162 research outputs found
Sort by
(Un)familiar materials: Using dis/assemblage to think critically about race and racism
Full text linkThis study investigates how white educators engage with justice-centered pedagogies and practices in early childhood spaces. It is situated in the Southwestern United States where local/state/federal contexts are attempting to silence Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives and enact violence towards communities of Color. Rooted in Critical Whiteness Studies as a critique of white supremacy, this work interrogates past-present-future histories of white immunity and domination while forefronting the resistance of communities of Color across time, place, and space. The focus group session shared here is part of a larger study that uses photovoice and arts-informed analyses to move white early childhood educators across-between-within-beyond allyship, activism, and co-conspiracy. Coming together as critical friends to unearth and confront enactments of race, racism, and whiteness«antiBlackness in early childhood spaces, co-researchers dis/assembled familiar-now-unfamiliar-to-be-familiar-again materials to make sense of previously-taken photographs. This individual and collective artmaking moved co-researchers with/in spaces of un/certainty – both with artmaking and speaking about race and racism. This study illustrates how artmaking set the stage for bravery, positioned co-researchers as critical friends, and provoked critical reflexivity. In doing so, it asserts dis/assemblage as a literal and metaphorical re-making process through which white educators build, break, and re-build art, themselves, and their early childhood spaces. This article calls for researchers to engage with methods and analyses processes outside of the whitestream and posits analytical artmaking as pivotal to whitewomen’s critical reflexivity
Centering Black women’s voices to advance anti-racist pedagogy and pro-Black approaches in early childhood settings
Full text linkDespite calls for anti-racist and pro-Black pedagogy in early childhood settings within Canada, such approaches generally remain absent, and many past efforts have been erased or. Colorblind approaches continue to persist in early childhood care settings. This kind of systemic racism may be linked with the overrepresentation of Black (and Indigenous) children in the child welfare system. To date, few studies have investigated the possible mediating role of early childhood educators. Early childhood educators have the potential to serve as mandated reporters, and this article draws from Black feminist thought, Black critical theory (BlackCrit) and pro-Black pedagogies to explore how Black early childhood educators in Toronto, Canada can challenge anti-Black racism in childcare settings. Using these frameworks, the article aims to explore the resistance strategies of Black early childhood educators and specific ways they use their knowledge to resist anti-Black racism and enact pro-Black pedagogies. Nine semi-structured interviews yielded four key themes: (1) teachable moments to challenge anti-Black racism and advance anti-racism; (2) pro-Black approaches as liberatory pedagogical practice; (3) othermothering principles and community leadership to challenge oppression; and (4) resistance practices among Black early childhood educators. The findings revealed how Black early childhood educators affirm Black children\u27s humanity and center Black ways of knowing while disrupting anti-Black racism toward themselves and the children and families they support
A longitudinal case study of a preschool-age child’s acquisition of writing
Full text linkThis article refers to a longitudinal case study, the main aim of which was to depict the development of the writing skills of a child from a high social class background, called Andreas, during the phase of his emergent/early literacy. The writings Andreas produced during literacy events that took place in his family environment from his birth until his entrance in primary school were assessed using the child’s intended purpose and text characteristics as the main axes, while a series of supplementary data was also examined. The results of the in-depth analysis of the written productions provided a satisfactory outline of the process for Andreas’ acquisition of the writing code as this developed over time, and they also brought to light the reasons that prompted him to write
Creating innovative Canadian approaches to anti-racism in early childhood: Transformative practices for addressing and disrupting racism
Full text linkCanada projects itself as a land of opportunity, embracing inclusivity and multiculturalism in both education and broader societal discourse. However, this ideological framework obscures the realities of race and institutional racism, failing to address persistent inequities experienced by Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities, including immigrants and refugees. In early childhood education, dominant discourses of diversity and color blindness reinforce the notion that young children are racially innocent and unaffected by race. Yet, reconceptualist early childhood scholars demonstrate that by ages three to four, children develop racial awareness, identification, and attitudes, positioning themselves within racial hierarchies. This recognition underscores the enduring and systemic nature of racism embedded in both formal and informal educational settings. This paper explores innovative anti-racist educational approaches that extend beyond individual and interpersonal racism to challenge structural and systemic inequities within educational institutions. Centering marginalized critical theories, including Indigenous epistemologies, Critical Race Theory, and critical pedagogy, frameworks often overlooked in mainstream early childhood education, we highlight transformative pedagogies and practices that disrupt racism and advance equity in diverse educational contexts
From compliance to refusal: White childhoods and abolitionist imaginaries in early childhood education and care
Full text linkThis paper introduces the concept of white childhoods as a critical framework to examine how whiteness, coloniality, and racial capitalism shape early childhood education and care systems in Europe. Dominant norms of childhood, rooted in white, middle-class, heteronormative, and non-disabled ideals, structure how children are seen as emotionally legible, developmentally "normal," and worthy of institutional care. Racialized and migrant children are often positioned as deficient, with their languages, cultural practices, and family structures rendered unintelligible or threatening. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Syrian mothers and ethnographic observations across Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, the paper maps how white childhoods are enforced through language policy, affective expectations, and maternal surveillance. Beyond critique, the paper uses short speculative vignettes to explore abolitionist futures in which care is collective, multilingualism is embraced, and belonging is not conditional. These speculative fragments are grounded in the lived experiences and quiet refusals voiced by migrant mothers, treating imagination as both method and political strategy. Rather than seeking inclusion or reform, the paper calls for dismantling the racialized logics of early childhood education and care and for building educational spaces grounded in relationality, cultural sovereignty, and joy. Abolition here is framed not as utopian idealism but as a pedagogical and methodological commitment to living otherwise
