases and phenomena) by a chance encounter with CIEC whilst searching the Web for publications engaged in critique and theorisation. At about the same time, I was made aware of the Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education (RECE) movement in the early years. These two 'discoveries' have opened up vital avenues, bodies of knowledge, networks and friendships. What these occurrences also alerted me to was the insular way in which I was guilty of working. These events and my feminist post-structural commitment to deconstruct and problematise the taken-for-granted prompted me to exercise some agency and conceive of ways in which I might subvert or unsettle the way in which I and others in the early years research community are positioned and actively position ourselves in individualised/insular ways.

In addition to my marginal (yet privileged) professional position is the neo-liberal context within which the academy is located in the twenty-first century. The plethora of conservative/traditionalist arenas for publication in the United Kingdom poses a direct challenge to academics wishing to present critiques of that which they research and teach. Taking the risk to present critical ideas can carry a heavy price. This in conjunction with the neo-liberal focus on competition, marketisation, commercialism - critique has become increasingly unpopular and all but banished from public discourse in the academy. But the cost of failing to overtly challenge policy reform agendas (that appear benign and persuasive at first glance) is too high a price to pay if we are, as we so frequently claim to be, committed to social justice.

The voice of the early years community (including academics, teacher educators, local policy-implementers and practitioners) is small but the workforce is enormous and continuing to grow. Yet still the United Kingdom is some way behind its international counterparts in terms of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The current climate is widely regarded as a key moment in time for overhauling ECEC in England; as such, the appeal of alternative models of education and care is widespread. However, enthusiasm for these alternative models is tempered by economic rationalism which ensures that only a bastardised version of the many exemplary international pedagogies and approaches will be available in the England. But the rhetoric would have us believe that well-resourced, universal and publicly funded models are attainable in a capitalist market economy; this is the nub of much contestation currently in the United Kingdom. The early years workforce in the United Kingdom is receiving unprecedented attention (from policy makers, economists, the mass media and commercial business investors). In public discourse the workforce is constructed as the solution to society's ills - policy makers state that in focusing on the young child (and the educators/carers of young children) a raft of social phenomena can be addressed:

Government has long recognised the collective interest in ensuring that children get a good start in life: it is in the nation's social and economic interests: children are the citizens, workers, parents and leaders of the future. It is in everyone's interests that children are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential. This is all the more important in the context of an ageing society, where current generations will depend more heavily on those who follow. It is also in everyone's collective interests because of the large cost of failure. Investment in children to ensure they have opportunities and capabilities to contribute in positive ways throughout their lives is money well spent and it will reduce the cost of social failure. (Department for Education and Skills [DfES], 2005, 2.11)

Clearly, the burden placed upon the shoulders of babies and very young children is enormous. The above excerpt is indicative of the powerful blaming discourses and projects of individualisation inherent within government policy (Ball, 2003; Gewirtz, 2001; Reay, 2001). A raft of policy documents has been published in the past year and throughout is a stated commitment to eradicate child poverty, to make neighbourhoods safe and respectable, and for parents to 'choose' to work and be happy in their work. These grandiose pledges inflect the rhetoric of 'joined-up' government in the United Kingdom. Yet documents that outline workforce reform in the early years is where there is greatest intentionality (DfES, 2004a, b, c, 2005). Just as the young child is created as the saviour of future generations and national economic prosperity, the role of the ECEC professional is equally clear. Put simply, achievement of the New Labour societal vision relies upon the availability and quality of early childhood education and care - to ensure the young generation is taught 'correct' values; so that maternal employment is feasible; and so that citizenship rests upon credentialism, technical competence and economic activity.

With such a responsibility thrust upon them is it possible for this workforce to be considered anything other than 'professional'? What does 'professionalism' for this occupational group mean? What does it look like? Are there costs to professionalisation? - for whom, and what are the implications?

It is within this political and economic context and with these sorts of questions in mind that the foundations for this project in debating professionalism emerged. Opportunities and space to construct alternative discourses around the role of early childhood education and care as well as the role and positionality of those who work in the field were needed. As such, a seminar series entitled 'Re-thinking 'Professionalism' in the Early Years' ran for a year (from 2004 to 2005) at London Metropolitan University. A range of key commentators readily accepted invitations to present their theorisations and research on and around this issue. The attendance far exceeded expectations and time to debate emergent issues and recurring themes was factored in to the half-day seminars. The papers were wide ranging and evocative. Academics from outside the ECEC community were invited to present to an audience comprised of ECEC researchers, lecturers, policy makers, students, practitioners, local authority officers, journalists and civil servants amongst others. The eclectic composition of the delegate body meant that discussions were as wide ranging and diverse as the perspectives and ideas presented.

Having opened up a space to deconstruct, debate and problematise the top-down professionalism agenda, the prospect of stopping the dialogue dead in its tracks was not an option. It was at this point that Sue Grieshaber welcomed the idea of a special issue from the UK on the issue of professionalism. The articles presented in this edition are diverse and the authors address the issue of professionalism from a range of perspectives.

In the first article, I seek to problematise the dominant construction of 'professionalism' as created and promoted by the UK Government through policy. By using a Foucauldian, post-strucutral feminist framework I outline the disempowering, regulatory gaze that early childhood professionals encounter. I argue that demands to meet externally imposed constructions of professionalism leave little time for practitioners to engage in meaningful critiques of the status quo. The dominance and perpetuation of rationality in early years practice is deconstructed to reveal the ways in which early years practitioners are regulated and controlled in their attempts to satisfy the demands for performativity and technicist practice. I conclude by presenting a discussion of the vital and important role that agency plays and argue that practitioners are not passively shaped by social structure and that possibilities to negotiate and resist the regulatory gaze are possible.

As a welcome visitor to the world of ECEC, Helen Colley then takes learning cultures in further education as her site of analysis. She considers how nursery nurses in a further education college learn how to deploy and regulate emotion in their work with young children. Colley draws on feminist readings of Marx and Bourdieu to reveal how gendered and class-fractional positionings combine with vocational education and training to construct imperatives about 'correct' emotions in childcare. She theorises emotional capital and emotional labour to suggest that social rather than individualised understanding of how feelings are put to work is needed. Colley convincingly concludes by arguing that emotional labour carries costs for the nursery nurse, not because children consume her emotional resources, but because her emotional labour power is controlled and exploited for profit by employers.

Peter Moss considers the current ECEC policy in the United Kingdom and the centrality of the professionalism agenda, and in doing so he seeks to understand what forms change might take, both structurally and in terms of how the worker and her work is understood. By locating this national case in an international context, he argues for the need to connect restructuring with reconceptualisation to re-envision the ECEC workforce. By examining how understandings of the workforce are produced from different discourses and how different understandings relate to concepts of professionalism he proposes a politics of occupational identity and values that move beyond the dualistic 'non-professional/professional' divide. He concludes by arguing that although strong forces are involved, there is scope for contestation and change.

Julia Manning-Morton focuses on a localised case of the 'birth-to-three' professional. In her article Manning-Morton argues that in order to sufficiently meet the needs of very young children and thereby develop quality provision, early years practitioners must develop a professional approach that combines personal awareness with theoretical knowledge. She argues that the development of such abilities can be realised through process-oriented training over an extended period of time. She describes an example of this approach to provide an illustration of a process that impacted positively on practitioners' professional self-worth through valuing self-awareness in relation to the physical and emotional dimensions of practice.

Other welcome visitors to the ECEC field include Valorie Hey and Simon Bradford. Their article explores the contested and contradictory ways in which discourse and identity are played out in one Sure Start neighbourhood. The authors deconstruct and problematise a central tenet of the United Kingdom Government's approach to addressing the needs of young children and their families. The authors draw on data collected as part of an evaluation of a local Sure Start programme. They analyse New Labour's valorisation of parenting (specifically mothering) and assess the impact of Sure Start policy on discourses of motherhood in this context. Policy is considered as a form of knowledge and knowing, and the article looks at how policy opens up particular spaces of intervention whilst simultaneously configuring particular identities, in this case 'mothers'. Hey & Bradford propose that Sure Start has mapped a terrain upon which mothers' identities have been positioned in various discourses: 'responsibility', 'respectability' or 'fecklessness'.

Finally, Claire Cameron revisits and reframes her work on men in the nursery. She proposes that professionalising the workforce in terms of improving pay and conditions of work, and employing male workers can be seen as independent trends: there is no necessary relationship between the two. By extending the definition of professionalism to include scope and quality of practice, experiences and views of male and female workers make a vital contribution to our understandings. Cameron argues that the conditions necessary to change practices include developing a reflective approach where debate and curiosity are constant features of daily work.

In this special issue the key themes and concerns that have engaged the attention of the authors have been presented. It is worth highlighting that the collection of articles in this issue has been included because it reflects some critical views held by academics in the UK engaged in debates and research in the early years community at the current time. The aim of this edition of CIEC has been to provide a dialogic space to counter and challenge that which is occurring in public arenas. Academic debates in the United Kingdom have been invigorated by the current policy attention to workforce reform, but not all commentators in the field of ECEC are willing or ready to critically engage with them. Other countries are further along with debates (and resolutions) about the interplay of policy and professionalism. Regardless of how advanced such conversations are, they are always dependent upon the cultural, historical, social and economic context. In the English context there has never been a more crucial moment for the ECEC community (in its broadest sense) to engage with, and contribute to, the debate. England has much to learn from international contexts, and academics have much to glean from others in the field. I hope that this edition of CIEC sets the scene for further dialogue about 'professionalism' in the early years.

Jayne Osgood

References

Ball, S. (2003) The Teacher's Soul and the Terrors of Performativity, Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), pp. 215-228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0268093022000043065

Department for Education and Skills (2004a) Every Child Matters: change for children. London: Stationery Office.

Department for Education and Skills (2004b) Every Child Matters: next steps. London: Stationery Office.

Department for Education and Skills (2004c) The Children Act. London: Stationery Office.

Department for Education and Skills (2005) Ten Year Strategy. London: Stationery Office.

Gewirtz, S. (2001) Cloning the Blairs: New Labour's programme for the re-socialisation of working-class parents, Journal of Education Policy 16(4): 365-378. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02680930110054353

Reay, D. (2001) Finding or Losing Yourself?: working-class relationships to education, Journal of Education Policy, 16(4), pp. 333-346. . http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02680930110054335

Deconstructing Professionalism in Early Childhood Education: resisting the regulatory gaze

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Deconstructing Professionalism in Early Childhood Education: resisting the regulatory gaze
Author: JAYNE OSGOOD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 5-14
ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to problematise the dominant construction of 'professionalism' as created and promoted by the United Kingdom Government through policy. Like other professionals working in education, early years practitioners are subjected to a disempowering, regulatory gaze in the name of higher standards. The preoccupation with satisfying dominant and externally imposed constructions of professionalism leaves little time to engage in meaningful critiques of the status quo, and as a consequence of social engineering those working in the early years become constrained by demands for technicist practice . The discourse of rationality is deconstructed to reveal that through its dominance and perpetuation early years practitioners are regulated and controlled in their attempts to satisfy the demands for performativity and technicist practice. This article draws upon and is framed by the work of Foucault, in particular his concern with 'disciplinary technologies' that produce docile bodies as objects that yield to the discourse, and his focus upon rules that govern the discourse - in this case the discourse professionalism. The article concludes with a discussion of the vital and important role that agency plays and it is argued that practitioners are not passively shaped by social structure but that they are active in challenging, negotiating and reforming the discourses through which they are positioned and defined and therein lies the possibility for resisting the regulatory gaze.

Learning to Labour with Feeling: class, gender and emotion in childcare education and training

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Learning to Labour with Feeling: class, gender and emotion in childcare education and training
Author: HELEN COLLEY
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 15-29
ABSTRACT There is debate among early years experts about the appropriate degree of emotional engagement between nursery nurses and the children in their care. Through research into the learning cultures of further education (in the Economic and Social Research Council's Teaching and Learning Research Programme), the author considers how prospective nursery nurses first learn to deploy emotion in their work. Few researchers have investigated the learning of feelings for caring occupations, and this article presents a detailed case study, based on both quantitative and qualitative data, of a group of childcare students throughout their two-year course. In analysing its official, unwritten, and hidden curricula, and the social practices of learning it entails, the author draws on feminist readings of Marx and Bourdieu to reveal how gendered and class-fractional positionings combine with vocational education and training to construct imperatives about 'correct' emotions in childcare. The author compares theorisations of emotional capital and emotional labour, and suggests we need social rather than individualised understandings of how feelings are put to work. The author concludes that emotional labour carries costs for the nursery nurse, not because children consume her emotional resources, but because her emotional labour power is controlled and exploited for profit by employers.

Structures, Understandings and Discourses: possibilities for re-envisioning the early childhood worker

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Structures, Understandings and Discourses: possibilities for re-envisioning the early childhood worker
Author: PETER MOSS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 30-41
ABSTRACT As early childhood services move up the policy agenda, so too does the early childhood workforce. Its members are recognised as the main resource for such services, and there is an increasing recognition that the work is complex and requires enhanced education. But despite this recognition, the situation in many countries - where the early childhood workforce remains split between a minority of teachers and a growing majority of childcare workers with lower qualifications and poorer work conditions - is highly problematic. The article considers what forms change might take, both structurally and in terms of how the worker and her work is understood, arguing for the need to connect restructuring with rethinking to re-envision the workforce. It also examines how understandings of the workforce are produced from different discourses and how different understandings relate to concepts of professionalism, proposing a politics of occupational identity and values that moves beyond the dualistic 'non-professional/professional' divide. It concludes by arguing that although strong forces are involved, there is scope for contestation and change.

The Personal is Professional: professionalism and the birth to threes practitioner

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: The Personal is Professional: professionalism and the birth to threes practitioner
Author: JULIA MANNING-MORTON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 42-52
ABSTRACT This article puts forward the idea that in order to sufficiently meet the needs of very young children and thereby develop quality provision, early years practitioners must develop a professional approach that combines personal awareness with theoretical knowledge. It argues that the development of such abilities is enabled in process-oriented training over an extended period of time and describes the 'Key Times' Project (London Metropolitan University with the London Borough of Camden, 2000-2005) as illustration of a process that impacted positively on practitioners' professional self-worth through valuing self-awareness in relation to the physical and emotional dimensions of practice.

Re-engineering Motherhood? Sure Start in the Community

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Re-engineering Motherhood? Sure Start in the Community
Author: VALERIE HEY; SIMON BRADFORD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 53-67
ABSTRACT This article draws on data collected through two focus groups and eight telephone interviews undertaken as part of an evaluation of a local Sure Start programme. Located in the context of New Labour's valorisation of parenting, and specifically mothering, the article explores the impact of Sure Start policy on discourses of motherhood in this setting. Policy is considered as a form of knowledge and knowing, and the article looks at how policy opens up particular spaces of intervention whilst simultaneously configuring particular identities, in this case 'mothers'. The authors suggest that Sure Start has mapped a terrain upon which mothers' identities have been positioned in various discourses: 'responsibility', 'respectability' or 'fecklessness', for example. The article explores the contested and contradictory ways in which discourse and identity are played out in one Sure Start neighbourhood.

Men in the Nursery Revisited: issues of male workers and professionalism

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Men in the Nursery Revisited: issues of male workers and professionalism
Author: CLAIRE CAMERON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 68-79
ABSTRACT Professionalising the early childhood workforce in terms of improving pay and conditions of work and employing male workers can be seen as independent trends: there is no necessary relationship between the two. However, when the definition of professionalism is extended to include the scope and quality of practice, the experiences and views of male and female workers may have a contribution to make. This article is based on revisiting a study of male and female workers in childcare centres, analysed in terms of an extended definition of professionalism. It argues that the conditions necessary for changes to practice include developing a reflective approach to practice where debate and curiosity and practice are a constant feature of daily work.

Early Childhood Education and Care as a Community Service or Big Business?

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Education and Care as a Community Service or Big Business?
Author: ANNA KILDERRY
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 80-83
ABSTRACT This colloquium discusses recent trends where early childhood education and care has shifted from being a community service to that of big business. Years of neo-liberal reform have created market conditions favourable for large corporations to provide childcare within Australia. This situation raises some issues and concerns, particularly in relation to the amount of profit that is generated for the shareholders from the business of caring and educating young children and the amount of educational control and governance resting in the hands of one corporation.

The Curriculum-Book Relationship in the Pre-schools of Jammu City

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: The Curriculum-Book Relationship in the Pre-schools of Jammu City
Author: SUMATI VAID; RAJNI DHINGRA; ANAMIKA BARU
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 84-87
ABSTRACT The study examined the relationship between the syllabus and books used in 20 pre-schools in Jammu city, India. Twenty principals of pre-schools in Jammu city were randomly selected for interview. The results of the study reveal that the 20 schools had the same kind of syllabus and the curriculum took the needs and interests of the children into account. The majority of the schools had set books and these books were published according to the syllabus.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: CALL FOR PAPERS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 88-88
ABSTRACT A Special Issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood on the topic 'Child Care: politics and policy' to be edited by Jennifer Sumsion & Frances

BOOK REVIEWS

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:39:34 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2006 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 89-94
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 212-214
ABSTRACT All of the articles presented in this edition of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood were originally presented by the authors at the 2004 international Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education conference. This conference, attended by 150 people from 19 nations, was held in Oslo, Norway, from 24 to 28 May. See www.reconece.org/ for details of this almost annual international event, which provides a forum for teachers, researchers, advocates and practitioners pursuing alternative perspectives in early childhood education, systems of child care and social provision, childhood carework and early childhood studies. A feature of the conference is that it expands the borders of the fields of the participants as they engage in conversations about emerging issues, contradictions and possibilities related to theory, research, policy and praxis. This edition of the journal results from the authors' continued thinking, reading and rewriting following the 2004 conference.

