Children's Self-determination in the Context of Early Childhood Education and Services

This book investigates the position of young children's self-determination within a range of social contexts, such as education, social care, mass-media, health, politics, law and the family. It brings to the fore the voices of the children in the present, with their interests, agendas and rights. Based on original primary research, the chapters tackle hegemonic discourses on children's self-determination as well as current policies and practices. They address a broad range of topics, from the planning of role-play to national policies, from the use of digital technologies for pedagogy to children's health and well-being, and from democratic practices in the classroom to the preservation of traditional family values. The book presents case studies to unravel how childhood and young children's self-determination are constructed at the intersection with intergenerational relationships. Coming from different disciplines and using a diverse range of methodological traditions, the contributions in the volume eventually converge to generate a rich, complex and multi-layered analysis of contemporary cultures of childhood and young children's rights.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- Practices.- 2. Practices / 1. Italy. Facilitating participation in early childhood education.- 3. Practices / 2. Japan. The exploration of four-year-olds potential: focusing the democratic meeting during the Japanese Field Day.- 4. Practices / 3. Finland. A collective method of early childhood self-determination.- 5. Practices / 4. England. Finding the voice of children. Video-observation to discover children's claims of knowledge through play.- 6. Practices / 5. Kazakhstan. Keeping it real: making space for play in early education in Kazakhstan.- 7. Practices / 6. United States of America. Hybrid-transitions as a space for children's agency. A case-study from a pre-kindergarten in Boston.- 8. Practices / 7. Wales. Foregrounding relationships in classroom practices framing children's learning: Case studies from two primary school classrooms in Wales.- 9. Practices / 8. New Zealand. You are spectacular! Considering babies' participation in an early childhood community.- Discourses. 10. Discourses / 1. Australia. Whose rights? The right of the child to be heard in the context of the family: An Australian early childhood perspective.- 11. Discourses / 2. Ireland. Two ears and only one mouth. Listening to children's voice in Irish Social Works through policy, cultural and organisational filters.- 12. Discourses / 3. Kenya. Challenging Negative Perceptions around the 'African Child'.- 13. Discourses / 4. Brazil. Accessing Disabled Children's Rights: Attitudes towards and Challenges for SEND in Brazil.- 14. Discourses / 5. Mexico. Children's Rights in Mexico. Analysis of a Legal and Policy Framework.- 15. Discourses / 6. England and Wales. The position of children's rights in the discourse on citizenship in Early Years Education and Care. The case of the Early Years Foundation Stage for England.- 16. Discourses / 7. New Zealand. I have a new taiaha: Learning new ways to advocate for the rights of mokopuna Mori.- 17. Discourses / 8. China. Children's participation rights in Chinese early childhood education: a critical investigation of policy and research.- 18. As a conclusion, for the future. A discussion on trust, agency and the semantics of rights in intergenerational relationships.