Editorial

As the newest member on the Board of Trustees I am honored to undertake this endeavor to write the editorial of this issue, highlighting the academic scholarship, quality, multiple perspectives and rigor (Bertram et al. 2016) with which this group of Early Childhood Education (ECE) researchers explore significant issues in the field.

The articles in this volume examine issues shared in eight different countries employing a wide range of methodologies (e.g., document review, video-cued focus or group interviews, videotaped/audiotaped observations, questionnaires, artifacts). In addition, the researchers offer multiple frameworks for analysis, and both qualitative and quantitative representations of data (e.g., anecdotes/episodes/vignettes of interactions, quotes from surveys or interviews, descriptive statistics and correlations). The breadth and universality of research themes examined, and the quality and ethics of the research reflect characteristics of this journal and the organization’s ethical principles.

The work highlighted in the articles presented here touches upon two main pillars. One makes reference to the time framework of past, present and future, which I have myself been working on in an attempt to theorize the pedagogical principles of ECE. This work asks: How do we provide for young children while creating space for their voices and meaningful participation in their world/learning (Loizou and Charalambous 2017)? The works of Pascale, Sylvie, Gilles and Pablo; Lunneblad and Kleppe fall under pillar 1. The second pillar refers to the spiral of professionalism, including participation in professional development programs, professional learning, and reflection as a critical skill for a professional identity. The studies by Bauters and Vandenbroeck; Hedges, and Cooper; Van Polanen, Colonnesi, Tavecchio, Blokhuis and Fukkink; Meyer and Eilifsen make direct references to pillar 2.

Pillar 1: the temporal stance of past-present-future

Scholars have defined the constructs of child and childhood through the dynamics of time, leading to terms such as beings and becomings (Uprichard 2008). Children are viewed as ‘beings’ when seen in the present time (a 12-month-old might be described as an infant who can sit and can understand more words than she can use and who attends childcare), and as ‘becomings’ when seen through the lens of the future (a 12-month-old infant described as one who will move to the toddler room of the childcare center when she becomes two, where she might be expected to sit in a circle and listen to a story for a certain amount of time). The other construct of the child, also important to consider, is the ‘having been’ child (a 12-month-old at the beginning of the semester was pulling herself up and moving around holding onto the furniture and now she is taking steps towards favorite adults enjoying social interaction). Children have a past, a present and a future and thus can be seen as ‘becomings’, ‘beings’ and ‘having beens’ (Cross 2011). Their behavior and actions are affected by the flow of time and in respect to change. Therefore, ECE educators, policymakers, and researchers need to take into account the way time creates differentiated childhoods, in order to comprehend children and develop policies and practices that respond to their temporal needs. I argue that temporality provides an authentic framework for early childhood pedagogy.

The work of Pascale, Sylvie, Gilles and Pablo illuminates how early childhood settings in France create differentiated experiences for children aged two to three, according to the way they are structured and agedly defined. Specifically, the aim of this study was to examine the experiences toddlers encounter based on the setting (e.g., crèche, école maternelle, jardins d’enfants) they attend and how professionals use their own experiences, knowledge and values to create these experiences. Drawing on the temporal framework, the authors suggest that the system is creating a dualistic construct of infants as ‘beings.’ They can be the ‘grands’ if they are attending the crèche, or the ‘tout-petits’ if they are attending école maternelle. Findings show that within the same setting (according to the age-based categorization a child receives: grands, moyens, petits, and tout-petits), children of the same age are treated differently due to the differentiated child–teacher ratio, the curriculum and expectations of practitioners. Finally, the authors describe how routines, instructions, rules, classroom management practices and use of specific materials and objects are clearly differentiated based on the setting, the categorization of the children and the practitioners’ expectations. This article emphasizes that age other than an ‘institutional convention’ is also the construct on which children’s learning, development and experiences are built.