The theme of the 2004 conference held in Norway was 'Troubling Identities'. This is also the theme for this issue of the journal. Inherent here is the notion of identity functioning in communities, institutions, groups and individuals. This involves social and cultural recognition, self-representation, action, relations and ways of being. 'Troubling' may be something we do, as in troubling dominant discourses; or it may be a description, as in the things we find troubling. Here the issues include how identities are constructed and reconstructed, conceptualized and reconceptualized. Hence the authors of articles in this edition are both troubling and troubled by their own and others' uses of identities and multi-identities as concepts. Given the transdisciplinary qualities of contemporary early childhood research, the disciplinary framings from which they draw include blurrings of history, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, pedagogy, drama and visual arts, curriculum studies, philosophy, literary theory and media studies. As such they inform the field of early childhood research through a range of methodologies and epistemologies, theories of knowledge and critical issues, academic texts and generic practices.

Additionally, this edition presents some authors rarely published in English, though well known in their home languages and nations. For academics moving themselves between research cultures and languages, the issues are complex indeed. Here Anglo-American colonizing of non English-language research cultures and publications may be seen as undesirable. Some of the postmodern effects of this are that authors want to retain and develop their research profiles within their nations and linguistic locations, but at the same time to make their work available to nations outside these. Our hope is that the field itself is reconceptualized by multiplicities of research cultures and a wealth of publications unknown to academics reading English only. The experience of the editors and the reviewers for this particular edition thus regarded, in textual practice, the troubling of the identity of an academic journal and those working for it. Here we especially thank the reviewers of the articles from nations where English is not the language of the workplace. As befitting a published volume emerging from the first Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education conference to be held in Europe, we here present three articles from Sweden and two from Norway. These are not translations from those languages; each of the writers has worked in English from the beginning, because the writing of an academic article and its reference list is itself a cultural construct that differs within linguistic settings.

There are also two articles from English-speaking nations: the USA and the United Kingdom. From the USA, Gina Barclay-McLaughlin & J. Amos Hatch, as a black female and a white male, present a dialogue between themselves. This is a very thoughtful manuscript which addresses a topic of concern to critical and qualitative researchers alike: namely, the issue of difference from differing research paradigms. This is not the kind of dialogue you have in the kitchen, but a fusion of high levels of intellectual scholarship. What is fascinating here is the personal grounding of the arguments and the teasing out of details. As such it presents information in a new generic context for an international refereed journal. In this way it contributes to a level of complexity that is quite rare to find in the field of education. It is thus a new framing of ideas, making these more accessible to many readers. The detailed narratives are particularly interesting, as they illustrate power relations and how constructivist, critical and poststructuralist research might consider racial difference within their research designs.

From Norway, Faith Guss provides fascinating and provocative examples of children's dramatic play(ing) to present some very new ideas using frameworks from drama rather than from pedagogy. She argues for seeing drama through the lens of mimesis, as a valuable and creative political act, rather than seeing play as an instrumental tool for teaching skills or social competence. In doing so she reconceptualizes play, by troubling the identity of children's play(ing). Guss says that in dramatic form, through taking the perspective of, and momentarily becoming, The Other, children problematize and construct temporary identities.

Hillevi Lenz Taguchi, writing from Sweden, explores new and alternative perspectives to provide complex and rich reading about higher education for early childhoods. The article engages with poststructuralist approaches, identities, discourses of difference, voices, curriculum, culture and pedagogy. Lenz Taguchi questions how much agency is enabled for early childhood student teachers, and problematizes the possibilities through her own teaching practices. Here she works to construct or reinvent subject positions without imposing just another regime of normalization through pastoral power. In doing so she raises important questions about how much freedom is possible, even given overtly emancipist teaching. Her contribution is to the combination of bodies of research literature; and potentially to practice, analysis and the troubling of pedagogies.

Also from Sweden, Ulla Lind presents an interesting and unusual study of children at play, focusing in particular on phenomena related to children's discussions about their artistic creations. In doing so, Lind breaks new ground in utilizing rhizomatic analysis in portrayals of Reggio Emilia inspired pedagogy. Visual images illustrate the points. Lind emphasizes the relationship between building identity and having access to discourses. Through this she troubles identities of children and teachers within research practices, to unfold a negotiating practice of documentations in photographs and recorded conversations. The emphasis is on power and the interplay between visual and verbal signs.

In a third Swedish article, Kajsa Ohrlander presents a historical research project from postmodern positionings. In what is quite uncommon for CIEC articles, she questions how the reforms and activist actions of the 1960s and 1970s in Sweden intertwined a modernist effort at resistance and agency, a de-individuation of adults and children with a movement toward egalitarianism, and efforts to overturn through strategic and localized revolution. In the process she describes multiplicity, flexibility, changeability and uncertainty. These are characterized by notions embedded in her postmodernist theoretical writing. Ohrlander focuses on the idea of performance as local, political and strategic action; and of performativity as a way to address multiplicities of positionalities and possibilities. As such the article adds to both Swedish history of child care and to interrogating the binaries of modern/postmodern child, state/nonstate and family/non-family.

Berit Bae examines ethical issues that occur when a Norwegian university college researcher conducts participant observational research with preschool teachers. She contributes to a growing body of literature that problematizes power relations between researchers and their sites of work. Although it is not framed in this way per se, the article also complements recent publications in decolonizing research methodology, and in balancing voice in research with children. The focus of the article is on troubling the identity of a researcher, and the methodological and ethical issues arising in consequence.

From the United Kingdom, Derek Bunyard deconstructs the discourses of childhood that have much currency in many ongoing political debates. He does so with understandings from postmodern philosophy, and by writing within the postmodern. To consider childhood identity, Bunyard delves into popular culture, drawing on creations including Donna Harraway's cyborg, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Spielberg's David in the film AI Artificial Intelligence. The article contributes to pushing boundaries that work at securing childhood as a known and a fixed territory. Thinking about children as 'regenerative monsters' situates them as fragmented, where notions of being are premised on not only what is currently possible but also on that which is still to be considered a possibility.

Turning to colloquia and book reviews, in keeping with contributions to this issue from a range of countries, the colloquium by Turkish scholar Abdülkadir Kabadayi provides a story-based model aimed at fostering preschool children's communicative input and performance in the process of mother tongue acquisition. The three book reviews deal with a range of topics, namely, young boys and their achievement at school, how children are disciplined through the professions, and early childhood education as influenced by society and culture. Paul Connolly's Boys and Schooling in the Early Years (2004) draws on data from Ireland and is reviewed by Berenice Nyland. Karen Wohlwend provides a comprehensive assessment of an edited collection by Roxanna P. Transit (2004) titled Disciplining the Child via the Discourse of the Professions, and Jennifer Cartmel's review of Early Childhood Education: society and culture, edited by Angela Anning, Joy Cullen & Marilyn Fleer completes the book reviews for this issue.

Following the editorial is a list of reviewers who have supported the journal by refereeing articles published during 2005. We thank these people sincerely for the important contribution they have made to enhancing the scholarship of the field through their considered and professional feedback. Thanks and appreciation also go to Professor Collette Tayler (formerly Head, School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology) for infrastructure and financial support of the journal since its inception, and to Katrina Weier, whose administrative skills and assistance are highly valued.

Jeanette Rhedding-Jones

Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway

Sue Grieshaber

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Reviewers of Articles Published during 2005

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Reviewers of Articles Published during 2005
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 215-215
ABSTRACT Not available

Studying across Race: a conversation about the place of difference in qualitative research

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Studying across Race: a conversation about the place of difference in qualitative research
Author: GINA BARCLAY-MCLAUGHLIN; J. AMOS HATCH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 216-232
ABSTRACT This article is a dialog between colleagues from different races who struggle with the complexities of doing qualitative research with participants who come from backgrounds that do not match their own. Based on transcriptions of extensive audiotaped conversations, the article explores issues related to studying across difference. The discussion is framed by four qualitative research paradigms: post-positivist, constructivist, critical/feminist, and poststructuralist.

Reconceptualizing Play: aesthetic self-definitions

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Reconceptualizing Play: aesthetic self-definitions
Author: FAITH GUSS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 233-243
ABSTRACT This article aims to trouble the identity of children's dramatic play(ing). It contains two interweaving threads of discourse. In one thread lies a discussion of how children can trouble and extend their own identities through the aesthetic form-languages and conventions they employ and deploy in their dramatic playing/pretend playing. Whereas adults exchange thoughts verbally, children enter the play-arena and converse and reflect with, and in, dramatic form-languages. In dramatic form, through taking the perspective of, and momentarily becoming, The Other, the children problematize and construct temporary identities. In each dramatic enactment they are in a reflective process of becoming. In the second thread of discourse, the article troubles the theoretical identity of dramatic playing - as it is perceived in the dominant play theory of sociology, which defines playing as reproduction. This issue is addressed through the aesthetic concept of mimesis, by which playing is defined as critical transformation. In the interpretative work the author shows how, in the privacy of the children's play-culture, they have the cultural occasion, space, and liberty to take control: to question, to speak for themselves, to represent, transform and define themselves. The players can experiment with standpoints, redefine their identities and, thereby, take back their power of self-definition. Cultural hegemony can be turned on its head.

Getting Personal: how early childhood teacher education troubles students' and teacher educators' identities regarding subjectivity and feminism

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Getting Personal: how early childhood teacher education troubles students' and teacher educators' identities regarding subjectivity and feminism
Author: HILLEVI LENZ TAGUCHI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 244-255
ABSTRACT This article constitutes an attempt to investigate how student teachers and teacher educators in the context of Swedish early childhood teacher education are invented and reinvented by practices that are inspired by feminist and post-structural thinking. I give examples of practice that explicitly make use of different aspects of the personal, such as subjectivities, voice and experience. These are theorized, problematized and troubled in relation to concepts of power, resistance and emancipation. The article questions the possibility of 'getting outside' of the regulatory regimes of power production through practices of 'getting personal', and asks just how much freedom is possible, even given overtly 'emancipist' teaching.

Identity and Power, 'Meaning', Gender and Age: children's creative work as a signifying practice

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Identity and Power, 'Meaning', Gender and Age: children's creative work as a signifying practice
Author: ULLA LIND
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 256-268
ABSTRACT This article presents a negotiating practice that demonstrates the importance of the interplay of visual, verbal and linguistic signs. As such it discusses the relationship between identity and a signifying practice in a Swedish preschool, as children and teachers negotiate meaning. With emphasis on the relationship between building identity and having access to discourses, the notion of identity is troubled among these children, the teachers and within the research practice. A negotiating practice unfolds thanks to a documentation practice that also forms the research material: photographs and conversations made and used within the children's work in a seven month-long creative process.

Challenging Essentialist Discourses on Children's Self-identities: 'the child' in cultural radicalism and revolutionary practices in Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Challenging Essentialist Discourses on Children's Self-identities: 'the child' in cultural radicalism and revolutionary practices in Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s
Author: KAJSA OHRLANDER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 269-282
ABSTRACT This article tries to understand, by using some poststructural tools, practices with children that were performed by a Left action group in Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s. Modernist resistance discourses of enlightenment and liberation from obedience, silence and innocence can be seen as being produced, together with postmodern acts of unfolding and deconstructing a unified and essentialist child subject. It finds those non-essential child subjects created in the unpredictable dramaturgy of happenings and actions, and in the decentred spread of talks, tasks and modes of addressing. It makes the point that by analysing how new discourses of childhood were lived out, acted on and performed rather than found in ideological debates, it is possible to add new understandings of changes in child discourses in the 1970s. The article stresses the open-endedness of those practices, and their relation to the creation of new rooms and spaces. It suggests something of a paradox: that the moving and changing of child subjectivities was produced within practices where collectivity was the priority.

Troubling the Identity of a Researcher: methodological and ethical questions in cooperating with teacher-carers in Norway

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Troubling the Identity of a Researcher: methodological and ethical questions in cooperating with teacher-carers in Norway
Author: BERIT BAE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 283-291
ABSTRACT The questions raised in this article have to do with how to take due care of the subjectivity of the persons involved in a research project. My main point is that a researcher's self-reflection on ethical problems is inextricably a part of doing research in early childhood settings, if we want to create knowledge which is valid and takes care of the subjectivity of the persons taking part. Questions concerning ethics and validity thus are intertwined. The article draws from the experiences of being a participant observer and cooperating with preschool teacher-carers in Norwegian preschool day-care centres or nursery schools. The purpose of the article is to draw attention to troubling questions which may arise in all phases of a research project involving practitioners in early childhood settings. The focus is on how reflecting on such questions may challenge the powerful role of the researcher and empower the position of the teacher.

Sticky Fingers, or How to Love a Postmodern Child

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: Sticky Fingers, or How to Love a Postmodern Child
Author: DEREK BUNYARD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 292-300
ABSTRACT This article uses figurations taken from popular culture to explore Donna Haraway's concept of cyborg identities, extending this to include childhood. Starting from her identification of the image of the cyborg as an ironic metaphorical response to capitalism, two negative forms of identity are explored in relation to current technological and sociological imperatives. The first prompts a re-interrogation of the natural, and the second an equivalent questioning of the artificial.

COLLOQUIUM: A Story-based Model from Turkey to Foster Preschool Children’s Communicative Input and Performance in the Process of Mother Tongue Acquisition

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: COLLOQUIUM: A Story-based Model from Turkey to Foster Preschool Children’s Communicative Input and Performance in the Process of Mother Tongue Acquisition
Author: ABDÜLKADIR KABADAYI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 301-307
ABSTRACT It is an undeniable fact that storytelling makes a remarkable contribution to the domains of child development at an early age since it is stated that storytelling is the original form of teaching. Firstly, the contributions and effects of storytelling techniques to the cultural, cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional and psychological domains of children between three and eight years old are reviewed. Secondly, a story-based model is proposed for preschool teachers to apply effectively in the frame of before-implementing, while-implementing and post-implementing phases in mother tongue acquisition. Lastly, some suggestions are made for preschool teachers to implement the model to foster linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional domains of preschool children effectively in the classroom.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:10:26 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Pages: 308-312
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Katrina Weier
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 110-111
ABSTRACT The regulation and control of young children has been the subject of an increasing amount of research and scholarship in early childhood education. There is a growing trend among all sectors of the field that recognises the limitations of some of the traditional theoretical and methodological perspectives and as a result many early childhood educators have been actively seeking alternative ways of understanding and being in the world. In this issue, all of the articles contest the boundedness of the field by challenging the ways in which we have been taught and subsequently learnt to think about young children, what they should be doing and who they should be within institutions such as schools and before school settings.

In the USA many children identified as not meeting required standards during the school year attend summer school in order to 'catch up'. Christopher Brown ('Creating Opportunities') presents the case of Steven, a child diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, and analyses his experiences in summer school, looking specifically for opportunities for Steven to succeed. Using Bakhtin, Brown shows that adherence to the conventions of curriculum and expected school behaviour results in Steven's carnivalistic actions and words being seen as deviance. Brown contends that Steven's opportunities to learn on his terms are not considered and thus his chances to 'catch up' over the summer are compromised significantly. Relatedly, Zsuzsanna Millei ('The Discourse of Control: disruption and Foucault in an early childhood classroom') investigates disruption in a pre-primary classroom in Western Australia, arguing that notions of disruption are constructed by behaviourist discourses and thus construed as a problem of teacher control. When combined with maintenance of traditional power relationships in the classroom, the limitations imposed by a control discourse mean that there are few occasions for children to act agentically in their classroom experiences. Millei endorses 'disciplined activity', which is based on intrinsic motivations and values, and recommends a revision of teacher-child power relations so that young persons can experience very different classroom experiences than those based on a discourse of control.

Moving to children's thinking brings further consideration of the confines of dominant research traditions and practices. In 'Contexts, Collaboration, and Cultural Tools: a sociocultural perspective on researching children's thinking', Jill Robbins explains the merits of understanding children's thinking within a contextual framework of how children participate in the sociocultural activities of their communities. This perspective repositions the traditional focus on the individual to one of relationships in communities that accounts for cultural histories and current circumstances, as well as the complexities that go with any community considered holistically. Robbins maintains that this approach provides an understanding of the richness and dynamism of children's thinking. Algebra, too, has been subjected to challenges to traditional ways of how we think about and teach it, particularly in relation to young children. Warren & Cooper ('Introducing Functional Thinking in Year 2: a case study of early algebra teaching') suggest that the conventional approach to mathematics of concentrating on counting and operations with particular numbers does not assist children to 'develop a consistent conceptual base that can deal with all numbers'. They contest the focus on the accuracy of answers at the expense of understanding the processes used for reaching answers, and contend that this restricted knowledge in the early years impedes later development of algebraic thinking. Using children in their second year of schooling from three different classes, Warren & Cooper taught a lesson and introduced functional thinking that concentrated on change, specifically about relations and transformations between things. Although there was mixed success, of importance is the idea that children were forced to think relationally rather than sequentially, which is a higher level of thinking and the type required to engage successfully with all numbers.

