Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.

This book provides an up-to-date account of relevant early childhood policy and practice in five Chinese societies: the People’s Republic of China or Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan. It analyses how traditional Chinese values, Eastern and Western curricular approaches, and socio-political, economic, cultural and demographic changes influence current policies, services and practice. It addresses responses to global concerns about the excluded and disadvantaged, and about quality, and explains lessons from and for Chinese early childhood education. divThis book is the first English-language research-based review of early childhood education and the factors that affect it in different Chinese societies. It is particularly timely given the increased recognition of the importance of early childhood education for human capital development globally, and the international interest in understanding early education in Chinese societies.iv>

Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.

With empirical evidence and theoretical critique, this book unveils the myths and debates (e.g., child-centeredness versus teacher-directedness) about early childhood curricula, revealing their unique social, cultural, and historical roots. Analyzing globally advocated early childhood curricula and ideologies, such as the developmentally appropriate practice, the child-centered approach, constructivism, and globalized childhood, this book argues that the direct adoption of these contextually bound approaches in local environments may be inappropriate if social and cultural compatibility is lacking. The authors then examine how early childhood curricula may be implemented in a hybrid form. Featuring case studies from American and Chinese contexts, this book offers insights and recommendations for the future development and redeployment of early childhood curriculum studies and practices in a post-truth era. This volume serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students of early childhood education and comparative education, as well as for key education stakeholders.

This edited book on Digital Technologies and Early Childhood in China: Policy and Practice is the eighth volume in the Research in Global Child Advocacy Series. This volume details the entanglement of digital technologies and early childhood ecologies, learning and pedagogies in China. It analyses how traditional Chinese values, Eastern and Western curricular approaches, and socio-political, economic, cultural, and demographic changes influence current policies, services, and practice. This book is the first research-based review of technology integration into early childhood education and the factors that affect it in China. It is particularly timely given China’s growing influence and the increased recognition of the importance of early childhood education for human capital development globally. Across international contexts, there is limited knowledge of China’s early childhood curricular reforms, and this book offers insight into the socio-cultural and political influences that have driven the nation’s tremendous investment in the technology infrastructure, the ambitious goals for implementation into the education of young children, and barriers to these integration efforts. Collectively, this rich collection of chapters offers a nuanced understanding of the entanglement of digital technologies and early childhood education in China. Each chapter sheds light on a distinct aspect of this complex landscape, providing valuable insights and opening new avenues for exploration. It sheds light on the socio-cultural and political influences that have shaped China's ambitious goals for technology integration in the education of young children. By addressing the barriers and challenges faced in these integration efforts, the book provides critical knowledge for policymakers, researchers, and educators seeking to enhance early childhood education practices in China and beyond. Furthermore, this volume contributes to the global understanding of China's early childhood curricular reforms and the significant investments made in technology infrastructure. As China continues to play an influential role in the global landscape, understanding its early childhood curricular reforms and technology integration efforts becomes increasingly important. This book contributes to the international knowledge base by offering insights into the socio-cultural and political influences driving China's investment in technology infrastructure and the challenges faced in its implementation. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and educators worldwide seeking to enhance early childhood education practices, promote digital literacy, and harness the potential of digital technologies in early learning environments.

The Chinese language is now used by a quarter of the world’s population and is increasingly popular as a second language. Teaching Chinese Literacy in the Early Years comprehensively investigates the psychology, pedagogy and practice involved in teaching Chinese literacy to young children. This text not only explores the psycholinguistic and neuropsychological processing involved in learning Chinese literacy but also introduces useful teaching methods and effective practices relevant for teaching within early years and primary education. Key issues explored within this text include: The Psycholinguistics of Chinese Literacy Neuropsychological Understanding of Chinese Literacy The pedagogy of teaching Chinese as a first language The Pedagogy of Teaching Chinese as a second language Teaching Chinese literacy in early childhood settings Assessing Chinese Literacy Attainment in the Early Years With the addition of two reliable Chinese literacy scales, Teaching Chinese Literacy in the Early Years is an essential text for any student, lecturer or professional teacher who is interested in learning and teaching Chinese literacy.

This book offers various perspectives on children’s spirituality and its relation to life and values education from diverse socio-cultural and educational contexts. It brings together a collection of select research articles that were published over a period of two decades (1999–2020) in the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality (IJCS), to celebrate the journal’s 25th anniversary. Featuring contributions by leading international scholars from U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Hong Kong, China, and Australia, this volume offers a multidisciplinary snapshot of children’s spirituality and its relation to life and values education. It highlights the importance of socio-cultural and religious traditions, as well as perspectives on religious education and the spirituality of children shaped by religious, cultural and educational systems in specific societies and contexts. Chapters cover topics including the links between mirror neurons and human empathy and education; the relationship between spirituality and citizenship; the notion of inclusive spiritual education and the perspectives of spiritual education through the conceptual lens of transcendence, raised awareness and spiritualism; how outdoor play spaces can contribute to a child’s spiritual development through enriching activities; and approaches to help nurture students’ spiritual growth in their aspects of themselves (self), others, the environment, and with a Transcendent Other (transcendence). This volume will be a key resource for researchers and postgraduate students interested in understanding children’s spirituality and its implications for spiritual, life and values education.

This book provides different perspectives on the concept of children’s rights, including policy, educational, and children’s perspectives. It examines how the crucial ideas of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are respected and implemented in 14 countries in five regions of the world. It looks at early childhood education, children’s participatory rights, and at how these rights are promoted and guaranteed in different countries. It explores the professional practice of education and its complexities, challenges and dilemmas, as well as the role of play, and of listening and participation. The book advocates children’s rights today, arguing for its vital importance, in the best interests of the children. In doing so, it furthers the understanding of children’s rights and spreads knowledge about the Convention, as a means of celebrating its 30th anniversary. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) comprises the potential to change the lives of children to the very best. It may exalt children from the position of marginalized citizens to the centre of policies all over the world. Even though the concept of children’s rights is omnipresent, the respect for children’s rights must be discussed. While the Convention brings the new perspective of children as citizens to the world, there are still challenges in its application. The book interrogates challenges in understanding and applying children rights and offers possible answers to these challenges. The ratification process itself, does not guarantee that children’s rights are respected. While all adults should take responsibility for implementing the UNCRC in everyday life, Early Childhood Education should give opportunities for children to learn and live their rights.

This book brings together new theoretical perspectives and bilingual education models from different sociopolitical and cultural contexts across the globe in order to address the importance of sociocultural, educational and linguistic environments that create, enhance or limit the ways in which diasporic children and young people acquire the ‘Chinese’ language. The chapters present a variety of research-based studies on Chinese heritage language education and bilingual education drawing on detailed investigations of formal and informal educational input including language socialization in families, community heritage language schools and government sponsored educational institutions. Exploring the many pathways of learning ‘Chinese’ and being ‘Chinese’, this volume also examines the complex nature of language acquisition and development, involving language attitudes and ideologies as well as linguistic practices and identity formation. Learning Chinese in Diasporic Communities is intended for researchers, teacher-educators, students and practitioners in the fields of Chinese language education and bilingual education and more broadly those concerned with language policy studies and sociolinguistics.

This Handbook focuses on enquiries and investigations into the everyday lives of young children in the age range of birth to 8 years of age, giving space to their voices and involving interrogations about the various aspect of their lives. It engages with the interdisciplinary field of childhood studies, education, cultural studies, ethnography, and philosophy.