In light of the current changes in the world, the article by Johannes Lunneblad provides timely insight into existing practices in Sweden, a country with a history of integrating refugee children and their families, and highlights the strategies and objectives preschool teachers employ in receiving children at their schools. Ethnographic data from three different preschools which serve a large number of refugee children illustrate the use of culturally reflexive and flexible strategies with an aim to empower parents and children, and examine strategies that support parents to adjust to the routines and norms of the Swedish preschool. As previously suggested, taking the temporal stance of past-present-future, Lunneblad’s work suggests that professionals can create a map of practices which consider children’s and parents’ past and previous experiences, rather than focusing only on their current vulnerabilities, in order to be able to better understand them and provide for them. She suggests strategies that help teachers contemplate refugee parents’ present and current realities (e.g., dealing with their children’s different school settings) without ‘colonizing’ them by being flexible enough to provide the space for them to find their way in. Finally, practitioners need to think of the children’s and families’ futures, reconstructing and reframing their expectations and goals accordingly. The temporal framework can be a form of emancipation for the refugee children, their parents and educators.

The last article which is placed within the temporal framework of the past-present-future is the work of Rasmus Kleppe which investigates the characteristics of risky play as exhibited by children between the ages of one and three. Findings suggest that the characteristics of risky play as exhibited in previous literature are common for children aged two and three, and involve feelings of fun, thrill and fear. Anecdotes are used to highlight how a risky play event with a long duration is primarily social. In addition, findings show that younger children, of the age of one, participated in fewer episodes of what is defined as risky play and during those instances the characteristics of their play were different. Kleppe views one-year-olds through the ‘Beings’ construct and explores their here and now experiences. He suggests that infants’ involvement in risky play is framed in their attempts to explore the world and their bodies and challenge themselves along the way. He concludes that the age convention is also affecting this research, and suggests that we need to redefine risky play for this age group to highlight play that involves uncertainty and exploration in reference to infants’ bodies or the environment

Pillar 2: the spiral of professionalism

The second pillar drawn from the studies included in this volume refers to the spiral of professionalism referring to professional development programs, professional learning, and reflection as a critical skill for professional identity. In my work with mentors and students I have previously highlighted the importance of considering the mobility of power in the Foucauldian perspective and that ‘in a respectful professional relationship there is an interplay of roles, not only that of the powerful and the powerless but also powerful and the empowered’ (Loizou 2011, 382–383). Also in exploring the professional identities of infant caregivers we underscored ‘the complexity and uniqueness in the ways that each of them came to new levels of personal and professional understanding’ (Recchia and Loizou 2002, 149). The studies of Bauters and Vandenbroeck; Hedges, Cooper, Van Polanen, Colonnesi, Tavecchio, Blokhuis and Fukkink; Meyer and Eilifsen in this issue also recast the concepts of professional learning and professional identity and espouse the authenticity of social interactions and power relationships.

Bauters and Vandenboreck examine the policies, professional qualifications and practices of childcare providers in Flanders, France and Germany with the intention to further highlight the importance of the field and the specific profession. Findings suggest that the professional identities of child caregivers, regardless of the institution they work for, are changing. In addition, in an attempt to further professionalize the field, specific training hours and/or qualifications are demanded by each country fueling further the vitality of caregivers’ work. Bauters and Vandenboreck conclude that there are attempts to reconceptualise childcare through revised regulations and practices; nevertheless, it takes time and careful consideration to avoid negative outcomes and support the field and its professionals to rise up to their significance.

The work of Hedges and Cooper, in Aotearoa, New Zealand, sees children as important informants of our understandings of how they conceive friendship, and thus involves them in defining friendship. These researchers also consider the use of videos as an important data collection method for in-depth analysis and a means to a form of professionalism for teachers. Data suggest that there is a combination of knowledge (e.g., you can negotiate with your friend without negative feelings), skills and strategies (e.g., children can find ways to become part of a playing group), attitudes and expectations (e.g., providing exciting ideas for a play scenario helps a child make friends) which are involved in the way children define friendships. These were best understood through looking reflectively at videos that teachers and researchers thoroughly analyzed collaboratively. These findings support the notion that reflection constitutes an important aspect of the educational knowledge teachers are expected to acquire.