The next three articles confront directly matters of power that occur regularly in early childhood settings. Taylor & Richardson ('Queering Home Corner') and Robinson ('Doing Anti-homophobia and Anti-heterosexism in Early Childhood Education: moving beyond the immobilising impacts of 'risks', 'fears' and 'silences'. Can We Afford Not To?') tackle social justice issues of gender and sexuality. In responding to a recent public outcry that came as a result of the children's television program Play School showing a girl called Brenna enjoying a visit to a fun park, along with her friend Meryn and her two mothers, Taylor & Richardson claim that early childhood education remains a bastion of heteronormative family privilege. Using three episodes of home corner play, the authors discuss the restrictions of the powerful discourses of childhood innocence and hegemonic heterosexuality, but also the ways in which children transgress gender norms that fortify heteronormative social relations. Taylor & Richardson suggest that home corner is a potentially transformative space and alert us to the possibilities that lie there for everyday social justice work.

Robinson asks whether early childhood educators can afford to remain inactive and risk continuing to approve tacitly the harmful impact of homophobia and heterosexism on individuals in the broader society. Making the point that most hate crime based on sexual identities is perpetrated by 'adolescent boys and young men whose homophobic and heterosexist attitudes are well entrenched during their schooling years', Robinson reasons that this necessitates the incorporation of anti-homophobic education in early childhood settings. She draws on recent research with early childhood educators to show the gamut of responses to surveys and interviews that include fear, ignorance as well as informed decisions not to engage in anti-homophobic education because of the personal risks involved.

The final article, by Jen Skattebol ('Insider/Outsider Belongings: traversing the borders of whiteness in early childhood'), analyses transcripts of episodes of play where the negotiation of identities is about subtleties of the power of gendered whiteness. Notions of childhood innocence are again challenged by sophisticated and complex interactions amongst children, and when read against a social justice agenda provide insight into the myriad of ways that children attempt to disturb the established social order. Skattebol's revealing teacher self-analysis points to the nuances to which teachers need to be attuned if they are to resist condoning and therefore perpetuating the inequitable patterns of the established social order.

A colloquium by Megan Gibson ('BIG ART small viewer: a collaborative community project') tells how one community-based kindergarten (Campus Kindergarten) with a strong visual arts program became involved in a project where children visited the University of Queensland Art Museum several times to view and respond to selected artworks. The project culminated in an exhibition of children's works in the University of Queensland Art Museum.

Book reviews in this issue include My Right to Play: a child with complex needs (debating play), written by Robert J. Orr (2003) and reviewed by Yarrow Andrew and We Don't Play with Guns Here: war, weapon and superhero play in the early years, by Penny Holland, which is reviewed by Gloria Latham.

Sue Grieshaber & Katrina Weier

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Creating Opportunities

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Creating Opportunities
Author: CHRISTOPHER BROWN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 112-127
ABSTRACT In this age of greater accountability, local school districts within the USA increasingly use summer school programs as an intervention service to provide students who have failed to meet classroom, district, or state performance requirements with the opportunity to 'catch up'. Although such programs attempt to provide varying types of educational experiences to improve the student's academic performance, teachers continue to inscribe the expectations and language of schooling. Through examining the actions of Steven, a student diagnosed with attention deficit disorder in a summer intervention program, the author contends that his teachers' adherence to the norms of schooling prevent Steven from engaging in the school classroom in a meaningful way. Steven's teachers read his carnivalistic actions as part of his deviant behavior rather than as a critique of how even the summer curriculum fails to meet his learning needs.

The Discourse of Control: disruption and Foucault in an early childhood classroom

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: The Discourse of Control: disruption and Foucault in an early childhood classroom
Author: ZSUZSANNA J. MILLEI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 128-139
ABSTRACT Disruption can be a result of a wide array of circumstances, but is commonly identified as a 'control problem' in early childhood classrooms. In this article, the author argues that the recognition of disruption as a 'control problem' is embedded in and governed by the social power and values entrenched in teaching discourses. Classroom practices draw strongly on the discourse of educational psychology and utilise its power and immanent knowledge to 'discipline' early childhood agents through classroom practices. These early childhood practitioners then become both an object and a subject of this knowledge. This article problematises particular discourses used in a metropolitan West Australian pre-primary classroom and aims to find alternative avenues to view disruption. To aid this search, the multiple meanings of 'discipline' in connection to behaviour management, learning and pedagogy are explored.

Contexts, Collaboration, and Cultural Tools: a sociocultural perspective on researching children's thinking

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Contexts, Collaboration, and Cultural Tools: a sociocultural perspective on researching children's thinking
Author: JILL ROBBINS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 140-149
ABSTRACT Sociocultural theorists recognise that cognition is not an individual construction, but is distributed across people as they participate in culturally relevant activities. Thus, rather than being a universal skill, thinking is very much contextually specific, guided by others, and mediated by particular cultural tools and artefacts. Yet there is a tendency in research focusing on cognition in young children to examine thinking and understanding as though they occur in a vacuum, separate from the kinds of activities, experiences, artefacts, and people in and with which they participate. This article, drawing on the work of Vygotsky, Rogoff, Wertsch, Göncü, John-Steiner, and others, will discuss how consideration of the important factors of contexts, collaboration, and cultural tools can present a far more dynamic and rich view of young children's thinking than some more traditional methods of research.

Introducing Functional Thinking in Year 2: a case study of early algebra teaching

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Introducing Functional Thinking in Year 2: a case study of early algebra teaching
Author: ELIZABETH WARREN; TOM COOPER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 150-162
ABSTRACT Sixty-five Year 2 children with ages ranging from six to seven years participated in a teaching experiment to introduce functional thinking. The results show that young children are capable of generalising, can provide examples of relations and functions, can describe the inverse of such relationships and give valid reasons for how they found the inverse relationships. They also indicate that specific features of instruction assist this process, particularly abstracting underlying mathematical relationships, notably the materials used by the teacher and the children, the types of activities and the questions asked by the teacher. This leads to specific implications for the teaching of arithmetic in the early years.

Queering Home Corner

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Queering Home Corner
Author: AFFRICA TAYLOR; CARMEL RICHARDSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 163-174
ABSTRACT A recent Australian controversy over the representation of a same-sex family on national children's television highlighted the fact that early childhood remains a domain of strongly defended heteronormative family privilege. The authors use this controversial event as a springboard into an analysis of the interplay between the hegemonic discourses of childhood innocence and 'compulsory heterosexuality' and as an opportunity to offer a queerer perspective on early childhood. Applying Foucault's 'heterotopia' analytic to a set of narrative observations of children's dramatic play in home corner, the authors trace some of the ways in which children both regulate and transgress the gender norms that underpin heteronormative social relations.

Doing Anti-homophobia and Anti-heterosexism in Early Childhood Education: moving beyond the immobilising impacts of 'risks', 'fears' and 'silences'. Can We Afford Not To?

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Doing Anti-homophobia and Anti-heterosexism in Early Childhood Education: moving beyond the immobilising impacts of 'risks', 'fears' and 'silences'. Can We Afford Not To?
Author: KERRY ROBINSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 175-188
ABSTRACT This article explores the notion of 'risk' and the consequences of both 'taking risks' or 'not taking risks' in doing anti-homophobia (or anti-heterosexist) education within broader anti-bias and social justice agendas in early childhood education. Informed primarily by the author's collaborative research and experience as a teacher educator in cultural diversity and social justice issues over the past decade, this discussion focuses on the discursive and material barriers that reinforce negative readings of taking risks, within personal, institutional and societal contexts, in relation to doing anti-homophobia education with children as part of early childhood education curricula. The article explores 'risk' as a social construction, operating as a powerful means of societal control in order to maintain the status quo and dominant power relations that underpin societal inequalities, especially those related to the rigid binary heterosexual us/homosexual them. The question of whether early childhood educators can afford to 'risk' not doing anti-homophobia education as part of their anti-bias or social justice agendas becomes the pertinent issue explored in this article.

Insider/Outsider Belongings: traversing the borders of whiteness in early childhood

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: Insider/Outsider Belongings: traversing the borders of whiteness in early childhood
Author: JEN SKATTEBOL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 189-203
ABSTRACT The power associated with identities is frequently negotiated within children's narratives and play scripts. When children engage in text production, they dispute and mediate their interpersonal and ideological relations. In this article, the author outlines an understanding of 'whiteness' as a form of power or capital that is accumulated through certain social practices and a feature of children's social worlds. In this framework, the practices of whiteness that maintain hegemonic power rely on subtle expressions of an established sense of entitlement and governmental power. These expressions operate in collusion with the occasional use of racist epithets. Data collected in teacher research are read through this theoretical lens to reveal how the practice of 'whiteness' may be seen to operate in children's shared narratives and in pedagogical interventions. Under scrutiny are a number of interactions including a jointly constructed 'autobiography' that contains all the typical elements of a young child's heroic fantasies: home alone, able to recognise danger, the child outwits, outmanoeuvres and overpowers the baddie. The narratives function as a technology of race and of whiteness in particular. The children are intensely engaged with each other's social imaginaries, and one of the remarkable features of these interactions is a propensity for resistance shown by the children as they dispute their identity positioning within the storylines.

BIG ART small viewer: a collaborative community project

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: BIG ART small viewer: a collaborative community project
Author: MEGAN GIBSON; NADINE MCALLISTER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 204-208
ABSTRACT Campus Kindergarten is a community-based centre for early childhood education and care located on campus at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia. Being located within this diverse community has presented many opportunities for Campus Kindergarten. It is creating and embracing possibilities that has formed the basis for ongoing projects for children and teachers involving research and investigation. In 2002 Campus Kindergarten embarked on a collaborative project with the Art Museum bringing together these two departments within the university community.

BOOK REVIEWS

Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:21:41 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Pages: 210-211
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Katrina Weier
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-3
ABSTRACT The year 2005 marks the sixth year of publication of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood and it seems like only yesterday that we were writing the prospectus to try to interest publishers in a new early childhood journal! We appreciate the support from our readers and those who submit papers for publication, as it is you who have made the journal so widely read. The work of refereeing papers is a time-consuming responsibility but we have built up a group of professionals who provide detailed and focused feedback, which contributes significantly to the reputation of the journal. In terms of publication, we have been fortunate to be able to work with Symposium Journals, who keep ahead of technological developments and ensure that the finished product is always of a high standard. The first issue of 2005 covers a broad range of topics, some of which look from different perspectives at enduring matters in the field, while others introduce novel ideas associated with life in the twenty-first century.

Empirical data of children's experiences of starting school form the basis of the first article by Sue Dockett & Bob Perry (''You Need to Know How to Play Safe': children's experiences of starting school'). This article continues and extends recent work that focuses on children as research participants in their own right and uses children's conversations, drawings and photographs to describe their understandings and experiences of starting school. Children from four schools in two states of Australia were involved in the project, which asked the children to share their expertise with those who were soon to begin school. The four schools reflect a cross-section of socio-economic, rural, urban, isolated and religious characteristics, and some of the photographs taken by the children are included. This article recognises the knowledge children have about their own lives in regard to starting school, and aims to use their expertise to improve transition programs and experiences associated with beginning school.

Sexuality, children and early childhood education are three words that do not occur together very often in the same sentence. 'Children' and 'early childhood education' are frequently associated but the addition of 'sexuality' adds a dimension that some consider not to be the domain of early childhood educators. Nicola Surtees makes use of social constructionism, queer theory and discourse analysis to take a look at this combination in 'Teacher Talk about and around Sexuality in Early Childhood Education: deciphering an unwritten code'. She laments the omission of sexuality in the inclusive aims of New Zealand's early childhood curriculum, Te Whäriki, and observes that children are sexual beings and that early childhood centres are 'sexualized sites'. Data from individual interviews with three teachers and a group interview with the same three teachers are used to conclude that there is a 'metaphorical and unwritten code of practice' that guides teacher talk about sexuality in early childhood education. Surtees contends that this code strengthens 'narrow and heteronormative views of children and childhood', and makes it difficult to celebrate 'difference and diversity in relation to sexuality'.

Many of us are bombarded daily with media of all types and the relentless advertising that often accompanies it. Although some critique has occurred about various media and young children, little has been published about the latest market - those under the age of three. Patrick Hughes takes on international capital and the youngest members of society in his article 'Baby It's You: international capital discovers the under threes'. Hughes concentrates on the multinational companies that have cornered the under threes market and shows how many of the products are aimed specifically at parents of young children, and unashamedly create the desire to raise 'brainy babies' or 'Baby Einsteins'. Questions that confront us after reading this article include who and what are commodities (media? entertainment? infotainment? parents? babies?), who are the consumers (babies? parents?), and what are the implications for family relationships of this new wave of technological gadgets that claim to be able to 'mind baby' and develop infants' cognitive capacities at the same time?

Childcare is the focus of two articles in this issue, one from Canada and one from Australia. Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw ('The Meanings Embedded within Childcare Regulations: a historical analysis') draws on early twentieth-century history to investigate the childcare regulations in Ontario, Canada and the implications they have for children and families in these early years of the twenty-first century. Pacini-Ketchabaw traces three distinct discourses: medical supervision of children attending centres; the relationship between centres and 'families in need', and requirements for programming and behavioural guidelines. One of the main points of the article is the way in which children and families have been regulated over time as a result of legislation, particularly in relation to factors such as gender and class. Another is how children have been constructed as 'other' because they have been perceived as needy and requiring intervention and control. The upshot of this article is that there are many lessons to be learned from history, but perhaps more instructive are the questions Pacini-Ketchabaw poses about the benefits and limitations of new practices, including who is able to speak and who is silenced, and the ethical relationships that are both possible and desirable.

In the second article that takes up the issue of childcare, Joy Goodfellow ('Market Childcare: preliminary considerations of a 'property view' of the child') writes about the paradox that exists in childcare in Australia between commercial for-profit childcare providers and the needs of families for childcare. Goodfellow contrasts a humanistic ideal with economic rationalist perspectives, drawing for the former on a recent study of grandparents who were caring for their grandchildren, and social, moral and ethical domains of caring. She locates childcare services, government support of the workforce, and parents as consumers of childcare services in the latter category of economic rationalist perspectives, and sets the whole phenomenon in the current economic, sociocultural and political context of Australian society. Goodfellow argues for a mix between the humanistic ideal and economic rationalist approaches, which, she says, should occur at the level of government if societal regeneration is valued.

Three articles in this issue deal with matters related to curriculum and pedagogy. In the first, Helen Hedges & Joy Cullen ('Subject Knowledge in Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogy: beliefs and practices') investigate subject knowledge beliefs and practices of a small group of early childhood educators. This article is timely as early childhood practitioners around the world continue to grapple with differences in philosophical orientations between play-based and content or subject based approaches to early childhood education. Hedges & Cullen argue that although content knowledge in early childhood education has been disregarded by many professionals, knowledge of subject matter is essential to extend and enhance young children's learning. They report data from one kindergarten in New Zealand, where the beliefs and practices of staff about subject knowledge were explored. Using a sociocultural perspective, Hedges & Cullen make a case for strengthening the place of content knowledge in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy.

Continuing the focus on curricula and enhancing children's cognitive development, Margaret Brooks ('Drawing as a Unique Mental Development Tool for Young Children: interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogues') uses Vygotsky's social constructionist framework and examples of children's drawings from a year one classroom in Australia to show how drawing can help make children's ideas visible. Brooks contends that drawing can have a unique role in the construction and development of children's knowledge if the focus is the meanings represented through drawing, if they engage in interpersonal drawing dialogues, and if these are extended to include children's intrapersonal dialogic engagement with their drawing. The processes of 'revisiting, revising and dialoguing through and with their drawings' enable children to investigate and 'represent increasingly complex ideas'. The drawings themselves serve as powerful records of children's thinking, growth and development.

The last of the articles dealing with curriculum issues also focuses on the early years of schooling: specifically, a teacher of a multi-age class of children aged 6-9 years in the Midwest of the USA. In 'Moral Reflections from a Primary Classroom: one teacher's perspective', Cary Buzzelli adds to the evidence about the complexity of teaching by exploring some of the ambiguities and dilemmas involved in the daily work of teaching, which, he says, is 'both pedagogical and moral in nature'. As a participant observer in the classroom for one year, Buzzelli and Joan, the teacher, engaged in some lengthy conversations about the ways in which she addressed the ambiguities and dilemmas with which she was confronted daily. Buzzelli lays out some of these in the content areas of mathematics and language arts. In the process of ongoing reflection, Joan came to look at some of her dilemmas and ambiguities differently, causing her to re-evaluate her 'fundamental beliefs and values about teaching'.

