Early childhood care and education in Jamaica. Stakeholders’ perceptions of global influences on a local space

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study aims to contribute to the dearth of literature pertaining to the impact of globalisation on education in Jamaica. Focussing on the early childhood level, it outlines the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the trajectory of sector development and highlights how they have had to accommodate their practices. Teachers, parents, principals and leaders in the early childhood field were interviewed. Two questions guided the research: (1) What are stakeholders’ perceptions about external factors/entities influence on Jamaica’s early childhood sector? (2) How have stakeholders’ practices been influenced by these external factors/entities? Thematic analysis highlighted diverse perspectives from the participants. Some accepted the involvement on external agencies while others felt this was not in the best interest of the education sector. It is strongly recommended that countries, such as Jamaica, need to consider the support of external entities and the stipulations that come with this support, within a ‘culturally relevant framework’.

KEYWORDS:

• Jamaica
• early childhood education
• external influence
• globalisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Dr Zoyah Kinkead-Clark, is a lecturer and researcher in early childhood education at the University of the West Indies, Mona. Her current research focus is aimed at understanding how young children are shaped by their ecological experiences within the home and wider community and how educators can build on these in the early childhood classroom.