Van Polanen, Colonnesi, Tavecchio, Blokhuis and Fukkink examine how professional identities are formed based on the caregiver’s sex. This study took place in the Netherlands and defined sex within a broader framework. Attachment, fathers’ role in caregiving and levels of feminine or androgynous caregiver sex roles were examined to explore whether the caregiving practices of males were different from those of females. Through observations and the use of specific measurement tools. Teacher–child interactions were analyzed based on four variables: attention, sensitivity, non-sensitivity and stimulation. Data from descriptive statistics suggest that male and female caregivers interact the same way with the children, boys and girls. Also, there was no connection between caregivers’ gender and sex roles, and female caregivers scored similarly in terms of femininity and androgyny. In conclusion, the researchers raise the question of whether both sexes are needed as role models in the field of ECE. Although additional information is needed before drawing conclusions on caregiver professional identity based on gender and sex roles, this study raises interesting questions for future research.

Within the realm of professional learning and as a response to the current pressures of measurable goals and learning outcomes, Skjeggestad Meyer and Eilifsen examine data drawn from the use of a specific teaching methodology which is based on introductory aesthetic experiences, which they call ‘INTRO’ and involves other disciplines and problem based learning. The study examines how such creative experiences impact Norwegian early childhood teacher education (ECTE) students’ learning processes. Through an analysis of survey quotes from the ECTE students describing their experience with ‘INTRO’, the researchers suggest that creativity, motivation and playfulness were all key aspects of their experience. These authors conclude that based on their findings, learning processes are best supported through creative experiences, alternative thinking, being playful and taking risks.

Kaye Colmer explores the wider spectrum of professional learning, professionalism, professional identity and leadership within Australia’s ECE context. Her study examines how the early years learning framework (EYLF) can support professionalism. Using two early childhood center case studies and interviewing both directors and educators. Colmer describes how professional learning was best supported. Findings suggest that providing space for all educators to participate, communicate and reflect on their practice and build new professional practices was considered a supportive action for professional learning. On the other hand, staff were disempowered by authoritarian ways of support, which obstructed the development of professional relationships and thus professional learning. It can be concluded that relationships, collective power and meaningful professional practice discussions provide a dynamic framework for leadership which leads to professionalism.

The last two articles provide readers with an alternative lens for viewing practice and research issues in ECE.

Andi Salamon explores the ethical aspects of her research practice with infants and caregivers. This study took place in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, with groups of teachers and infants. The authors used video vignettes with infants’ caregivers to elicit discussions on their practice, zooming in on what was being said, done and transferred in reference to relationships. Findings suggest the importance of considering the needs of all participants involved and taking into consideration the power dynamics. Salamon concludes that the in-depth examination and reflection of research practices provides the space for all participants – children, teachers and researchers – to be active contributors in the research process, to reconceptualise, and to also be reconceptualised.

Finally, Soo Won Lee investigates how children in kindergarten employ language and literacy classroom experiences structured by their teachers in their own mode of understanding and thus restructure their process of ideological becoming. This study explored the experiences of kindergarten children in a bilingual afternoon program in the US, examining second language teaching practices. Observational data and descriptive anecdotes highlight how children employed multiple modes in understanding, repeating and/or reconceptualising the discourse of authority of teachers. Lee concludes that relationships, social interactions and meaningful context based experiences, as well as negotiations, are essential in the process of ideological becoming which is exhibited in multiple modes.

The studies presented in this journal issue provide multiple orientations to significant ECE issues, theorized within specific frameworks which expand the way we see ECE in terms of praxis and research. I draw upon the temporal framework of time, to invite us to consider ourselves as educators and researchers with a past, a present and a future. Thus, we embody in our work ethical and authentic pedagogies in response to the challenging and changing times which we have lived, are living and will live.