Colloquia in this issue come from Eleni Loizou in Cyprus and Ni Chang in the USA. Loizou contemplates what it means for early childhood educators in Cyprus after the country became part of the European Union in 2004. Perspectives from a parent, early childhood teacher, and early childhood teacher educator indicate a general welcoming of the change but some concern about identities and preservation of the self. Chang relates a personal experience as an early childhood educator about the use of drawing to enhance children's knowledge of science. Knowing the meanings children attach to their drawings is a skill that requires teachers to interact effectively with children to understand the stories that accompany their drawings.

In book reviews, Barbara Chancellor gives her impression of Supporting Inclusion in the Early Years, authored by Caroline A. Jones (2004) and published by the Open University Press. Leigh O'Brien considers Cynthia Wallat's (2002) Family-Institution Interactions: new refrains, which was published by Peter Lang (New York). We hope that you find this first issue of 2005 appealing and provocative.

Sue Grieshaber & Katrina Weier

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

'You Need to Know How to Play Safe': children's experiences of starting school

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: 'You Need to Know How to Play Safe': children's experiences of starting school
Author: SUE DOCKETT; BOB PERRY
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 4-18
ABSTRACT Children have long been 'objects of inquiry', that is, research has been 'done' on children. Research into starting school is but one example, where children have been observed, tested and assessed at various points, as a means of evaluating their adjustment to the school environment. The Starting School Research Project aims to record and report the realities of life for children as they start school through their engagement in the research process. It aims to find out from them, what starting school is like for children and, based on this, how what is done within transition programs can be improved. This aim recognises children as experts on their own lives, and acknowledges that adults often have a limited understanding of children's lives and experiences. This article highlights children's expertise about their own experiences and expectations as they start school. It draws upon children's conversations, drawings, and photographs to describe their understandings and experiences.

Teacher Talk about and around Sexuality in Early Childhood Education: deciphering an unwritten code

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Teacher Talk about and around Sexuality in Early Childhood Education: deciphering an unwritten code
Author: NICOLA SURTEES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 19-29
ABSTRACT This article highlights initial findings from a qualitative research study in Aotearoa/New Zealand exploring the discursive production of children's sexuality in early childhood education. The article draws attention to teacher talk about and around sexuality. Drawing from heteronormative, developmentalist and biological discourses and discourses of children as asexual and innocent, this article shows that such talk acts to normalize or minimize children. Teacher resistance towards and silencing of sexuality, the functions the silences serve and the ways in which silences mark the borders of 'normal' and 'abnormal' are uncovered. The article suggests that the marking of borders jeopardizes teacher acknowledgement and celebration of difference and diversity. Gaps between the rhetoric of celebrating difference and diversity and the reality of practice are emphasized.

Baby, It's You: international capital discovers the under threes

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Baby, It's You: international capital discovers the under threes
Author: PATRICK HUGHES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 30-40
ABSTRACT Well-established international entertainment firms such as Disney and Fisher-Price are joining new start-up firms such as Baby Einstein to create a 'Baby' market of products (including toys, games and videos) specifically targeted at children aged 0-3 years. Despite its novelty, the 'Baby' market mirrors older markets that these firms have created around other demographic groups (e.g. older children, adolescents and adults) - it redefines its target demographic group around specific commodities and promotes its redefinition as 'common sense'. The 'Baby' firms redefine babies solely as early learners whose potential to learn can be released by these firms' brand-name 'educational' or 'developmental' products. Many adults buy these products because they accept the firms' redefinition of babies, but other adults ignore the firms' promotional messages and buy the products to give themselves some time apart from their babies. The 'Baby' market is significant for children and adults because it changes young children's relationships with adults and because it subordinates local cultural differences to a children's culture that purports to be 'global' but has, in reality, extremely narrow foundations in class, race and gender.

The Meanings Embedded within Childcare Regulations: a historical analysis

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: The Meanings Embedded within Childcare Regulations: a historical analysis
Author: VERONICA PACINI-KETCHABAW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 41-53
ABSTRACT In response to current discussions about a universal Canadian childcare system (affordable childcare for all families), this article deconstructs the position that childcare occupies in the province of Ontario through the examination, from a historical perspective, of a document that outlines regulations for childcare programs: the Day Nurseries Act. Three discourses are analyzed by tracing them to social and demographic conditions during the early twentieth century: discourses related to the need for medical supervision of children attending childcare centres; discourses that emphasize the relationship between childcare centres and 'families in need'; and discourses that refer to the need to follow strict programming and behavioural guidelines.

Market Childcare: preliminary considerations of a 'property view' of the child

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Market Childcare: preliminary considerations of a 'property view' of the child
Author: JOY GOODFELLOW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 54-65
ABSTRACT A recent study of grandparents who were caring for their young grandchildren on a regular basis has prompted an examination of what appears to be a paradox surrounding the provision of childcare services within Australia. The paradox reflects concerns surrounding the balance between a commitment to high-quality childcare services for children and families and the means by which this may be achieved. The choice that grandparents made to care for their grandchildren in caring and loving environments reflects a humanistic perspective. However, some grandparents raised concerns about what may be considered to be a property view of the child that places childcare within the context of a competitive marketplace. This article explores these issues using terminology drawn from the marketplace to traverse what appears to be an abyss between a business orientation and more humanistic approaches to early childhood education. Following the introduction of the paradox and an examination of market characteristics, the article concludes with questions about who the childcare consumer is, a consideration of approaches to consumer protection and reflections on childcare provision.

Subject Knowledge in Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogy: beliefs and practices

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Subject Knowledge in Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogy: beliefs and practices
Author: HELEN HEDGES; JOY CULLEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 66-79
ABSTRACT The concept of 'subjects' has posed a philosophical dilemma and polarised debate within early childhood education. Consequently, little attention has been paid to teachers' and children's subject knowledge and the role these might play in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy to extend and enhance children's learning. This article reports on a study that explored beliefs and practices about subject knowledge in one kindergarten in New Zealand. The study's findings are analysed from two contrasting perspectives: categories of teacher knowledge and sociocultural theory. The article argues that a contemporary sociocultural view of knowledge has potential within the existing philosophy underpinning early childhood curriculum and pedagogy to recognise and strengthen the position of subject knowledge. Implications for curriculum, pedagogy and teacher education are discussed.

Drawing as a Unique Mental Development Tool for Young Children: interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogues

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Drawing as a Unique Mental Development Tool for Young Children: interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogues
Author: MARGARET BROOKS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 80-91
ABSTRACT Using examples from children drawing in a year one classroom, this article examines firstly, how drawing operates as a unique mental tool, and secondly, the role of drawing in the construction and development of knowledge. Young children utilize prior knowledge and experience to negotiate and construct meaning through their interactions with people and artifacts in the learning community. Using a Vygotskian, social constructionist framework, a detailed analysis of interpersonal drawing dialogues is extended to include children's intrapersonal dialogic engagement with their drawing. When these children were encouraged to revisit, revise and dialogue through and with their drawing, they were able to explore and represent increasingly complex ideas.

Moral Reflections from a Primary Classroom: one teacher's perspective

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Moral Reflections from a Primary Classroom: one teacher's perspective
Author: CARY A. BUZZELLI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 92-101
ABSTRACT Teaching is by nature a complex activity filled with ambiguities and dilemmas. Teaching also is fundamentally a moral activity, making the dilemmas and ambiguities both pedagogical and moral in nature. This article describes one teacher's reflections on her efforts to resolve the dilemmas and ambiguities presented to her by the competing values of her school system and her own values as a teacher in a multi-age primary class. As a participant observer in her classroom over the course of one school year, the author examined how she addressed the moral ambiguities and dilemmas of the competing demands. These demands were exemplified in the way she taught mathematics and language arts lessons. The differences in the role she played in each lesson were subtle, but indicative of different values and beliefs about teaching and learning and, importantly, came to be seen by her as reflecting a moral stance. By reflecting upon the moral nature of the differences as they emerged, she re-examined her fundamental beliefs and values about teaching.

Cyprus Joins the European Union: identity shifting? Words, Feelings and Assumptions of Three Early Childhood Participants

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Cyprus Joins the European Union: identity shifting? Words, Feelings and Assumptions of Three Early Childhood Participants
Author: Eleni Loizou
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 101-103
ABSTRACT Not available

Children's Drawings: science inquiry and beyond

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: Children's Drawings: science inquiry and beyond
Author: Ni Chang
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 104-106
ABSTRACT Not available

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:33 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2005 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 107-109
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Nicola J. Yelland; Yasmine Fauzee; Audrey Lim
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 266-268
ABSTRACT This issue is the second of two that we have published this year with articles that pertain to the issues and challenges facing early childhood educators in the Asia-Pacific region. Those readers who have already viewed volume 5, number 2 will realize that education in the region is diverse and a variety of issues have come to the forefront in each country due to various political, social, economic, educational, and personal influences, and this indeed challenges the essence of what constitutes the Asia-Pacific region apart from geographic location. Certainly there are a myriad of cultures and identities within each of the countries in the region and an overview of the scope and range of ideas that have been written about is rich in details about specific practices and innovations that have arisen out of local community needs.

In this issue we have articles from South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vanuatu, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, and China. In the first article entitled 'Teachers' Philosophical Orientation and Practices: a study of novice preschool teachers in South Korea', Mina Kim explores the philosophical basis of novice preschool teachers in South Korea and how this pedagogical orientation is reflected in their classrooms. Through interviews and observations this research gives Korean preschool teachers the opportunity to voice their beliefs about child-centred pedagogy and illuminates how their beliefs are reflected in their teaching. Reform plans for South Korean kindergartens are advocated to improve the quality of early childhood education and provide more support for teachers.

Next, Alexandra Gunn, Coralanne Child, Barbara Madden, Kerry Purdue, Nicola Surtees, Bronwyn Thurlow & Paula Todd present an article entitled 'Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood Education: diverse perspectives from Aotearoa/New Zealand'. This article looks critically at the extent to which inclusive early childhood settings are ones in which diversity is valued and where everyone's contribution is equitable. The article explores the impact of language and actions on diverse groups in early childhood education and discusses subtleties in experiences of 'difference'. The discussion explores both exclusionary and inclusionary practices and seeks to provide some suggestions about how we might go about creating inclusive communities in early childhood education.

The third article by Ming-Fang Hsieh, entitled 'Teaching Practices in Taiwan's Education for Young Children: complexity and ambiguity of developmentally appropriate practices and/or developmentally inappropriate practices', examines the implementation and application of the revised guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in the care and education of young children in Taiwan.

Li Yuen Ling writes about 'The Culture of Teaching in the Midst of Western Influence: the case of Hong Kong kindergartens'. This article reviews practices in current teacher education, the cultural context of education in the Hong Kong SAR, and the classroom strategies utilised by kindergarten teachers in nine case studies. The findings of the study reveal that the culture of teaching tends to reflect the coping strategies of the teachers to overcome a triangle of potentially conflicting expectations and orientations: the vision of early childhood education, the Chinese culture, and local constraints.

In the article 'Reflecting on Early Literacy Development in the Context of Vanuatu', Desma Hughes explores the issue of literacy development in parts of the Pacific region. Vanuatu is used as an example of the experience of many Pacific Island countries. A comprehensive overview of the context of the family, preschool, school, and country, including the government services, is presented.

Amita Gupta, in her article 'Working with Large Class Size: dispositions of early childhood teachers in India', examines, through the perceptions of teachers, school principals, and teacher educators, the relationship between the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in private schools in New Delhi, India. It is found that early childhood teachers work in classes that average 43 children. The article concludes with an analysis that contextualises large class size in Indian schools, and a discussion on the relationship between small class size, Western developmental discourse, and issues of privilege and power.

In 'Teaching Islam: a look inside an Islamic preschool in Malaysia', Lihanna Borhan seeks to raise our awareness of the schooling experience of children attending Islamic preschools in Malaysia.

In the first colloquium Pamela Schulze provides an interesting discussion about research on Filipino mothers' socialisation goals and beliefs about the role of other adults in disciplining their children. The results reveal that Filipinos have a collectivistic orientation, but that they nevertheless encourage independence in their children. Next, Sirene Lim explores the use of Deweyan principles to advocate for socially just curricula in Singaporean preschools that embrace play as a vehicle for children's learning. Audrey Juma examines some of the issues and challenges inherent in improving practices in early childhood classrooms in Pakistan. The last colloquium by Hyewon Park Choi, Young Mee Won & Kwee-Ock Lee discusses the bilingual environment and bilingual development of Korean-Chinese children in Yanji, China. The study explores children's access to media and the relationship between the use of media and language development. The study reveals that media and parents' mediation play an important role in the development of bilingualism.

Three book reviews complete this issue of the journal. Andrea Nolan provides a review of Key Times for Play: the first three years by Julie Manning-Morton & Maggie Thorp (2003). Ann Heirdsfield provides a review of Complementing the Computer Puzzle: a guide for early childhood educators by Suzanne Thouvelle & Cynthia J. Bewick (2003). Lastly, Suzy Edwards provides a review of Shaping Early Childhood: learners, curriculum and contexts by Glenda Macnaughton (2003).

Nicola J. Yelland & Yasmine Fauzee

RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Audrey Lim

Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong

Memorial: Dr Sally Ann Lubeck (1945-2004)

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Memorial: Dr Sally Ann Lubeck (1945-2004)
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 269-275
ABSTRACT Not available

Teachers' Philosophical Orientation and Practices: a study of novice preschool teachers in South Korea

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Teachers' Philosophical Orientation and Practices: a study of novice preschool teachers in South Korea
Author: MINA KIM
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 276-292
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the philosophical basis of novice preschool teachers in South Korea and how this pedagogical orientation was reflected in their classrooms. Through interviews and observations, this research gave Korean preschool teachers the opportunity to voice their beliefs about child-centered pedagogy, and illuminated how their beliefs were reflected in their teaching. Interestingly, Korean preschool teachers strongly believed in the importance of child-centered learning, no matter what type of institution they had graduated from. However, their teaching styles were significantly different. Several external factors restricted the teachers and prevented them from implementing their own beliefs in practice. These factors included whether the teachers were in public or private settings, whether they had graduated from two-year or four-year teacher education programs, and the presence of the Korean culture. In conclusion, reform plans for South Korean kindergartens are suggested in order to improve the quality of early childhood education, as well as to provide more support for teachers.

Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood Education: diverse perspectives from Aotearoa/New Zealand

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood Education: diverse perspectives from Aotearoa/New Zealand
Author: ALEXANDRA C. GUNN; CORALANNE CHILD; BARBARA MADDEN; KERRY PURDUE; NICOLA SURTEES; BRONWYN THURLOW; PAULA TODD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 293-308
ABSTRACT Inclusive education is premised upon notions of fairness, rights, and social justice – arguably central aspirations of early childhood education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Inclusive early childhood settings are ones in which diversity is valued and where everyone’s contribution is equitable. However, there remain questions about the extent to which this vision is being realised. This article looks critically at the impact of language and actions on diverse groups in early childhood education and discusses subtleties in experiences of ‘difference’. The authors interrogate diversity and consider inclusion from their research and personal perspectives of sexualities, disability, gender, biculturalism, multi-ethnic diversity, and class. As advocates for inclusive policy and pedagogy, the authors draw on their own and others’ research and experience to explore diverse perspectives of inclusion. In so doing, the authors are able to examine exclusionary and inclusionary practices, and consider the impact that their language and actions can have on individuals and groups with whom they work. Consequently, the authors are able to give some suggestions about how inclusive communities in early childhood education might be created.

Teaching Practices in Taiwan's Education for Young Children: complexity and ambiguity of developmentally appropriate practices and/or developmentally inappropriate practices

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Teaching Practices in Taiwan's Education for Young Children: complexity and ambiguity of developmentally appropriate practices and/or developmentally inappropriate practices
Author: MING-FANG HSIEH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 309-329
ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the implementation and application of the revised guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in the care and education of young children in Taiwan. Child-centered philosophy was introduced to Taiwan 30 years ago, but numerous research studies report that Taiwanese early childhood teachers often encounter tensions between unstructured teaching styles and traditional culture values, such as the hierarchical social structure and emphasis on academic achievement. In order to examine the complexity of teaching practices, four Taiwanese early childhood education teachers from different backgrounds were interviewed, and their teaching practices were systematically described and sorted according to the guidelines for developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices. The results showed that teaching practices were more of a continuous than a dichotomous process. Some of the classroom practices of Taiwanese early childhood education teachers contained both developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices, whereas other teachers' performances, which are not described in the developmentally appropriate practice guidelines but can be commonly seen in Taiwanese classrooms, were not easy to identify as either developmentally appropriate or inappropriate. The author proposes a need to explore the essences of culturally appropriate practices for Taiwanese children.

