Research on the Dynamic Relationships among Taiwan’s Early Childhood Education and Its Stakeholders: The System Dynamics Perspective

In Taiwan,the low birth rate has become one of the most critical problems faced by the government and educational institutions at all levels.The enrolling student number of kindergartens perhaps is the most directly affected by such trend.The purpose of this study aims at constructing a system dynamics model to depict the relationships between the preschool children and their stakeholders for deducing the evolutionary trends of,and the interactions of,governmental policies and the operations of the early childhood education institutions.Through the interpretation of policies and simulation analysis of the twenty-year growth trend related to the child population in Taiwan,this study found that governmental policies and the promotion of education and care services have a positive effect on the growth of all levels of kindergarten classes.Besides,the relationship between the education and care service staff and the kindergarten play a causal balancing role in our proposed model.We suggest that the system dynamics model proposed by this study can help to observe the dynamic relationships formed by the stakeholders in preschool education and care system based on the“joint responsibility”of Taiwan’s early childhood education.

Lessons from the British Early Childhood Education and Qualification Certification System for Early Childhood Education in China

This paper explores the early childhood education systems in the United Kingdom(UK)and China,providing valuable insights and lessons for improving early childhood education in China.It discusses key aspects of education philosophy,teacher training and professional development,qualification certification and standards,policy recommendations,and future prospects.The UK’s emphasis on child-centered education,the use of play-based learning methods,and the recognition of the importance of social and emotional development serve as valuable lessons for China’s early childhood education system.Additionally,the paper highlights the need for unified national standards and certification,higher entry requirements for teachers,ongoing professional development,practical experience for teachers,and diverse certification pathways.The future of early childhood education in China includes raising the social status of early childhood educators,integrating digital education and technology,promoting interdisciplinary education,enhancing collaboration between families and schools,and addressing the needs of special children.

Current Status and Trends of Fiscal Support for Early Childhood Education in China

Early childhood education is recognized globally as a critical stage in a child’s development,fostering cognitive,emotional,social,and physical growth.The quality and accessibility of early childhood education are of paramount importance for a nation’s future development.This paper explores the current status and trends of fiscal support for early childhood education in China.By analyzing the evolution of early childhood education policies,government funding,and international experiences,this study aims to provide insights into the impact of fiscal support on the quality and accessibility of early childhood education.It also addresses existing challenges and offers policy recommendations for the advancement of early childhood education in China.

The Influenceof Cultureon Early Childhood Education Curriculum in the UAE

Purpose:This article provides an overview of how childhood curriculum in the United Arab Emirates(UAE)is designed to serve cultural values.Design/Approach/Methods:The framework of kindergarten curriculum adopts the uniqueness of children laying the foundation for their cultural identity.This paper provides a description of how this is achieved through a case study of the kindergarten curriculum in the UAE.Findings:The core elements of Emirati culture are delivered in the early childhood education(ECE)curriculum,which is influenced by global practices.Islamic studies is a key component in the Emirati kindergarten curriculum,which is designed to help children practice principles of religion,with the main Islamic values of gratitude and charity as aspects that are deeply embedded.Similarly,through social studies,children learn about Emirati heritage and culture.In addition to exposure to world communities,the learning experience engages children in authentic stories that relate to their personal lives,families,and community to build national awareness.Originality/Value:This paper sheds light on ECE in the UAE.Although the topic is of interest to UAE policymakers and educators and the global audience interested in UAE education,there is no study to the researcher's best knowledge that has examined the influence of the UAE culture on ECEcurriculum.

Early Childhood Education for Sustainability Through Contradicting and Overlapping Dimensions

Purpose:The article investigates how to make a broader understanding of sustainability relevant for early childhood education(ECE)guided by the four dimensions suggested by United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization:ecological,economic and social/cultural sustainability,and good governance.Design/Approach/Methods:Previous research on ECE on sustainability is discussed in relation to the four dimensions and to Biesta’s concepts of socialization,qualification,and subjectification.Findings:The investigation finds that all four dimensions are necessary in ECE for sustainability,and it suggests how the dimensions can be understood,how they may overlap,and how they can be contradictive.Originality/Value:The article depicts how children’s opportunities to engage and to disturb established ways of thinking can be facilitated through all dimensions.

