A Qualitative Metasynthesis of How Early Educators in International Contexts Address Cultural Matters That Contrast With Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Abstract

Research Findings: The National Association for the Education of Young Children's guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) have been imported and researched by others across the globe. A central issue that has arisen for these international early childhood educators is whether these best practices are sensitive to the sociocultural contexts in which they work. To shed further light on this issue, a qualitative metasynthesis was conducted that examined findings from published peer-reviewed studies of DAP in international early childhood contexts that investigated how early educators conceptualized and/or engaged in practices with young children. It then looked at whether these understandings and/or practices culturally contrasted with DAP. In brief, matters involving culture that contrasted with the framework of DAP arose frequently for the early educators in the data set. Yet researchers rarely offered suggestions for early educators to attend to these issues. Practice or Policy: It seems that to address matters involving culture that contrast with the framework of DAP in international contexts early educators should examine the 3 central tenets of DAP simultaneously when addressing the needs of children—their sociocultural, individual, and developmental needs. It also appears that advocates for DAP need to consider whether particular materials, resources, and/or policies should be in place in any early childhood education context for early educators to conceptualize as well as practice DAP. Lastly, there is a need for further research that examines how teachers in international contexts are responding to cultural issues that contrast with DAP in their conceptions of and/or practices in early education.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the editors of this journal and the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful and insightful suggestions in strengthening this article.

Notes

¹The other areas are creating a caring community of learners, planning curriculum to achieve important goals, assessing children's development and learning, and establishing reciprocal relationships with families (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, pp. 16–23).

²See Copple and Bredekamp (2009, pp. 33–50).

³In this article, early childhood contexts are broadly defined as programs/institutes serving children from birth to age 9. The names of these settings vary across countries (e.g., lower kindergarten in India).