The Culture of Teaching in the Midst of Western Influence: the case of Hong Kong kindergartens

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: The Culture of Teaching in the Midst of Western Influence: the case of Hong Kong kindergartens
Author: YUEN LING LI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 330-348
ABSTRACT Kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong are often criticised for not putting early childhood education theory into practice after their in-service training. It appears that they may be too concerned about academic work and discipline in the classroom and neglect to create a coherent vision of early childhood education. It might be suggested that kindergarten teachers have difficulties in coping with reform that advocates child-centred teaching approaches and active learning as the idealised vision of early childhood education when they have to cope with the Chinese cultural influence and parental demands for an early academic start. This article reviews the current teacher education provision and the cultural context of education in Hong Kong, and tracks the classroom strategies of kindergarten teachers in nine case studies. The findings of the study suggest that there is a general pattern for teaching in kindergartens. The culture of teaching tends to reflect the coping strategies of the teachers to overcome a triangle of potentially conflicting expectations and orientations: the vision of early childhood education, the Chinese culture, and local constraints. Moreover, simply training teachers would not ultimately change their practice unless the environment in which teachers work facilitated this. In view of this, teacher development and change are most possible if there is a change in views and attitudes towards teaching.

Reflecting on Early Literacy Development in the Context of Vanuatu

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Reflecting on Early Literacy Development in the Context of Vanuatu
Author: DESMA HUGHES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 349-360
ABSTRACT A low level of literacy development plagues many parts of the Pacific region despite the fact that parents are very keen for their children to become literate in order to embrace the modern world. Issues concerning early education and the attainment of literacy are still a challenge in the Pacific. In order to understand the reasons for the low rates of literacy, a comprehensive overview of the context of the family, preschool, school, and country, including the government services, is given in this article. Vanuatu is used as an example of the experience of many Pacific Island countries.

Working with Large Class Size: dispositions of early childhood teachers in India

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Working with Large Class Size: dispositions of early childhood teachers in India
Author: AMITA GUPTA
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 361-377
ABSTRACT Using sociocultural-historical constructivism, and post-colonial theory, the author conducted a study to examine, through the perceptions of teachers, school principals, and teacher educators, the relationship between the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in private schools in New Delhi, India. The research questions collectively focused upon the aims of education that were prioritized by the educators, the philosophical and theoretical sources these educational aims drew upon, and the teachers' perceptions of their classroom practice, of the effectiveness of teacher education programs, and of the strongest influences on their teaching practice. One emergent finding of the study illustrated how early childhood teachers worked in classes that averaged 43 children. This article describes the aims of education that were prioritized by the early childhood teachers, and how they implemented these aims in their large classes. The author provides examples of teaching strategies and teacher dispositions through her own observations and through the teachers' articulation of their practice. The author also presents the teachers' perceptions of successful teaching and how they evaluated themselves as being successful, or not, at the end of a school year. The article concludes with an analysis that contextualizes large class size in Indian schools and a discussion on the relationship between small class size, Western developmental discourse, and issues of privilege and power.

Teaching Islam: a look inside an Islamic preschool in Malaysia

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Teaching Islam: a look inside an Islamic preschool in Malaysia
Author: LIHANNA BORHAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 378-390
ABSTRACT Although required to use the National Preschool Curriculum for the five- to six-year-old age group, preschools in Malaysia can add to this curriculum to suit their individual purposes. Thus, preschools with religious emphasis are common in Malaysia. Parents send their children to the religiously affiliated preschools in the hope of inculcating particular religious values in their young children. However, parents, and outsiders, may not actually be privy to what and exactly how the children are learning with regard to the religious curriculum. By providing thick descriptions of the activities in an Islamic preschool, this article is largely aimed at those who would like to understand the schooling experience of children going to such schools.

Filipino Mothers' Beliefs about Parenting: a question of independence

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Filipino Mothers' Beliefs about Parenting: a question of independence
Author: PAMELA A. SCHULZE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 391-395
ABSTRACT The author discusses research on Filipino mothers' socialization goals and beliefs about the role of other adults in disciplining their children. The results reveal that Filipinos have a collectivistic orientation, but that they nevertheless encourage independence in their children. The implications of these results are discussed in light of the current debate about the usefulness of individualism and collectivism as a heuristic for interpreting cultural differences.

Looking at Education through a Deweyan Lens: how play could take shape in Singapore's preschools

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Looking at Education through a Deweyan Lens: how play could take shape in Singapore's preschools
Author: SIRENE M. Y. LIM
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 396-401
ABSTRACT This article outlines key characteristics of Singapore's national values and the preschool education context, and provides a discussion of what the spirit of play could be like in Singaporean preschools. The article uses Deweyan principles to advocate for socially just curricula in Singaporean preschools that embrace 'play' as a vehicle for children's learning.

Improving Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms in Pakistan: issues and challenges from the field

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Improving Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms in Pakistan: issues and challenges from the field
Author: AUDREY JUMA
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 402-407
ABSTRACT This article focuses on an early childhood programme that has been initiated by the Institute for Educational Development at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. The programme is a Certificate in Education and involves training teachers so as to enable them to understand early childhood education and development, and to become effective practitioners in their classrooms. The early childhood education and development programme is a field-based programme of six months' duration, where the emphasis is on supporting and mentoring course participants as they implement the High/Scope approach in their classrooms and engage children in active learning. The article outlines the structure and content of the programme and also highlights the processes engaged in when improving practices in the classroom with regard to setting up the classroom environment, establishing routines, and integrating the curriculum. In the course of working with teachers as they made a shift from formal classroom settings with an emphasis on teacher-directed teaching to settings that were more child-oriented with an active encouragement of learning, various issues and challenges emerged. These issues and challenges are discussed in this article. Subsequently, some recommendations are made for improving the status of early childhood education and development in Pakistan.

Bilingual Environment and Bilingual Development of Korean-Chinese Children in Yanji, China

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Bilingual Environment and Bilingual Development of Korean-Chinese Children in Yanji, China
Author: HYEWON PARK CHOI; YOUNG MEE WON; KWEE-OCK LEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 408-414
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the extent of children's access to media and the relation between the use of media and language development, including its determinants, among Korean-Chinese bilingual children in Yanji, China. Questionnaires were answered by 258 grade four students and their parents. The results indicated that these children had access to a variety of media (television, video cassette recorders, stereos, cassette recorders, computers, telephones, and mobile telephones). Specifically, the levels of home computer and Internet access were considerably high, with access rates of 49.4% and 24.5% respectively. The language used by the children (Korean or Chinese) while engaged with the media differed according to the type of media. They had more access to Korean newspapers, magazines, books, and radio. Our study indicated, however, that the children often used Chinese when using the computer. Television was the only form of media that was comparatively well-balanced, with children gaining access to programmes in both Korean and Chinese. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that the children's access to Chinese in media, the proficiency of the parents in Chinese, and parental affection as measured by the self-report were related to the children's level of proficiency in the Chinese language. Our study revealed that media may play an important role in the development of bilingualism and the mediation of parents plays a significant role as well.

Book Reviews

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Book Reviews
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Pages: 415-419
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 125-127
ABSTRACT Early Childhood Care and Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: issues and challenges

Last year we put out a call for expressions of interest from authors who wanted to submit articles related to the topic 'Early Childhood Care and Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: issues and challenges'. We were pleasantly surprised to receive 42 submissions. As a result, we decided to produce two special issues and this is the first of them.

In this issue we have seven articles from the region, representing Japan, Hong Kong SAR (two articles), New Zealand, Singapore, the People's Republic of China, and India, and colloquia from Brunei, China, and Thailand/Myanmar. In the next issue there will be articles and colloquia from South Korea, Taiwan, Vanuatu, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, and the Philippines. This not only represents articles from a wide range of countries in the region but also indicates the exciting work that is taking place in the field throughout the area.

The first article in this issue, by Joseph Tobin, Mayumi Karasawa & Yeh Hsueh, is entitled 'Komatsudani Then and Now: continuity and change in a Japanese preschool'. This fascinating article returns to the preschool that was the subject of the original Preschool in Three Cultures Study. Through an exploration of the reflections of teachers and directors the processes of continuity and change in education are examined over the course of a generation.

Next, Esther Chan discusses 'Narratives of Experience: how culture matters to children's development'. Esther explores aspects of culture and identifies the ways in which these impact on schooling and views of childhood. She gives us some background on the Hong Kong context and illustrates the ways in which belief systems shape how we view children and the organisation of education. She addresses the relationship between culture and child development, and compares the Chinese theories and viewpoints with the influence of Western ideas in the Hong Kong context.

Judith Duncan writes about 'Misplacing the Teacher? New Zealand Early Childhood Teachers and Early Childhood Education Policy Reforms, 1984-96'. She describes the movement in the 1980s to promote early childhood education in New Zealand and then explores the ways in which a new government changed the policies that were being implemented to the detriment of the field and the provision of quality early childhood education and care. Judith talked with teachers in order to gain an insight into the impact of policy on practice and discovered that they felt disempowered by the process, so much so that they described their roles as being 'overtaken' and 'misplaced' in the reform process. Judith uses the concept of discourse to illustrate the conflicting discourses that were present in her study, which revealed that the dominant discourses represented neo-liberal ideas that were not congruent with the teachers' early childhood educational philosophy.

In the article 'It Takes a City to Raise the Children: the 2002 Shouguang City Early Childhood Education Initiative', Fang Wu, Xingbang Li & Quihong Wei describe an innovation in China, which not only expanded the provision of early childhood services in Shouguang City but also initiated new approaches for the teaching of young children. The story of the implementation of the project illustrates how, in order to be successful, initiatives should be cognisant of the ways in which the school and local community can work with parents to provide the best form of education for their children.

Marjory Ebbeck & Neelima Gokhale report on 'Child-rearing Practices in a Selected Sample of Parents with Children in Childcare in Singapore'. In this article the results from a questionnaire and observations made in a childcare setting are carefully integrated in order to provide us with an insight into the ways specific practices are conducted and valued by the stakeholders in care settings and in the family home environment. The results of the study indicate that there are both similarities and differences in child-rearing practices between home and care settings. Differences are related to the methods of discipline used and the level of self-help expected from the child by caregivers. It is also felt that the care of the child would benefit from a more coherent approach to parent and caregiver collaboration.

Stella Wai Man Lam & Susan Wright examine the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers in the area of music education in 'The Creative Music Curriculum for Pre-Primary Schools'. They focus on creativity in the classroom context and link it to music teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning. They then outline a workshop and seminar program that was designed to help teachers realise the goals of a creative music curriculum. As a result of the feedback from participants in the program, they suggest that pre-service courses need to incorporate creative workshops in order to facilitate understanding about the concepts and skills inherent to the subject area of music in early childhood.

'Keeping the Infants of Coolies out of Harm's Way': Raj, Church and Infant Education in India 1830-1851' by Baljit Kaur draws on hitherto undocumented sources to provide an interesting account of infant education in India between 1830 and 1851. Contrary to the widely accepted belief that no early childhood education provision was evident till the twentieth century, archival search dates the advent of infant schools in India to the 1830s in Bengal, contemporaneous with developments in England.

In the first of the colloquia, Rosalind Kitson gives us a rare insight into starting school in Brunei and reveals that parental involvement is not an established practice in the country, since parents delegate to teachers and view them as experts in the education of their children. Next, Lyn Farrell explores an emergent curriculum in China and shares with us a program that focussed on creating new contexts for teaching and learning in early childhood settings in Shenyang. The plight of children caught up in refugee camps is described by Mavis Olesen in 'The Children's Education Project: Tham Hin Refugee Camp, Thailand'. Olesen tells the story of how a team of workers with minimal resources provided a basic education for the children in a camp on the Thai-Myanmar border in obviously dire conditions. Olesen notes the importance of establishing good interpersonal relationships in this context and she describes the ways in which they sought to do this in the particular camp where she was working. She also notes why it is essential to provide a context for this by sharing the types of strategies that they used to provide the children in the camp with a basic teaching and learning program. Lastly, Christine Mei Sheung Chan in her colloquium entitled 'Issues of Preschool Parental Education in Hong Kong in the Twenty-first Century' examines parental involvement and participation in preschool education in Hong Kong.

A book review completes this issue of the journal. Jillian Rodd examines Children in Society: contemporary theory, policy and practice, which is edited by Pam Foley, Jeremy Roche & Stan Tucker.

Nicola J. Yelland

RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Audrey Lim

Hong Kong Institute of Education

Komatsudani Then and Now: continuity and change in a Japanese preschool

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Komatsudani Then and Now: continuity and change in a Japanese preschool
Author: JOSEPH TOBIN; MAYUMI KARASAWA; YEH HSUEH
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 128-144
ABSTRACT In this article the reflections of the teachers and directors of Komatsudani Hoikuen ('day-care center') on a video the authors recently made at their preschool are used to explore processes of continuity and change in Japanese preschool education over the course of a generation. The social changes that are associated with changing preschool practices in Japan include: a falling birth rate, women's changing attitudes about marriage and work, the social isolation of families, a putative decline in the quality of parenting, and a prevailing mood of national pessimism that is closely tied to a long period of economic decline. These factors are discussed in relation to Komatsudani's minimalist approach to curriculum, to its strategy for dealing with children's disputes, and to its development of a system of older children helping with the care of infants and toddlers.

Narratives of Experience: how culture matters to children's development

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Narratives of Experience: how culture matters to children's development
Author: ESTHER Y.M. CHAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 145-159
ABSTRACT The focus of this study was to explore the relationship between culture and children's development, and to suggest that inquiry into narratives is a way of understanding how children live and develop in a cultural sense. The article begins by inquiring into the nature of culture in the Hong Kong context and explaining the ways in which it might affect children's development. The second part of the article reviews both Chinese and Western theories, and examines what philosophers and child psychologists have attempted to explain and debate regarding children's development. This inquiry addresses the relationship between culture and various contexts of development (e.g. family, school, and religion) because it is believed that both culture and contexts of development impact on a child's way of thinking and behaving.

Misplacing the Teacher? New Zealand Early Childhood Teachers and Early Childhood Education Policy Reforms, 1984-96

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Misplacing the Teacher? New Zealand Early Childhood Teachers and Early Childhood Education Policy Reforms, 1984-96
Author: JUDITH DUNCAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 160-177
ABSTRACT Early childhood care and education services in New Zealand have experienced major policy reforms since 1984. Life history interviews were carried out over a two-year period to obtain insight into the impact of the major reforms on the lives of eight kindergarten teachers. This article looks at the teachers' own perceptions of the changes and how they often felt 'overtaken' or 'misplaced' within the reforms. The teachers' stories are positioned within an environment of competing discourses about education, where newly established discourses worked to relocate or misplace the teachers.

It Takes a City to Raise the Children: the 2002 Shouguang City Early Childhood Education Initiative

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: It Takes a City to Raise the Children: the 2002 Shouguang City Early Childhood Education Initiative
Author: FANG WU; XINGBANG LI; QIUHONG WEI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 178-193
ABSTRACT Through the 2002 Early Childhood Education Initiative, Shouguang City in the Shandong province of China expanded its early childhood education program to include children below the age of three. The strategies which were applied to ensure the successful implementation of the program included: (1) creating a three-tiered professional development program for preschool teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills in infant and toddler care; (2) opening activity centers for infants and toddlers cared for at home and their parents to provide them with professional early education services; (3) reaching out to families of children cared for at home by offering parental education and individualized consultation; and (4) utilizing local resources in the community to allow more young children access to much-needed learning materials. This Initiative has achieved its goal of raising the community's awareness of the importance of early childhood education. As a result, parents and teachers in the community have gained knowledge of child development and skills in early childcare, and more local children are receiving quality early education, which has consequently brought positive changes to the entire community.

Child-rearing Practices in a Selected Sample of Parents with Children in Childcare in Singapore

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Child-rearing Practices in a Selected Sample of Parents with Children in Childcare in Singapore
Author: MARJORY EBBECK; NEELIMA GOKHALE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 194-206
ABSTRACT This article reports on a study based on interviews with 40 parents in Singapore. The study examined parents' views about their children's development and learning, and how these were or were not congruent with the views and practices of the childcare centre the children were attending. Findings showed that, although there were some similarities, there was a great variety of differences between practices at home and at the centre. Differences were apparent in discipline and expected levels of self-help skills. The term 'behaviour management' is not well known in Singapore, hence the use of the word 'discipline' in the study. The study recommends that increased parent participation at the centre could resolve some of the perceived differences.

The Creative Music Curriculum for Pre-primary Schools

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: The Creative Music Curriculum for Pre-primary Schools
Author: STELLA WAI MAN LAM; SUSAN WRIGHT
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 207-220
ABSTRACT This article examines the multifaceted nature of pre-primary music teachers' and supervisors' beliefs and practices in music education. It focuses on the general process of creativity (particularly as applied to music education); the classroom setting and how it influences the way music educators approach teaching and learning; and the structuring of music curricula to encourage higher levels of musical thinking in children. The article recommends that regular formal training opportunities in a creative music curriculum should be made available to equip teachers with the skills necessary to integrate music into their current curricula and to improve the quality of education.

'Keeping the Infants of Coolies out of Harm's Way': Raj, Church and infant education in India, 1830-51

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: 'Keeping the Infants of Coolies out of Harm's Way': Raj, Church and infant education in India, 1830-51
Author: BALJIT KAUR
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 221-235
ABSTRACT Contrary to the widely accepted belief that no early childhood education provision was evident until the twentieth century, archives date the advent of infant schools in India to the 1830s in Bengal, contemporaneous with developments in England. The Church Missionary Society's infant schools aimed to educate children (and women) from the lower castes and classes or those in dire circumstances. The main objective was their moral rescue through the spread of Christianity along the lines suggested by Wilderspin. However, the Hooghly Infant School, started with Government backing after much debate, attracted boys from more privileged backgrounds. Despite continued social resistance in India well into the twentieth century to the institutional education of young children, the idea appealed to educated and wealthy Indians, who willingly sent their boys to infant school. This article, drawing on hitherto undocumented sources, tells the story of infant education in India between 1830 and 1851.

