Understanding Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from Cultural Perspectives

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Early Childhood Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2025 | Viewed by 1577

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Interests: diversity and early childhood care and education; teacher professional development; issues related to quality child care and early childhood mental health

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Interests: head start; early learning; nutrition education in early childhood; family engagement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We know that children are reared in unique socio-cultural, political, and historical contexts. Their development, care and schooling experiences, parenting and upbringing are significantly influenced by their culture. In some cultures, the understanding of care and education is distinguishable, while in others, these terms are merged and treated as one entity. We respect these differences and would like to highlight issues and perspectives regarding care and the educational context of young children (0-8 years), specifically from global and cultural perspectives.

In this Special Issue, we give scholars an opportunity to discuss, critique, and highlight the differing and culture-specific contexts of early childhood care and education, and state its influence on children. How do teachers and parents, guided by culture, influence children between the ages of 0 – 8 years? Scholars can choose to address teacher and parenting practices within certain or multiple cultural contexts, and cross-cultural or culture-specific studies are welcome. Studies employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method strategies are also welcome. Non-empirical studies, such as theoretical pieces reflecting the theme of this Special Issue, are encouraged. In addition, scholars from around the world are encouraged to submit their manuscripts. Let us showcase early childhood education globally.

Prof. Dr. Archana Vasudeva Hegde
Dr. Jessica Resor
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diversity in early childhood care and education
  • teacher education
  • parenting and early childhood years
  • global perspective on early childhood care and education
  • teacher beliefs and practices in early childhood care and education.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 12593 KiB  
Article
The Impact of COVID-19 on ‘Spanish-Speaking’ Children’s Phonological Development
by Marían Acero-Ferrero, Raquel Lozano-Blasco, María Jesus Cardoso Moreno and Sandra Benaque Gine
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080807 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 278
Abstract
Communication and social interaction have been limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to check if 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children manifest alterations in oral language according to their stage of language development. To carry it out, the Induced [...] Read more.
Communication and social interaction have been limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to check if 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children manifest alterations in oral language according to their stage of language development. To carry it out, the Induced Phonological Register developed by Monfort and Juárez was applied to analyze 150 participants (77 boys and 73 girls) with an average age of 4 years and 6 months. Children who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic for an extended period show a delay in the acquisition of some phonemes compared to children who undergo typical phonological development as specified by Laura Bosch (2003) regarding language development for Spanish children. Likewise, they present a higher number of erroneous words and phonemes than expected for their age. Full article
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12 pages, 237 KiB  
Article
Early Childhood Educators’ Fear of Injury Risks Limits Movement and Physical Activity for Children—A Risk in Itself!
by Ann-Christin Sollerhed
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070755 - 11 Jul 2024
Viewed by 412
Abstract
Many children spend a large proportion of their waking hours in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Movement and physical activity (PA) are crucial for children’s development and sustainable health. The competence to manage and assess risks starts early in life and can [...] Read more.
Many children spend a large proportion of their waking hours in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Movement and physical activity (PA) are crucial for children’s development and sustainable health. The competence to manage and assess risks starts early in life and can be improved through opportunities for challenging PA. The aim of this study was to investigate ECEC educators’ experiences and perceptions of injury risks in ECEC and examine their reasoning about teaching movement and PA, and experiences of any restrictions and prohibitions of movement and PA. Eighteen ECEC educators were interviewed. The qualitative content analysis revealed three themes with adherent sub-themes: Responsibility for the children (Caretaking and Empathy); Fear of being accused (Fear of being exposed and Fear of being irresponsible in the work team); Low competence in movement (Low expectations of children and Perceived poor personal movement skills). The study concluded that educators’ fear of injury risks limits the children’s movement and PA occasions. The educators’ perceived poor personal motor skills and low fitness combined with their perceived low competence to teach movement limit the possibility for the children to develop their motor skills, which in turn might affect the children’s physical literacy for sustainable health. Full article

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Dis/ability and Disruption: The Productive Potential of Dis/ability in the Early Childhood Classroom

Abstract: As neoliberal-able discourses function to create an ever-increasingly narrow definition of the ideal individual, there is also a growing excess of individuals who are not able to temporarily benefit from the neoliberal-able market. Goodley (2014) explains that “it is in this excess that we can find possibility… biopolitical spaces and neoliberal subjectivities can be worked, that is, co-opted, resisted and subverted” (p. 33). I draw on the theorizations of dis/ability as disruption in order to examine the disruptive power of dis/ability within a participatory action research project that took place in an inclusive classroom of six to eight year-old children in France. Specifically, I will discuss: (1) the disabling experiences, and their relationship with ableism, which caused disruptions that ultimately drew individuals to seek out an inclusive classroom, and (2) the disruptive experience of dis/ability in the classroom, and the actions they demanded. Through the storylines of two children, Geoffrey and Roger, dis/ability functioned to disrupt normative practices in the New School classroom, opening up new possibilities for the community.

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