Early childhood pedagogies: spaces for young children to flourish

Abstract

This paper introduces the Special Issue of Early Child Development and Care focused on Early Childhood Pedagogy. It opens by considering past and present discourses concerning early childhood pedagogy, and focus is given to established philosophical underpinnings in the field and their translation to contemporary guidance, alongside research and policy. It is argued that early childhood pedagogy is a contested, complex and diverse space, yet these factors are entirely appropriate for supporting young children to flourish as valued individuals in different contexts. Building on this argument, it is posited that it may be more appropriate to discuss early childhood pedagogies rather than early childhood pedagogy. The paper goes on to critique a range of established early childhood pedagogies, before introducing 18 papers from across the world that make exciting new contributions to the discourse. It is intended that this collection will inspire new debates and fresh endeavours concerning early childhood pedagogies.

Keywords:

• early childhood pedagogy
• pedagogy
• early childhood education and care
• early childhood education
• early childhood development

Acknowledgements

My thanks go to the Special Issue authors, reviewers and the team at Taylor and Francis whose work is much appreciated. I am also indebted to Professor Roy Evans for the exceptional support he has provided in helping me to prepare this Special Issue.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Jane Murray, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer at the Centre of Education and Research, University of Northampton, UK, where she teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, supervises Ph.D. students and engages in research in the fields of education, early childhood education and social justice.