Parental expectation of early childhood education: comparison between China, Japan, and Korea

This study investigates 727 parents from China, Japan, and Korea by a self-devised scale and compares the differences in their expectation of early childhood education in cross-cultural backgrounds. The result shows that parents from the three countries have a positive attitude toward their children’s development. The main effect of nations on such factors as individual development, close attention to diet, willpower training, moral judgment, and emotional exchange with adults is significant, while the two-way interaction between nations and child gender, nations and child age, and the three-way interaction between nations, child gender, and child age are not significant.

Purposeful and Ethical Early Childhood Teacher:The Underlying Values Guiding Finnish Early Childhood Education

Purpose:The new Finnish National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care(2018)strongly highlights pedagogical knowledge and practice,demanding teachers to develop their pedagogical thinking,evaluation,judgment,and operating culture.Since ethics is viewed as vital characteristics of the teaching profession,our objective is to make these complex ethical issues more visible to be subject to democratic discussion and change.Design/Approach/Methods:The framework comprises a broad theory base of codes of ethics and professional codes of ethics of teaching.The research materials were national curricula of early childhood education and care(ECEC)-and pre-primary education.The eight-step qualitative analysis process was applied to identify and shed light on the codes of ethics laying the foundations forpurposeful and ethical earlychildhood education(ECE)teacher.Findings:The results indicate that through both theoretical lenses,the Finnish ECEC curricula comprise several ethical codes.For the future purposeful ECE teachers as ethical professionals,the results raise questions for further discussion.Particularly,issues related to the ethics of care,intellectual freedom,inquiry stance,and professional competence,and diversity may further enhance our ECEC curricula.

Values in Early Childhood Education(ECE):A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Values for ECE Expressed in Policy Documents

Purpose:This comparative study identifies core values expressed in Early Childhood Education(ECE)official policy documents from a sample of thirteen countries.Design/Approach/Methods:This study employs document analysis as well as content and thematic analysis.ECE values identified in the policy documents are categorized into three groups:political and society-related values,educational values,and individual and relational values.Findings:Document analysis reveals the values that are common across countries and those that are more specific to just one or a few countries at most.This study discusses the characteristics of these values from the perspective of globalization.In doing so,this comparative study llustrates and discusses the tendencies for both convergence and divergence in ECE values in policymaking worldwide.

Discussion on the Current Situation of Inclusive Education in Chinese Preschools

At present,the public is beginning to pay attention to education and the growth of young children,and inclusive education is gradually being valued by the public.Society needs to treat everyone equally,include all children,oppose discrimination and exclusion,and protect the right to education of children with special needs.By discovering and eliminating various learning obstacles,all children have more opportunities to participate in learning and realize the personalization of teaching models.The implementation of inclusive education in kindergartens can enable more children with special needs to adapt to and integrate into society.The article discusses the challenges faced by inclusive education in Chinese preschool under the perspective of inclusive education,in order to improve the quality of inclusive education and promote the healthy physical and mental development of children.

A Comparison of the Main Features of Suzuki and Traditional Violin Education

In early childhood education it is important to determine a child＇s ability or attitude towards different subjects Training and/or education geared towards these tendencies will not only ensure a more healthy future choice in education for the child but furthermore will enable the child to have a happier educational atmosphere in early childhood. Music education/training in early childhood is considered to be very important in early years. Music education/training, in the correct and proper context using tangible and feasible teaching techniques not only improves and develops a child＇s musical skills but also helps develop his/her personality. Two people who shared this view were Zolt^n Kod^ly and Shinichi Suzuki. Suzuki positively affected the educational systems worldwide with his approach to violin teaching and his ideas on early childhood pedagogy. Choosing between the Suzuki violin teaching methodology and the traditional violin teaching methodology is a personal decision. This article tries to objectively elaborate on different aspects of Suzuki and traditional violin teaching methodologies. Each methodology has its pros and cons and knowing what these are will help individuals to make a more educated choice.