Starting School in Brunei: listening to children, parents, and teachers

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Starting School in Brunei: listening to children, parents, and teachers
Author: ROSALIND KITSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 236-242
ABSTRACT This colloquium draws on recent cross-cultural research undertaken in Brunei exploring the transition of the child from home or nursery school to preschool, which is mandatory for all children in their fifth year. Preschool classes are a part of primary schools in the Bruneian education system and are administered by the Ministry of Education. Interviews were held with children, parents, and teachers to gain a comprehensive overview of the reality of the experience from the perspective of the participants. The colloquium concludes with suggestions for culturally appropriate ways to facilitate starting school.

An Emergent Curriculum in China: collaborative tolerance

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: An Emergent Curriculum in China: collaborative tolerance
Author: LYNN FARRELL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 243-250
ABSTRACT The concept for the piloting of a contemporary early childhood kindergarten in China was visualised by the chief executive officer of TMC Academy, Dr Chin, in July 2002 when he participated in a Singaporean-led mission to Liaoning Province in China. Shenyang Creative Kindergarten is the result of that concept. It opened for children in September 2003 and had an official opening in April 2004. Two experienced directors, one a native English speaker and the other a native Chinese speaker, lead the kindergarten. Both directors work full-time. The English-speaking director manages and coordinates the educational program while the Chinese-speaking director manages the local, bureaucratic, and administrative needs of the kindergarten. The licensing requirements, renovation of the building, employment of staff, curriculum development, and establishment of physical environments and operational systems were established through the joint collaboration of both directors. This colloquium is a brief narrative of the journey undertaken to date. The journey has been satisfying, rewarding, frustrating, and challenging but the best interests of the child have always been at the heart of the decisions made. It has been a reflective and insightful experience and the team of directors is looking forward to the future and to ongoing change.

The Children's Education Project: Tham Hin refugee camp, Thailand

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: The Children's Education Project: Tham Hin refugee camp, Thailand
Author: MAVIS L. OLESEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 251-256
ABSTRACT In 1997, twelve Karen Burmese teachers brought a Vision Paper to the Tham Hin refugee camp in Thailand. The teachers had recently written this Paper after much consultation with their Mergui-Tavoy villagers, students, leaders, and school dropouts. Over the following five years teams developed a project outlining 10 steps to educational reform, which any village in Burma could use to reform its school system. This article discusses the background to the project and issues related to it.

Issues of Preschool Parental Education in Hong Kong in the Twenty-first Century

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Issues of Preschool Parental Education in Hong Kong in the Twenty-first Century
Author: CHRISTINE MEI SHEUNG CHAN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 257-263
ABSTRACT This article is concerned with parental involvement and participation in preschool education in Hong Kong. Based on the experience gained from a parental education programme, it is argued that three issues are crucial in the development of parental education: (1) an ecological approach to recognise the nature of parental education; (2) parental involvement as an indicator of school performance; and (3) training teachers or relevant professionals to work with parents from diverse families. In response to the changing nature of families' and children's growth and development in Hong Kong, preschool parental education in the twenty-first century has a special mission and vision regarding parental involvement and participation. This article indicates that the empowerment issue of parents and teachers has evidently been addressed by a belief in the notion of 'people participation for development and improvement'.

Book Review

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:34 GMT

Title: Book Review
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 264-265
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Nicola J. Yelland; Yasmine J. Fauzee
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-2
ABSTRACT It is hard to believe that we are entering the fifth year of publication of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Life has changed so much during this period and the field is burgeoning with new ideas in response to the challenges of living in a new century. With this comes the realisation that life is more complex and new ways of thinking are needed to deal both with issues that have always been prevalent and others we have long been in denial about or previously placed in the 'too hard' basket.

Additionally, during this time there has been a growing realisation by governments and others that the early years are an important investment for the future. Along with this there has fortunately been an increasing amount of quality research in the field. Research continues to raise the profile and status of the discipline as well as highlight further areas to explore, with the goal of ensuring that all young children and their families are afforded the opportunity to realise their full potential for life in the twenty-first century.

In this issue we have an eclectic mix of articles, which discuss a range of topics.

In the first article Rachel Theilheimer & Betsy Cahill provide a feminist perspective on the relationships observed in college classrooms. With a focus on power dynamics, early childhood course syllabi are analysed in terms of their content.

Amy Johnson provides a discussion that adopts a socially situated view of identity to examine how one male pre-service early educator shapes his professional identities during a fieldwork experience in a kindergarten classroom.

The article by Eric Erwin & Heather DeLair presents the results of a qualitative study of play-based teachers in the USA who were frequently under pressure to alter their curricula in order to conform to more traditional educational approaches. The wider context of play-based curricula in the early grades of elementary school is examined, along with the strategies adopted by teachers to prevent changes to the curricula which are contrary to their professional judgment.

Kym Macfarlane & Trish Lewis focus on childcare in Australia and examine some of the challenges encountered to preserve its role within the educational context. The contention is that childcare can maintain its connection with the field of education while developing an identity of its own.

Rhonda Clements provides a discussion of how often children in contemporary USA participate in active, outdoor play in comparison with their mothers' experiences. Mothers nationwide were surveyed. It is found that children spend much less time playing outdoors than their mothers did. Reasons for this trend include the impact of television and digital media as well as issues of crime and safety. The discussion also suggests ways to improve children's enjoyment of play outdoors.

The article by Aslaug Becher examines the issues concerned with inclusive education and internationalisation. The needs and experiences of 'minority children' are examined in the context of the Norwegian educational system and through consideration of two case studies.

In the two colloquia we range in topics from the provision of pre-primary education in the Hong Kong SAR to a consideration of young children exploring in art museums in Australia.

Woo, Yeung & Wong examine the latest reform proposals for early childhood education framed in the Consultation Document of the Working Party on Harmonisation of Pre-primary Services, published by the Education Department and Social Welfare Department (2002). This document probes the feasibility of combining kindergarten and childcare centres in the Hong Kong SAR and discusses the ramifications of such a move for the provision of early childhood education.

Lastly, Katrina Weier outlines a number of art museum programs that have encouraged children as guides during school and family visits, and discusses the benefits of these programs - for both the children and their adult companions.

Three book reviews complete this issue. Karen Thorpe & Susan Danby reflect on Exploring Twins: towards a social analysis of twinship by Elizabeth A. Stewart (2003). In the second review Jillian Rodd writes about Contemporary Issues in the Early Years: working collaboratively for children (3rd edn), edited by Gillian Pugh (2001). Finally, Sue Walker examines a publication by Barbara Kaiser & Judy Sklar Rasminsky (2003) entitled Challenging Behavior in Young Children: understanding, preventing, and responding effectively.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: CALL FOR PAPERS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-3
ABSTRACT Special Issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

CHALLENGING HETERONORMATIVITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Research abstracts of 300-500 words are currently being sought for this special issue. Successful articles will examine issues pertaining to gay and lesbian identities that challenge the limitations imposed by heteronormative knowledges and practices in early childhood education. Submissions need to be based on research that incorporates queer, feminist post-structuralist, postmodern- or post-colonial perspectives.

Areas of interest may include but are not limited to:

The experiences of lesbian and/or gay families, workers, and their allies;

Challenges to heteronormative pedagogy, practice, curriculum and policy;

The intersections between heteronormativity, gender and sexuality, and/or other aspects of identity;

Issues related to reproductive technologies;

The harassment and/or marginalisation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and non-heterosexual identities;

Issues of silences and invisibility;

Children’s understandings of non-normative families.

SPECIAL ISSUE EDITORS

Jen Skattebol, University of Western Sydney

Dr Tania Ferfolja, University of Western Sydney

Prospective contributors are referred to the notes on ‘How to Contribute’ at www.triangle.co.uk/CIEC/index.htm

Deadline for the submission of abstracts: 27 August, 2004. Please forward abstracts to Jen Skattebol (j.skattebol@uws.edu.au).

The editors will select abstracts in order to ensure a balance of topics. Authors will be contacted and successful articles requested. All articles will then be peer-reviewed using the normal CIEC process

'This Is Your Class': theorizing what syllabi say about relationships between instructors and students in early childhood teacher education classrooms

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: 'This Is Your Class': theorizing what syllabi say about relationships between instructors and students in early childhood teacher education classrooms
Author: RACHEL THEILHEIMER; BETSY CAHILL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 4-18
ABSTRACT In this article the authors discuss the relationships in college classrooms from the perspective of feminist teaching. With attention to power dynamics, they analyzed 17 early childhood course syllabi in order to elucidate those relationships. The authors present examples from the syllabi of course content, class experiences, and syllabus language that demonstrate how students presumably will acquire knowledge of early childhood education, of themselves and others, and of the professor. The authors found that the way in which professors write about their teaching in their syllabi serves to build relationships between themselves and their students. Yet tensions remain to be continually negotiated, tensions between the roles of gatekeeper and coach, between challenge and comfort, and between the social expectations that professors and students hold of themselves and each other.

Recruiting and Recognizing Multiple Socially Situated Identities: consonance and contradiction in the pedagogy of a male pre-service early educator

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Recruiting and Recognizing Multiple Socially Situated Identities: consonance and contradiction in the pedagogy of a male pre-service early educator
Author: AMY SUZANNE JOHNSON
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 19-34
ABSTRACT In this article the author uses a socially situated view of identity to take a close look at how one male pre-service early educator shapes his professional identities during a fieldwork experience in a kindergarten classroom. In organizing his pedagogy and relationships this pre-service teacher simultaneously draws from his personal experiences and the discourses of his university teacher education program to perform his teacher identity. The synergy created from this crafting of selves brings a multiplicity to the identities this teacher enacts and recognizes, at times causing dissonance between his plans and his practices. This article suggests that taking a socially situated view of identity is necessary for teacher education, as it provides a theoretical framework for pre-service teachers to consider the multiplicity of identities they draw from when shaping their 'teacher' identity.

Patterns of Resistance and Support among Play-based Teachers in Public Schools

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Patterns of Resistance and Support among Play-based Teachers in Public Schools
Author: ERIC J. ERWIN; HEATHER A. DELAIR
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 35-50
ABSTRACT The authors present the results of a multi-year qualitative study of play-based teachers in the USA. These teachers were often under pressure to alter their curricula in order to conform to more rigid and traditional educational approaches, pressure which has only increased under the present federal administration. The contextual factors surrounding play-based curricula in the early grades of elementary school in the USA are discussed, and the strategies used by these teachers to resist making changes to the curricula against their professional judgment are described in detail. Implications for the field of early childhood education are presented.

Childcare - Human Services or Education: a genealogical approach

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Childcare - Human Services or Education: a genealogical approach
Author: KYM MACFARLANE; TRISH LEWIS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 51-67
ABSTRACT This article examines the implications of a 'problem of the present'. It explores the potential conflicts and fragmentation that may arise as a result of divisions in the interpretation of the metanarrative of child development within the two disciplines of education and human services. Childcare in Australia is strongly driven by this metanarrative and already some providers in this country use developmental discourse as a way of de-emphasising the educational aspects of the work. These providers use the focus on child development as an argument to keep qualifications in the field at a minimum level. This has impacted on teachers in childcare, making it difficult for them to obtain recognition and adequate remuneration for their skills. In this article there is a particular focus on how childcare is situated in Australia and an examination of the constant struggle to ensure it remains a part of the educational context. The authors question the practicality of continuing this struggle given the particular historical context, societal position, and industrial situation in this country. It is argued that it is possible for childcare to maintain substantial links with educational discourse while still developing a strong identity of its own.

An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play
Author: RHONDA CLEMENTS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 68-80
ABSTRACT This study discusses the extent to which children in the USA today participate in active, outdoor play, compared with the previous generation. Eight hundred and thirty mothers nationwide were surveyed regarding their active, outdoor play experiences as children, as well as their children's play experiences today. The mother's play experiences, compared with the child's, clearly indicate that children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their mothers did as children. The study reveals several fundamental reasons for this decline, including dependence on television and digital media, and concerns about crime and safety. The study also conveys findings related to the frequent use of electronic diversions and discusses several suggestions for early childhood professionals, classroom teachers, and parents for fostering the child's enjoyment for outdoor play.

Research Reconsiderations Concerning Cultural Differences

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Research Reconsiderations Concerning Cultural Differences
Author: ASLAUG ANDREASSEN BECHER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 81-94
ABSTRACT 'Minority children' experience a lot of shifts in their cultural contexts. The author's work as a professional teacher in multicultural classes enabled her to focus on the research questions presented in this article. These questions concern the need for some minority children to achieve equal opportunities in the Norwegian educational system. The author uses her teaching practice and ethnographic notes to put forward two particular cases that illustrate the issues of her concern. Informant interviews with teachers in the same school inform the methodology. Positions outlined by Stephen May discussing degrees of essentialism in theory and practical work with children are used when discussing the cultural challenges involved in these cases. Following this, critical multiculturalism raises the question of cultural differences and of how to theorise and do research without creating culturally essentialising categories. This article alerts readers to the plight of children in shifting cultural contexts, to the challenges they are facing, and to the skills and competencies they are developing. It seeks to contribute to two current areas of debate, namely inclusive education and internationalisation.

Hong Kong Pre-primary Education in Transition: 'Consultation Document of the Working Party on Harmonisation of Pre-primary Services'

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Hong Kong Pre-primary Education in Transition: 'Consultation Document of the Working Party on Harmonisation of Pre-primary Services'
Author: KENNETH SIU WOO LEE; ANNA YEUNG ON NA; WONG SHUK YEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 95-105
ABSTRACT Hong Kong's most recent education reform proposal is the Consultation Document of the Working Party on Harmonisation of Pre-primary Services (Consultation Document. This examines the feasibility of combining kindergarten and childcare centres and having one single body regulating them. It has stimulated great responses from the early childhood education sector. As one of the major training institutions for kindergarten teachers and childcare workers, the faculty and students of the Hong Kong Baptist University have had extensive discussions on the Consultation Document with experts in the sector. This article reviews the development and rationales of the Consultation Document and examines its recommendations on teacher training, subsidy schemes, and transition arrangements. The authors' views and counter-proposals are also discussed.

Empowering Young Children in Art Museums: letting them take the lead

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Empowering Young Children in Art Museums: letting them take the lead
Author: KATRINA WEIER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 106-116
ABSTRACT Young children bring a wide repertoire of visitor behaviours to traditional art museums, using their minds, senses, and bodies to respond to and interpret artworks. When given opportunities for self-expression, choice, and control during an art museum visit, children are empowered in this environment. Allowing children to take a leading role as tour guides for their peers or adult partners is one way to engender such empowerment. This kind of experience shows them they have a valuable contribution to make and allows them to learn actively from artworks, through self-directed inquiry. This article outlines a number of art museum programs that have encouraged children as guides during school and family visits, and discusses the benefits of these programs – for both the children and their adult companions. The author also notes the importance of a supportive, responsive adult, who can extend children’s conversations to introduce the language and concepts of the visual arts during child-led tours.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 117-123
ABSTRACT Not available

Forthcoming conferences

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:35 GMT

Title: Forthcoming conferences
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2004 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 124-124
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 232-234
ABSTRACT In this final issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood for 2003, we are pleased to publish articles from authors in Cyprus, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.

In the first article, Alison Jones takes up the issues of safety and pleasure in early childhood education, arguing that anything connected with pleasure in the field is necessarily questionable and fragile. Drawing on data from focus groups in New Zealand, Jones examines why this is the case and attempts to identify what is 'allowable', and why, in terms of pleasure in contemporary times.

Identifying three curriculum paths that are available from sociocultural theory (transformative, assimilated-positivist and social-constructivist), Suzy Edwards makes a case for the increased role of sociocultural theory in early childhood education and curriculum by explicating each path and analysing its contributions to the field to date. Edwards also offers the three paths for further discussion and investigation given that curriculum creation and enactment is a human endeavour that reflects the cultural values, beliefs, assumptions, theories and languages of those who develop it.

A similar theme is evident in the third article, 'The American Crèche: 'Let's do what the French do, but do it our way'. Larry Prochner appraises the history of early childhood programs in the USA, noting evidence of French influence and descriptions of programs in the USA as disjointed. Prochner concludes that despite the influence of the French model, group care for infants in the USA developed according to social views that the family unit was responsible for infants and their care.

Next, Jo Ailwood considers play, the quintessential element of early childhood programs. Ailwood uses Foucault's notions of governmentality to investigate how play has been produced as an essential component of any early childhood program and what this means for how both adults and children are required to conduct themselves.

Using data from Cyprus, Andri Savva explored young children's responses to three reproductions of adult works of art, replicating findings from similar studies with older children. Aged 4-5 years and from public nursery schools in Cyprus, Savva used the data to make recommendations for art education in Cyprus.

