Democratic Policies and Practices in Early Childhood Education: An Aotearoa New Zealand Case Study
About this ebook
The book starts with an analysis and critique of global trends in ECEC in countries that share capitalist mixed economies of welfare, and where competition and marketisation have become dominant principles. It then analyses ideas about children, childhood and ECEC within a framework of democracy, going back to the Athenean origins of democracy and including recent literature on meanings and traditions of democracy in education. The book uses vivid examples from researching curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices within Aotearoa New Zealand ECEC settings and collective action to influence policy change in order to illustrate opportunities for democratic education. It concludes by examining what conditions might be needed for integrated and democratic ECEC provision in Aotearoa New Zealand, and what changes are necessary for the future. It offers a compass not a map; it points to promising directions and provides insights into issues in ECEC policy and practice that are of current global concern.
About the author
Linda Mitchell is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Early Years Research Centre at The University of Waikato, New Zealand. She has built a national and international reputation through her research and publications in early childhood education policy, and has been a strong critic of the marketization and commercialisation of education and their impact on children, families and early childhood services. Other current areas of her research are assessment, culturally responsive pedagogy, and connections with parents, families and community. A main interest is in democratic policies and practices in early childhood education.