Developmental Programming of Ethical Consciousness： Impact on B ioscience Ethics Education and Learning

Personal ethics are strongly influenced by emotions, particularly secondary emotions, because these emotions expand ethical reasoning and development as the child matures. A well-developed consciousness profoundly influences a person＇s actions and conduct when solving problems of what is thought, or taught to be, right or wrong Compelling neurological evidence supports the claim that children begin to develop enduring ethical standards at an early age and that these standards are largely based on the experiences of early childhood. Essentially, the innate sense of ethics requires nurturing during infancy before it can be cognitively understood and practiced in maturity. In biological terms, the development of neural networks that regulate emotional growth, and subsequently, the capacity for ethical discrimination, depends on the infant＇s early social environment. Thus, the toddler＇s early epigenetic experiences enhance, or impede, its innate still dormant genetic potential. Importantly, personal character development and ethical discrimination begins long before the child＇s formal educational years. As a consequence, early learning has to discover ways of conserving adaptive thinking which can be applied to the choices that may confront future generations. Early ethics education, including accurate access to scientific, medical, and technological knowledge, is thus critical. Future generations will increasingly require education from a global perspective when making major ethical decisions in areas, such as nuclear technology, disposal of wastes, preservation of biodiversity, global warming, and unregulated human population growth. As long as our culture continues to reflect advances in science and technology, there is an obligation to make science education overlap with crucial periods in the advancement of ethical consciousness. Significantly, when considering the human capacity for excess at times of conflict, it is incumbent on the scientific community to integrate research-based knowledge with wide-ranging learning and problem-solving skills. Bioscience ethics, the established interface bridging applied science and applied bioethics, can assist in this process of integration. To become fully responsible adults, we must share our extraordinary cognitive talents and respect life on earth in all its rich diversity. In biological terms, human uniqueness resides primarily in our brains with its products being co-operation in family and ancestral units, long education, sophisticated language and culture, and importantly, ethical consciousness-all attributes held in trust by knowledge and wisdom for future generations.

A Critical Analysis of Education for Sustainability in Early Childhood Curriculum Documents in China and Norway

Purpose:This article examines how early childhood curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts are associated with current concepts of sustainability and principles of early childhood education for sustainability(ECEfS)in China and Norway.Design/Approach/Methods:Applying critical document analysis,the study explores a number of landmark curriculum documents from China and Norway,comparing the ways in which ECEfS is conceptualized,including the concept of sustainability,children as agents of change for sustainability,and sustainability in young children’s everyday lives.Findings:Corresponding to the analytical framework,China and Norway attach different importance to the three dimensions of sustainability-social-cultural,economic,and environmental.For example,Norway has a more autonomous view of children’s agency,while China gives more emphasis to teachers’support.The two countries also have different perspectives on how to work with families and communities based on significantly different traditions and institutions.The comparative document analysis argues that predominant cultural dimensions in each context,such as collectivist and individualistic factors,may shape the understandings of sustainability in each country’s early years’curriculum documents.Originality/Values:By broadening the focus on the social-cultural aspects of sustainability,this study extends the development of a culturally inclusive understanding of the concept of sustainability and contextualized/localized approaches to ECEfS across the globe.

Analysis of the Impact of Unequal Distribution of Educational Resources in Rural Areas of China on Educational Equity

This paper examines the unequal distribution of educational resources in rural areas of China and its impact on educational equity.Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature,case studies,and statistical data,the research identifies key disparities in areas such as teacher-to-student ratios,educational infrastructure,and educational attainment.The study also explores the long-term effects of these disparities on social mobility and economic development in rural regions.Drawing on international experiences from countries like Finland,South Korea,and Brazil,the paper offers policy recommendations and a practical pathway for reform.These include enhancing investment in rural education,improving teacher recruitment and retention,standardizing the curriculum,leveraging technology,strengthening early childhood education,and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.The paper concludes with a call to action for policymakers,educators,and community leaders to work collaboratively towards achieving educational equity and social justice in China.