In the final article, research examining the bilingual identity of young Latino/a children in six families from Sydney, Australia is reported by Criss Jones-Díaz. The way in which identities intersect with and are negotiated in conjunction with 'race', ethnicity and gender differences is examined, and techniques by which early childhood practitioners can support maintenance of the home language are identified.

Colloquia in this issue come from contributors in England and Turkey. Philip Gammage contemplates context and policy in early childhood education, bringing to bear social statistics and longitudinal research data that note not only the complexity of the world in which we currently reside, but also the attendant responsibilities this places on those involved in early childhood education to look beyond simple remedies such as might be apparent in accountability discourses or that coincide with commercial interests. In the second colloquium, Ismihan Artan & Gulden Balat report data from a research project that investigated the recognition of musical instruments by young children in Ankara, Turkey. As the authors point out, the children's responses were related to their gender and the significance of musical stories for young children is recognised.

Book reviews consider a range of topics, including drama and imaginative play, the first year of life, and an edited collection with contributions from around the globe. Di Catherwood takes a look at the first year of life as described by Robinson (2003) in From Birth to One: the year of opportunity. Debra Ackerman contemplates the compilation, Kidworld: childhood studies, global perspectives, and education (edited by Gaile Cannella & Joe Kincheloe), which encompasses topics as broad as children and poverty, Beanie Babies, and childhood in a corporate world. In the final review, the fact that play can still be a controversial issue in early childhood education is considered by Jillian Rodd in her review of Supporting Drama and Imaginative Play in the Early Years (Hendy & Toon, 2001).

Sincere thanks go to those who have reviewed for the journal during 2003 - we appreciate your support and the valuable feedback you have provided.

Reviewers for 2003

Debra Ackerman

Nola Alloway

Judith Bernhard

Elena Bodrova

Jo Brownlee

Erica Burman

Jo Carr

Vicki Carrington

Susan Danby

Patricia David

Carmel Diezmann

Ann Farrell

Philip Gammage

Celia Genishi

Lisa Goldstein

Beth Graue

Christina Howell

Kenneth Hulqvist

Jan Jipson

Lois Johnson

Richard Johnson

Liz Jones

Criss Jones Diaz

Julie Kaomea

Fikriye Kurban

Jo Lampert

Teri Lawrence

Sandra Lennox

Felicity McArdle

Erica McWilliam

Kerry Mallan

Helen May

Catherine Meehan

John Nimmo

Sue Novinger

We also acknowledge gratefully the support of Professor Collette Tayler from the School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, in this year's publication of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood.

Sue Grieshaber & Katrina Weier

The Monster in the Room: safety, pleasure and early childhood education

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: The Monster in the Room: safety, pleasure and early childhood education
Author: ALISON JONES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 235-250
ABSTRACT Inspired by the work of Joseph Tobin and his book, Making a Place for Pleasure in Early Childhood Education (Yale, 1997), this article is about the necessarily uneasy and tenuous place of pleasure, desire and sensuality in early childhood education at a time when the field struggles to be identified as rule-governed and properly 'professional'. With reference to focus group data from early childhood teachers and managers in Auckland, New Zealand, it considers what might be the comforts, and the problematic effects, of the contemporary demands for safety, and asks what kinds of pleasures are available to the modern 'safe' professional early childhood teacher.

New Directions: charting the paths for the role of sociocultural theory in early childhood education and curriculum

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: New Directions: charting the paths for the role of sociocultural theory in early childhood education and curriculum
Author: SUZY EDWARDS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 251-266
ABSTRACT This article identifies the growing role of sociocultural theory as an informant to the early childhood curriculum. Beginning with a brief description of the more traditional Piagetian interpretation regarding development and its use in early childhood education and curricula such as DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice), the article identifies key theoretical arguments made against this view on the basis of ontological, methodological and/or epistemological precepts. The growing literature regarding the use of curriculum approaches to early childhood education based on the sociocultural explanations for development proposed by Vygotsky and Rogoff are identified. The article argues that the manner in which sociocultural theory is being utilised in early childhood education may be considered in terms of three main 'pathways', including the transformative, assimilated positivist and social-constructivist paths.

The American Creche: 'Let's do what the French do, but do it our way'

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: The American Creche: 'Let's do what the French do, but do it our way'
Author: LARRY PROCHNER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 267-285
ABSTRACT Early childhood programs in the USA have been characterized as fragmented. In recent times more integrated European models have been studied as lessons for the USA. The French system in particular has been held up as a model of high-quality service for families with particular relevance for US policy-makers. This article reviews the history of early childhood programs in the USA that included attempts to introduce the French model of daily group infant care as early as the 1850s. While the French approach inspired American programs at the time, group infant care developed in line with the dominant approach to charity and social welfare that viewed the family as having the first responsibility for child rearing barring exceptional circumstances.

Governing Early Childhood Education through Play

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Governing Early Childhood Education through Play
Author: JO AILWOOD
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 286-299
ABSTRACT Play serves as a significant nodal point in the discursive relations of early childhood education. The aim of this article is to ask how play has come to appear so necessary to early childhood educational settings and how this perceived necessity governs the behaviour of both adults and young children. To do this the author make use of concepts provided through Foucault's notion of governmentality, or the conduct of conduct. The article begins with a thematic overview of some of the dominant discourses of play. It then considers some critiques of play discourses in early childhood education. Following this, it considers how play has been produced as a technology of governmentality in early childhood educational settings.

Young Pupils' Responses to Adult Works of Art

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Young Pupils' Responses to Adult Works of Art
Author: ANDRI SAVVA
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 300-313
ABSTRACT Art educators have asserted that, in order to develop curricula that use adult works of art, it is necessary to understand how children perceive and respond to art objects. Although 'art' is not included in the early years national curriculum of Cyprus, curriculum resource books encourage the introduction of adult artworks in nursery schools. This exploratory study was designed to gather information regarding young children's (aged 4-5 years) responses to adult paintings. An open-ended interview procedure was used. Three reproductions of paintings of different artistic styles were selected: a realistic, a semi-realistic and an abstract. The sample included 25 children selected randomly from 12 public nursery schools of Cyprus. The findings suggest that artworks are an important part of children's educational experiences, if approaches and methods that are compatible with their perceptual abilities are used. The study identified some relevant factors underlying young children's responses to artworks and provides recommendations to enhance children's learning in art.

Latino/a Voices in Australia: negotiating bilingual identity

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Latino/a Voices in Australia: negotiating bilingual identity
Author: CRISS JONES
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 314-336
ABSTRACT In Australia, bilingual identity and home language retention/ attrition in bilingual children has had little research attention. This is particularly true in the early years of life where identity construction emerges in the context of early childhood education. This article begins with an overview of the Australian context to focus attention on the limited provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. By drawing on the work in identity and hybridity negotiation, the 'voices' of six Latin American parents are discussed to show how identities are negotiated and intersect with language retention within the social fields of 'race', ethnicity and gender differences. Three emerging themes are highlighted: the diversity of the parents' experiences in negotiating identity and language retention in family life; the parents' experiences of identity as multiple; and identity as a site of transformation and struggle in child rearing and gendered family practices. These findings demonstrate the significance of parents' perspectives and experiences of identity and language retention in raising their children bilingually, which can inform equitable and innovative practices in the provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. In conclusion, the author invites early childhood educators to reframe their understandings of identity construction in young bilingual children.

guide to context and policy

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: guide to context and policy
Author: PHILIP GAMMAGE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 337-356
ABSTRACT The change in family structures throughout the post-natural world ('post-natural' is used in the way that Anthony Giddens [BBC Reith Lectures, 1999] uses the term, i.e. when even child-rearing is largely no longer 'natural' and when institutions, technology and commerce have increasing sway over all dimensions of life) is briefly discussed together with some pressures that now inhibit, inform or constrain modern child rearing. The decline in the birth rate throughout Europe, Scandinavia, North America, and Australasia and the accelerating divorce rate are also seen as part of this changing context. Within these broad social changes comes the recent research on brain development during the early years of childhood. The extreme plasticity of the brain is discussed, as is the paradoxical and now somewhat archaic tendency for formal systems of education to invest in childhood after much of the formative learning is over. The article proposes that for 'fitness of purpose' we need educators and carers of vision and compassion, yet articulate and well read. It sees early childhood care and education as indivisible. The article notes that both policies and commercial interests may sometimes cause tension between indoctrination and education and between 'accountability' and professionalism. It sees professionalism as inherently 'problematic' and rightly about judgement, not about certainty. It insists that teachers and carers should be well educated, not merely trained, and suggests that without the intervention of effective, knowledgeable early years professionals, societies may increasingly lack a collective identity, unity and, perhaps, actual humanity. It builds upon this to suggest that integration of the prime services is best clustered around that of effective childcare and early education and that a professional yet 'seamless approach' to families, especially those in poverty, will handsomely repay child achievement and societal and family cohesion in the long term.

Recognition of Musical Instruments by Children between 4 and 6 Years of Age and Research Concerning the Natural Sounds They Associate with Those Instruments

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Recognition of Musical Instruments by Children between 4 and 6 Years of Age and Research Concerning the Natural Sounds They Associate with Those Instruments
Author: ISMIHAN ARTAN; GULDEN UYANIK BALAT
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 357-369
ABSTRACT Musical instruments help children to gain a lot of experience related to sounds and they play an important role in supporting skill development in children. In addition, with instruments children can create and explore their own music, rather than participate with and react to others. In this school-based research study 147 children were chosen randomly from among those who attended private kindergartens in high socio-economic areas in the city center of Ankara, Turkey. All children were aged between 4 and 6 years. The research methodology comprised a questionnaire to gather demographic information about the children, the use of musical instruments and a set of cards containing pictures of musical instruments. When the children were asked the question, 'What is music', they answered mainly by saying, 'playing a musical instrument'. Many of the children were able to identify musical instruments correctly when shown pictures of them.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Pages: 370-377
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 111-112
ABSTRACT This issue of the journal offers articles from authors in Belgium, Israel, the USA and Australia, and colloquia from England and the USA. These articles cover a variety of topical issues, including access to long day care provision, the use of technologies with young children and the intersection between the compulsory and non-compulsory years of education. The final section of the editorial is dedicated to the memory of Professor Carolyn Baker, a member of the editorial board of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. The memoriam has been contributed by Susan Danby, a colleague and former student.

The first article reports research about four early childhood teachers qualified to teach children from birth to the age of eight, who began their teaching careers in the early primary years (elementary school). Clare Britt & Jennifer Sumsion focus on points of overlap as opposed to difference between early primary settings and those catering for children in the pre-compulsory years. They show the possibility of a shared borderland between early childhood and primary education by identifying connections between these two sectors.

The following article by Michel Vandenbroeck examines the history of exclusion in Belgian infant care, depicting how 100 years ago day care centres provided care for the infants of women who worked in factories. Today in Belgium, women who work in factories are excluded from having infants cared for in day nurseries. The article examines how this has occurred and the place of childcare in western European welfare society.

Many early childhood educators strive to enact a socially just curriculum and, as part of that, counter prejudicial attitudes. Jen Skattebol shares some dialogue from staff members and children in an inner-city long day centre, where staff were attempting to build meaningful relationships with the local indigenous community. Drawing on post-colonial and post-structural theory to explain how the children used various constructions of identity, Skattebol shows how the efforts of staff were thwarted when operating from developmental and advocacy discourses.

Ecopsychology is the topic of the fourth article in this issue. Lillian Phenice & Robert Griffore explore the idea that children are born with a sense of relatedness to the natural world and through processes of socialisation, assume a separateness or dislocation from that environment. The authors draw on data from a research project to show that education can build on this sense of relatedness to the natural world.

An article by Ofra Nir-Gal & Talia Nur from Israel relates data from a small study of 20 young children that investigated Internet activity and potential uses of the Internet for children in compulsory and pre-compulsory kindergarten. The findings reveal what is significant for successful Internet use, as well as what is important in an Internet environment that makes learning meaningful.

In the final article of this issue, Elizabeth Stamopoulos describes the challenges for teachers, teachers' aides and principals in an amalgamation of P1 classes in Western Australia. This grouping of pre-primary and year 1 students together in one class requires a merger of philosophies and curricula that have in the past been researched, written and enacted from teaching perspectives as quite separate entities.

In the colloquium, Jillian Rodd questions whether changes to the English education system that involve the three 'Ts' (tests, targets and tables) have had the desired effect of turning children onto learning. Testing has never been popular in England and when accompanied by targets and tables, and seemingly at the expense of the arts curricula, has been the topic of much debate.

Books reviewed in this issue include two edited collections: ICT in the Primary School (edited by Loveless & Dore, 2002), which is reviewed by Jenny Masters, and Putting Children First: the changing face of Newark's public schools (edited by Silin & Lippman), to which Carrie Lobman responds.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the journal and the issues it raises.

Susan Grieshaber & Katrina Weier

In Memorium. Carolyn Diane Baker

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: In Memorium. Carolyn Diane Baker
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 113-114
ABSTRACT Not available

Within the Borderlands: beginning early childhood teachers in primary schools

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Within the Borderlands: beginning early childhood teachers in primary schools
Author: CLARE BRITT; JENNIFER SUMSION
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 115-136
ABSTRACT This article presents findings from a study undertaken by a pre-service early childhood teacher, that investigated the experiences of four beginning early childhood qualified teachers in primary school settings. The study explored the metaphors that these teachers used when describing their lived experience stories and analysed what these metaphors indicated about the discourses the teachers perceived were available to them, and where they had chosen to situate themselves within these discourses. Throughout the article, the metaphor of 'border crossings' is used to highlight the focus within much of the literature on the difference and separation between early childhood and primary education. Data were generated through in-depth, open-ended interviews, a group discussion, visual representations and written material. The thematic recurrences and discursive positionings within the metaphors and narratives of the participants were deconstructed and critically analysed using a framework of feminist post-structuralism. In particular, this article explores the discursive positionings related to the teachers' movement within the borderland of early childhood education and primary education. It argues that early childhood teachers in primary schools are operating within an exciting space - an intersection between early childhood education and primary education. Rather than focusing on the difference and separation between these points, the focus shifts to working toward creating points of overlap, of connection - a shared borderland between early childhood education and primary education.

From Crèches to Childcare: constructions of motherhood and inclusion/exclusion in the history of Belgian infant care

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: From Crèches to Childcare: constructions of motherhood and inclusion/exclusion in the history of Belgian infant care
Author: MICHELVANDENBROECK VANDENBROECK
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 137-148
ABSTRACT In this article the author highlights some elements of the history of exclusion in Belgian infant care and how it is underpinned by constructions of motherhood. In a Belgian context, infant care means institutional care for children from birth to the age of three, funded by the Family and Health Department, in contrast to and entirely separated from pre-school for children aged three to six years, funded by the Education Department (Organisation for Economic Cooperatin and Development [OECD], 2001). The author does this from a hermeneutical historical point of view. As Escolano (1996) has claimed, this means that by means of the evaluation of the internal coherence of the stories (the organisation of data and discourse) and their external coherence with the social context and with other concordant or discordant stories, the author tries try to understand ideas and representations that may help explain the growing exclusion in Belgian infant care.

Dark, Dark and Darker: negotiations of identity in an early childhood setting

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Dark, Dark and Darker: negotiations of identity in an early childhood setting
Author: JEN SKATTEBOL
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 149-166
ABSTRACT The importance of curriculum frameworks that emphasise social justice and counter the development of prejudice have been widely discussed in early childhood literature and inform the pedagogies in many early childhood settings. This article draws on some practitioner inquiry set in an inner-city long day care centre. As a group of educators, the practitioners (including the author) drew on 'popular' interpretations of developmental and anti-bias discourses to interact with young children around issues of identity. The author examines the way 'identity' is constructed as a (fixed) site of affirmation in these interpretations of curriculum. By drawing on post-colonial and post-structural theory, the author adopts a focus on the ways material differences between people were constructed and affirmed. This 'post-colonial' reading of the data reveals the constraining effects of curriculum frameworks for both staff and children at the centre. The author shows how the children strategically deployed a variety of identity constructs to slip through the gaps created by tensions between and within the developmental discourses and the advocacy discourses in operation. Finally, the implications of viewing 'identity' as a pedagogical site for negotiation rather than as a site of affirmation are discussed.

Young Children and the Natural World

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Young Children and the Natural World
Author: LILLIAN A. PHENICE; ROBERT J. GRIFFORE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 167-171
ABSTRACT A concept associated with ecopsychology is that children are born with a sense of relatedness to their environments, and through the processes of socialization they acquire a sense of separateness from environments, including the natural environment. Young children were asked about their views concerning several aspects of the natural environment. The data suggest that young children are constructing understandings concerning the relationship of humans to the natural world. This implies that their educational experiences can shape and augment their conception of relatedness to the natural world.

