Focus on Early Childhood Education (Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World)

In this compilation, the authors present research carried out in three different institutions: university, infant and primary school, and nursery school, with the last two institutions analyzed from a teachers, educators and parents point of view. The goal is to determine the way motor functions contribute to the formative process in infant school in a systematic way within physical education. Next, a comparative study is presented to examine tension between quality and equity in education in the region of Latin America, with the intent of opening a dialogue wherein common constructions can be identified while respecting singular and particular pathways. Following this, a study on Greek kindergarten teachers practice is presented, specifically focusing on how their values impact their decision to use worksheets in kindergarten. A conceptual piece is offered, maintaining that a conversation analysis of childrens play and media (Pandey, 2012) yields one of the most astonishing accounts of their language and interaction. The instructional value of conversation analysis is established using data from a variety of sources, including a Disney movie. Next, data obtained from a survey involving early childhood teachers in Hong Kong is deliberated on. This survey assessed a multitude of factors, including: knowledge of policy, self-efficacy, professional development, experience, professional role, environmental factors, their schools adapted curriculum, teamwork, and provision of resources. The final chapter explores the current situation of limited access of young children to early childhood education and care settings in Tanzania, offering information on childhood education and care (ECEC) from an international perspective to those who are involved with young children and their families.