The Relation between Early Childhood Teachers’ Conceptualization of “Play” and Their Practice:Implication for the Process of Learning to Teach

For centuries,educators and psychologists have advocated“play”as the ideal activity for the development of young children.Actually,play has been found currently to be the central pedagogy in the learning of young children in 21 countries in the world.However,the quality of play-based pedagogy is becoming a key concern across countries.Scholars found that play is either too loosely framed to result in children’s optimal development;or it is too“teacherly”and looses the essence of play.The recent report released by OECD highlighted its concern about play in early childhood education and,urged international researchers and educators to make efforts to bridge the gap.Hong Kong is not an exception on the issue of play enactment.Though resources have been put in for the professional upgrading of early education teachers in the last two decades,the learning and teaching style is still didactic and there appears to be a misinterpretation of play-based pedagogy.The present paper attempts to explore the issue through early childhood teachers’conceptualization of“learning and teaching through play”with the aim of understanding the problem and shedding light for better ways to prepare teachers in this sector.

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Young Children:Redeveloping the Five Big IdeasFramework

Purpose:To align with the artificial intelligence and robotics(AlR)research and policy agenda,this paper puts forth an adapted five big ideas framework specifically tailored to teaching young children about artificial intelligence(Al)via robotics.Design/Approach/Methods:Grounded in early childhood education research,the proposed framework emphasizes the use of robotics and play-based learning to make Al accessible and encourage engagement among young children who have not started formal schooling.Findings:We comparatively analyze the commonalities and differences in Al big ideas between the original K-12 framework and the redeveloped early childhood education framework.To pique children's interest,key concepts are presented through interactions with robotics and robot role-play.This paper also provides recommendations for age-appropriate topics,storytelling,and play-based teaching methods.OriginalityNalue:This framework aims to equip researchers and educators with strategies for successfully integrating introductory Al education into early childhood classrooms.Teaching Al in a developmentally responsive manner can help nurture young children's curiosity toward and understanding of an increasingly Al-driven world.

Can ECE Classes Sustainably Empower Preschool Children’s Development?-A Longitudinal Study of the Role of ECE Classes in Children’s Learning and Development

Does enrolling children aged 0-3 in early childhood education(ECE)classes continuously empower their learning and development after entering kindergarten?Based on the tracking survey data of 664 children aged 3-6 in 2017 and 367 children aged 3-6 in 2018,this study uses Propensity Score Matching to analyze this issue.The findings reveal that children’s family socioeconomic status is a key factor influencing their participation in ECE classes.The baseline data show that participation in ECE classes does not significantly improve children’s learning and development.However,the follow-up data show that participation in ECE classes plays a significant negative role in motor development for children moving to their second year of kindergarten,but subsequently plays a positive role in language development,health,and safety for those entering their third year of kindergarten.Overall,participation in ECE classes plays no continuous positive role in children’s learning and development after they enter kindergarten.Based on these findings,it is suggested that parents should respect the natural laws of child development instead of blindly following the trend of attending ECE classes,and high-quality parental companionship is crucial.The Chinese government is supposed to implement policies such as“double reduction”to regulate ECE institutions that fail to operate in good faith.

The Authority of Age： Institutions for Childhood Development in China, 1895-1910

The structure of aged-based education and the science of childhood development were introduced to China in the last decades of the Qing dynasty. Drawing on period textbooks, journal articles, and school documents for women and children, this study argues that the theory of childhood development helped shape socialized play and citizenship training in new schools. These new institutions followed scientific insights about childhood development in terms of both physical and emotional growth. Educators hoped to found schools that would inculcate respect for political authority within the classroom, and administrators took unprecedented steps in documenting and regulating children. Schools not only became places for disseminating learning, but also centers for gathering information about children and their families, as well as about childhood itself. The production of knowledge and the institutionalization of schools for preschool children helped usher in new trends that denaturalized childrearing outside of the family domain.