Learning in an Internet Environment during Early Childhood

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Learning in an Internet Environment during Early Childhood
Author: OFRA NIR-GAL; TALIA NUR
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 172-187
ABSTRACT The present study focuses on the Internet activity of young children in order to examine how these children utilized the Internet and their potential in the uses of the Internet. The study sample consisted of 20 children, from both compulsory and pre-compulsory kindergarten. Two Internet learning environments were examined: (1) the 'universal' environment of the Web, where a search engine was used for navigation; and (2) the 'modified' Web environment, which was created in accordance with the abilities and level of young children. It was shown that young children who operated in a 'modified' Internet environment manifested better control of the uses of Internet interfaces and were better oriented in the Internet environment when compared with their activity in the 'universal' Internet environment. Another finding was that not all of the Internet uses constitute a meaningful learning environment for young children. In order for the environment to be advantageous for children, Internet uses must be structured in accordance with the children's levels of development and needs, with the emphasis on the use of the Internet as a source of information in parallel with concrete activity and teacher/adult mediation in the children's Internet activity.

Elucidating the Dilemma of P1 in Western Australian Schools: towards a solution

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Elucidating the Dilemma of P1 in Western Australian Schools: towards a solution
Author: ELIZABETH STAMOPOULOS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 188-217
ABSTRACT Currently in Western Australian schools, the early childhood education profession faces profound change, as a result of changes to classroom combinations. One of these is an innovation called 'P1', which involves grouping pre-primary and year 1 students in the one class. Unlike other composite primary year classes, P1 demands an amalgamation of early childhood and primary curriculum and philosophy. To date, the basis on which P1 curriculum is to be built has yet to be established. No formal process been articulated for dealing with the ideological differences and beliefs that exist in schools with respect to early childhood and primary education. This article draws on a five-year Western Australia (WA) study, which examined teachers' conceptual and behavioural positions toward P1. The findings indicated a need for leadership, specialised staff, resolution of philosophical differences, curriculum guidelines, quality support structures and the enhancement of school and community relationships. There were also concerns that government and curriculum expertise had not kept pace with the needs of staff.

Will Changes to the English Educational System of Tests, Targets and Tables Switch Children on to Learning?

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: Will Changes to the English Educational System of Tests, Targets and Tables Switch Children on to Learning?
Author: Jillian Rodd
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 218-220
ABSTRACT Not available

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Pages: 224-226
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: Sue Grieshaber; Katrina Weier
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-2
ABSTRACT This issue of CIEC presents a wide range of topics that cut across all aspects of early childhood education. From concerns about the treatment of children as refugees to considering children's experiences of fear, the practical wisdom of teachers, and ways of 'reading' photographs of children, a theme running through most of the articles, colloquia and book reviews, is the consideration of perspectives other than accepted or dominant understandings. Readers are urged to look more deeply at how children and those who work with children are positioned and the ways in which we could see things differently. For example, in a spirited piece, Sue Novinger and Leigh O'Brien initiate a call to action for all those who work in early childhood teacher education to move 'Beyond "boring, meaningless shit" in the academy'. Suggestions are made for how teacher educators can resist certain practices of the academy and, with colleagues, work to reduce time wasted through having to jump through bureaucratic hoops. Lyn Fasoli challenges some of the taken-for-granted ways in which photographs of children are interpreted, and offers some thoughtful alternative interpretations of photographs of children exploring an art gallery. This article introduces readers to a body of literature that they may not have encountered before.

The compelling aspect of practical wisdom of early childhood teachers is the focus of the article by Joy Goodfellow. Joy links this to the low status of the professional and the idea that public and professional recognition is needed of the hidden dimensions of early childhood practice. In the next article, Marilyn Fleer identifies some 'taken-for-granted' 'Western' cultural practices associated with early childhood education and contrasts these with practices from other cultures. She asks why these practices have become dominant and excluded others, and what children may be missing as a result. The final article in this issue considers children's feelings and experiences of fear, again challenging common-sense assumptions and traditionally accepted understandings about children's fear. Reesa Sorin identifies and examines terms and phrases that adults tend to use when responding to children who express fear, in view of the consequences that such use might have.

The colloquia address the controversial topic of children who are refugees and the ways in which they have been treated in recent incidents. Perspectives from Pamela Schulze and Joanne Tortorici Luna in the USA and Yasmine Fauzee in Australia draw on examples that exemplify the need for more acceptable approaches to this political and media 'hot potato'. The war between the USA and Iraq has probably made more children and their families refugees.

The book reviews continue to question accepted practices, with Julie Kaomea reviewing Early Childhood Education: postcolonial perspectives from India (Viruru, 2001). Cultural perspectives from India are offered and readers are encouraged to reflect on what Viruru describes, and how such reflection might enhance their own cultural practices. Jill Ferris responds to a book from the United Kingdom, Teaching the Primary Curriculum (Johnston, Chater & Bell, 2002) that addresses the primary curriculum and the current pressures that confront it. All areas of the curriculum are considered and the introductory chapter suggests that educational knowledge outcomes are so highly valued by educational authorities that student understanding, attitudes and skill may have been sacrificed.

Beyond 'Boring, Meaningless Shit' in the Academy: early childhood teacher educators under the regulatory gaze

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Beyond 'Boring, Meaningless Shit' in the Academy: early childhood teacher educators under the regulatory gaze
Author: SUE NOVINGER; LEIGH O'BRIEN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-31
ABSTRACT In the USA, many young children are being subjected to a largely irrelevant, fragmented, meaningless curriculum in the name of school reform and meeting state and/or national standards; it is the authors' view that teacher educators also increasingly have to endure the same. The authors use their own recent experiences with licensing and accrediting bodies, the New York State Department of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education respectively, to argue that everyone is being subjected to a disempowering, regulatory (and potentially punitive) gaze in the name of higher standards. Drawing on their own and others' stories, they raise some issues to ponder, as well as posit possible courses of action linked to the notion of teachers as social justice activists. They address why resistance to the standards movement is so crucial, and share their ideas regarding the forms their resistance has taken and might take in the future. They try to articulate a hopeful path of possibility despite the very real costs that challenging the nearly monolithic power structure brings, and encourage other early childhood teacher educators to join in resisting the 'regulatory gaze'.

Reading Photographs of Young Children: looking at practices

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Reading Photographs of Young Children: looking at practices
Author: LYN FASOLI
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 32-47
ABSTRACT This article is a methodological reflection on the use of photographs in research with young children. As a basis for discussion, it uses research photographs that were collected as part of a critical interpretative case study of young children's learning during excursions to an art gallery. Data collected for this study also included transcripts of children's talk, drawings they made and work undertaken later at the children's pre-school. This article discusses the methodological use of photographs as 'visual data'. A sociocultural framework for analysis is offered for its potential to reveal new ways to interpret photographs of young children participating in research.

Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice: the person in the process

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice: the person in the process
Author: JOY GOODFELLOW
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 48-63
ABSTRACT Recent reviews of the status and standing of early childhood teachers in Australia indicate high attrition, low retention and low morale within the profession. A contributing factor may be the lack of professional and public recognition of the expert knowledge held by practitioners. The extent of this phenomenon was investigated through a mapping exercise. Data were gained from two sources - the National Childcare Accreditation Council's revised Quality Improvement and Accreditation System for long day care centres and advertised position descriptions for early childhood teachers/directors. These data sources, while providing some insight into the nature of early childhood teachers' work, showed that the hidden dimensions of professional practice are largely ignored in such public documents. The findings suggest that little recognition is currently being given to practical wisdom - the professional's capacity to make sound judgement in the use of personal/professional, theoretical, and practical knowledge. If early childhood teachers and the community at large are to value and truly appreciate the nature of the early childhood professional's work, then that work must be carefully documented and promoted. The article concludes by suggesting that the development of professional portfolios may be a strategy that could be used to more effectively represent and honour the nature of teachers' work and provide insight into the practical wisdom of professional practice.

Early Childhood Education as an Evolving 'Community of Practice' or as Lived 'Social Reproduction': researching the 'taken-for-granted'

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Early Childhood Education as an Evolving 'Community of Practice' or as Lived 'Social Reproduction': researching the 'taken-for-granted'
Author: MARILYN FLEER
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 64-79
ABSTRACT Early childhood education within many English-speaking countries has evolved routines, practices, rituals, artefacts, symbols, conventions, stories and histories. In effect, practices have become traditions that have been named and reified, evolving a specialist discourse. What has become valued within the profession of early childhood education is essentially a Western view of childhood. Documents abound with statements on what is constituted as 'good' practice or 'quality' practice or even 'best' practice. But for whom is this practice best? This article examines early childhood education from a 'communities of practice' perspective, drawing upon the work of Goncu, Rogoff and Wenger to shed light on the levels of agency inherent in the profession.

Validating Young Children's Feelings and Experiences of Fear

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Validating Young Children's Feelings and Experiences of Fear
Author: REESA SORIN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 80-89
ABSTRACT Children experience a wide range of emotions, from happiness and excitement to anger and disgust. When children are happy, their caregivers encourage their expression of happiness and often join in to share this emotion with them. Yet when they are angry, afraid or disgusted, often children are encouraged to suppress or change their emotions. This is particularly true of the emotion of fear. While parents and caregivers currently employ a variety of strategies to respond to fear in young children, some of these methods may be positioning children in ways that increase their fears or invalidate their feelings of fear altogether. Well-intentioned parents and caregivers may be unaware of the effect that messages such as 'there's nothing to be afraid of' or 'don't worry, you're safe with me', could have on children. This article examines a range of adult responses to children's fears and the effectiveness of these responses.

In the Eyes of a Child - behind the wire: education for children in mandatory detention in Australia

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: In the Eyes of a Child - behind the wire: education for children in mandatory detention in Australia
Author: YASMINE JOY FAUZEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 90-95
ABSTRACT Public concern for the well-being of children held in detention in Australia has been revealed through a National Inquiry. Evidence indicates that children are detrimentally affected by the detention environment on many levels. The discussion here focuses on the question of education. A 'dual strategic approach' is advocated, which calls for the urgent needs of children to be met within a context of concerted measures to end mandatory detention.

Mobilization toward What Must Be: a call to action on behalf of refugee children

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Mobilization toward What Must Be: a call to action on behalf of refugee children
Author: PAMELA A. SCHULZE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 96-100
ABSTRACT Much has been written about the plight of refugee children and families. The authors of these articles generally make a case for greater involvement by the international community on behalf of refugee children. All too often, these eloquent and moving calls to action fall on deaf ears. In particular, this author argues that academics in the field of child development, who tend to be socialized to define and debate issues rather than act on them, are often slow to act on issues of concern. In this colloquium, the author provides several examples of ways that professionals in early childhood can help to promote the healthy development of refugee children, and she advocates for all of us to take on this responsibility, as it is consistent with our professional, personal, and moral obligation to promote the developmental well-being of all young children.

To Seek Refuge: the plight of the child

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: To Seek Refuge: the plight of the child
Author: JOANNE TORTORICI LUNA
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 101-105
ABSTRACT The predicament faced by refugees is ancient. To be hunted, homeless, and unwelcome is an experience that has been shared by groups of persecuted people across the ages. This article describes issues pertinent to children who are refugees, with recommendations for addressing their special needs. Suggestions for assistance include helping refugee communities become active in identifying and solving their own problems; supporting comprehensive programs rather than focusing on resolving individual symptoms; and providing services oriented toward strengthening, rather than replacing the family as a primary support system for children.

BOOK REVIEWS

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: BOOK REVIEWS
Author:
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2003 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Pages: 106-110
ABSTRACT Not available

Editorial

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Editorial
Author: NICOLA YELLAND; YASMINE FAUZEE
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2002 Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Pages: 313-314
ABSTRACT As we reach the end of the third year of the journal, it is evident that we have made significant impact on the field since our first year of publication at the dawn of the new century. The articles in this edition reflect the broad range of material that we have been privileged to present to our readers and they complement the special editions that we have published this year and last year.

In the first article, entitled 'Winning Hearts and Minds: television and the very young audience', Susan Howard & Susan Roberts address the lack of research undertaken in examining the responses of young viewers to media texts. The article provides an overview of the development of a unique technique for observing and recording the responses of very young children to a television text - Teletubbies. Their findings provide insights into children's attentional abilities and demonstrate their diverse responses, including: pleasure, parasocial and cognitive responses.

The next article, by Elizabeth Graue, Janice Kroeger & Christopher Brown, entitled 'Living the "Gift of Time"', examines the notion of 'readiness for school', which is a concept adopted in the USA to ascertain the likelihood of school success. This article describes the reactions of parents and teachers towards children who are seen as having readiness risks. The article presents a case study that examines the process of kindergarten entry decisions.

In 'Designing a Framework for Problem Posing: young children gener-ating open-ended tasks', Tom Lowrie describes the type of problems six year-old children generated in problem-posing contexts. It was found that, with appropriate support, the children developed increasingly sophisticated problems. These problem-solving situations gave children the opportunity to offer problems they took pleasure in solving and in turn produced a richer learning environment. The findings demonstrated that the problem-solving skills of children can be heightened by teacher support and encouragement.

Gail Boldt writes about 'Oedipal and Other Conflicts' and advocates the value of utilising psychoanalytic perspectives in better understanding the gender and sexual development of a child. She argues that they are particularly instructive in demonstrating how adults utilise dominant discourses about normal development to 'bring children into being as gendered and sexualised subjects'. She contends that an important aspect of parenting for the majority of heterosexual Western parents is the expectation that children experience in some way the Oedipal conflict.

In the article entitled 'Young Gifted Girls and Boys: perspectives through the lens of gender', Libby Lee examines how teachers' conceptions of student ability in mathematics and science in early childhood are influenced by their beliefs about gender. A model of teachers' conceptions of giftedness is offered. It is found that teachers' conceptions of giftedness are gendered, which in turn directly disadvantages female students.

In 'Engaging the Discourse of Diversity: educators' frameworks for working with linguistic and cultural difference', Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw & Sandra Schecter explore teacher commitment to working within ethnically and linguistically diverse settings. This is examined through an interpretative framework of discussions on discourse and subjectivity which includes an examination of: 'difference as deficit; preparing minority students and families to facilitate the school's agenda; intercultural sensitivity as a pedagogic tool; and diversity as curriculum'. It was found that different understandings and practices regarding the above templates had impacts on the classroom curriculum, students' socialisation within the school, and the relationship between school, home, and community.

The last article, by Kerry H. Robinson, entitled 'Making the Invisible Visible: gay and lesbian issues in early childhood education', promotes the introduction of gay and lesbian equity issues in approaches used in early childhood education. The discussion includes an examination of the presence of the dominant discourses of childhood and sexuality; entrenched attitudes regarding compulsory heterosexuality and the assumed absence of gay and lesbian families or significant gay and lesbian adults in children's lives; and homophobia and heterosexism in early childhood settings. This article highlights important issues for practice and policy development in early childhood education.

In the first colloquium, 'Time to Say Farewell to Early Childhood', Peter Moss suggests that it may now be time to take a broader perspective than early childhood, 'looking across childhood, or even sometimes across the life course'. This is followed by a further colloquium, 'Developing Appropriate Practice: continuing the dialogue', by a group of early childhood educators: Amos Hatch, Barbara Bowman, Jamilah Jor'dan, Christina Lopez Morgan, Craig Hart, Lourdes Diaz Soto, Sally Lubeck & Marilou Hyson. This is comprised of edited versions of articles presented at the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Anaheim, USA, 2 November 2001. The articles seek to address issues related to 'developmentally appropriate practices' within diverse communities and cultures.

Two book reviews complete this issue. Anna Kilderry writes about Starting School: young children learning cultures by Liz Brooker (2002), and Gloria Latham reviews J. Moyles & G. Robinson (Eds) Beginning Teaching: beginning learning in primary education (2002).

Winning Hearts and Minds: television and the very young audience

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Winning Hearts and Minds: television and the very young audience
Author: SUE HOWARD; SUSAN ROBERTS
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2002 Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Pages: 325-337
ABSTRACT Although we know that very young children watch television and indicate preferences for favourite programmes, very little research has been undertaken exploring the responses of such young viewers to media texts. Reasons for this are probably largely methodological - one cannot use the usual methods associated with social research with children who are in the early stages of language acquisition. In this article, the authors describe how they devised a unique technique for observing and recording the responses of 20 under two year-olds to a television text - Teletubbies. Faced with a large amount of rich textual data, they then developed a set of analytical criteria. The subsequent analysis revealed that very young children's responses to the chosen text were very diverse and included pleasure, parasocial and cognitive responses. In addition, new insights into very young children's attentional abilities were revealed.

Living the 'Gift of Time'

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:19:37 GMT

Title: Living the 'Gift of Time'
Author: ELIZABETH GRAUE; JANICE KROEGER; CHRISTOPHER BROWN
Journal: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Year: 2002 Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Pages: 338-353
ABSTRACT Readiness for school is a US concept that is thought to depict the likelihood of school success. A combination of physical, cognitive, and emotional maturity, it provides a foundation for responding to school expectations. When there are readiness concerns, some advocate giving what is called the 'gift of time,' additional time to mature. This article describes the decision-making and reactions of parents and teachers who support the development of children who might be seen as having readiness risks. Children who delay kindergarten entry, those who go to kindergarten on time, and children who repeat kindergarten, their teacher and parents were the focus of a case study that addressed the process of kindergarten entry decisions and the evaluation of their success.