Operationalizing radical hope: Broadening whole-child approaches to restructure the whole system
Full text linkAlthough a “holistic” tenet of equitable early childhood education and care, focusing on the whole-child overlooks how systems maintain inequality. Predicated on individual-level interventions, the whole-child approach prioritizes “fixing” children, but not the oppressive systems that contextualize children’s realities. This paper describes historic and ongoing oppressive reasoning that guide educational theory and developmental science. Relatedly, cultural knowledge embedded in the Afro-centric, Ghanaian principles of Sankofa guide our looking back to identify the etiology of asymmetric power relations that characterize formal education systems, which helps redirect how we move forward to rectify unjust systems starting at personal and social levels
Reimagining anti-racist pedagogy in early childhood education: Foregrounding critical theories and frameworks that challenge racism
Full text linkRecent global events, shaped by conservative ideologies, neoliberalism, and capitalism, have exacerbated racism toward displaced individuals, particularly migrants and refugees of color. In Canadian early childhood education, these racist ideologies manifest through theories rooted in white, patriarchal, colonial knowledge systems that frame refugee children through a deficit lens. Such frameworks position early childhood education as a mechanism for assimilation, prioritizing workforce preparation in merit-driven economies over recognizing refugee children’s lived experiences, cultural strengths, and intersectional identities. In response to the global rise in racism, this paper examines transformative anti-racist approaches in early childhood education that challenge dominant discourses and systemic inequities. Through a case study of a Syrian refugee child and her mother, the paper reimagines anti-racist pedagogy by drawing on critical poststructural theories from the margins, including Black Feminist Thought, the sociology of childhood, and critical pedagogy. By centering Black feminist storytelling methodologies, this study highlights the necessity of valuing marginalized knowledge and participatory, creative practices in early childhood education. It argues for an intentional shift toward anti-racist educational frameworks that dismantle deficit-based narratives and affirm the agency and contributions of refugee children and their families
‘We can make a difference’: School leaders’ claims about School-Age Educare in areas with socioeconomic challenges
Full text linkThe aim of this study is to explore how School-Age Educare Centers (SAEC) adapt to the circumstances and needs of pupils living in areas with socioeconomic challenges, and how SAEC can contribute to promote pupils’ continued learning and knowledge development for further education and for life. The Swedish school-age educare offers education and care for children aged 6-12 years old, before and after school. The following research question guides the study: What claims are made about the SAEC contribution to pupils in terms of subjectification and qualification? Data consist of 13 interviews with school leaders working in schools in vulnerable areas, neighborhoods at risk, and particularly exposed zones identified by the Swedish Police. Qualitative content analysis was applied. The study is theoretically grounded in Biesta’s concepts subjectification and qualification, which are used as aspects of education. This study contributes with nuanced descriptions of how the SAEC mission to compensate and complement is claimed to be put into practice. One conclusion is that school-age educare centers can make a difference in children’s life conditions and prerequisites for succeeding in school. Another conclusion is that school-age educare centers emerge as potential arenas for crime prevention
The post-earthquake pedagogical implementations of the earthquake victim pre-school teachers
Full text linkThe main aim of this study is to investigate the pedagogical approaches of earthquake-affected teachers after the earthquake that caused great destruction and loss of life in Kahramanmaras on the February 6. Teachers have crucial roles in revitalising education settings in the post-disaster phase. Based on this point, this study was organised as a qualitative research within the case study. Thirty participant teachers were selected from schools in the areas affected by the deadly earthquake in Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. Semi-structured interviews were employed to gather data, and a descriptive content analysis method was used to analyse the data. The findings were explained through five main themes: activities pre-earthquake, the changes made in the educational settings, indoor activities in post-earthquake, outdoor activities in post-earthquake, and children and teachers\u27 attitudes towards activities in post-earthquake. The teachers placed importance on outdoor activities after the earthquake and stated that they fully understand what children experienced; therefore, they behave more considerately when compared to before and after the earthquake. This research aimed to help shape policies and professional development programmes that equip educators to address post-disaster education challenges
Fostering inclusive learning through bilingual drama-based storytime and UDL for young emergent multilinguals with disabilities
Full text linkThis study explores how drama-based storytime lesson activities in two dual-language bilingual education (DLBE) developmental preschool classrooms serving emergent multilinguals with disabilities (EMwDs) align with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Traditional, one-size-fits-all educational practices often create barriers for diverse learners, including young EMwDs, by designing lessons for an “average” student. Drama-Based Pedagogy (DBP), which integrates drama strategies into academic instruction, has been shown to support young children’s language, literacy, and socioemotional development, particularly in early childhood settings. Similarly, UDL focuses on removing barriers to learning by designing instruction that accounts for learner variability through three key principles: representation, engagement, and action and expression. We argue that DBP and UDL offer complementary approaches that embrace learner diversity and promote inclusive, responsive, and accessible learning environments. This study was conducted as part of a larger professional development program designed to prepare early childhood teachers to integrate drama strategies into literacy instruction in DLBE classrooms. We analyzed drama-based storytime activities led by a drama teaching artist and a preschool educator in morning and afternoon developmental preschool DLBE classrooms, serving ten EMwDs. Using Vosaic software, we deductively analyzed 18 videotaped drama lessons. Findings revealed that drama-based storytime lessons align with UDL’s principles of representation, engagement, and action and expression, while also creating unique opportunities for EMwDs to have their abilities recognized and to actively participate through multiple modalities in English and Spanish storytime lessons