Positioning Children Citizens: Exploring Discourses in Early Childhood Curricula in China and Aotearoa New Zealand

Young Children ◽

Citizenship Education ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Citizenship Status ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

Positioning young children as citizens, now rather than as citizens in waiting, is an emerging discourse in early childhood education internationally. Differing discourses related to young children and early childhood reveal various ideas of children as citizens, and what their citizenship status, practice and education can be. This paper analyses the national early childhood education (ECE) curricula of China and Aotearoa New Zealand for the purpose of understanding how children are constructed as citizens within such policy discourses. Discourse analysis is employed in this study as a methodological approach for understanding the subjectivities of young children and exploring the meanings of young children’s citizenship in both countries. Based on Foucault’s theory of governmentality, this paper ultimately argues that young children’s citizenship in contemporary ECE curricula in China and New Zealand is a largely neoliberal construction. However, emerging positionings shape differing possibilities for citizenship education for young children in each of these countries.

Positioning Children Citizens: Exploring Discourses in Early Childhood Curricula in China and Aotearoa New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.12839567 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peng Xu

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Discourse Analysis ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young Children ◽

Citizenship Education ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Citizenship Status ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

Positioning young children as citizens, now rather than as citizens in waiting, is an emerging discourse in early childhood education internationally. Differing discourses related to young children and early childhood reveal various ideas of children as citizens, and what their citizenship status, practice and education can be. This paper analyses the national early childhood education (ECE) curricula of China and Aotearoa New Zealand for the purpose of understanding how children are constructed as citizens within such policy discourses. Discourse analysis is employed in this study as a methodological approach for understanding the subjectivities of young children and exploring the meanings of young children’s citizenship in both countries. Based on Foucault’s theory of governmentality, this paper ultimately argues that young children’s citizenship in contemporary ECE curricula in China and New Zealand is a largely neoliberal construction. However, emerging positionings shape differing possibilities for citizenship education for young children in each of these countries.

He Tatau Pounamu. Considerations for an early childhood peace curriculum focusing on criticality, indigeneity, and an ethic of care, in Aotearoa New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.12738248.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Ritchie ◽

C Lockie ◽

C Rau

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young Children ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Ethic Of Care ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

History Of ◽

This article discusses some of the philosophical and pedagogical considerations arising in the development of a peace curriculum appropriate for use in early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, with and by educators, parents/families and young children. It outlines contexts for the proposed curriculum, which include the history of colonisation, commitments to honouring the values and epistemologies of Māori, the indigenous people, and juxtaposes the proposed peace programme alongside current early childhood education pedagogical discourses in Aotearoa. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

He Tatau Pounamu. Considerations for an early childhood peace curriculum focusing on criticality, indigeneity, and an ethic of care, in Aotearoa New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.14253359 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Ritchie ◽

C Lockie ◽

C Rau

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young Children ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Ethic Of Care ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

History Of ◽

This article discusses some of the philosophical and pedagogical considerations arising in the development of a peace curriculum appropriate for use in early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, with and by educators, parents/families and young children. It outlines contexts for the proposed curriculum, which include the history of colonisation, commitments to honouring the values and epistemologies of Māori, the indigenous people, and juxtaposes the proposed peace programme alongside current early childhood education pedagogical discourses in Aotearoa. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

He Tatau Pounamu. Considerations for an early childhood peace curriculum focusing on criticality, indigeneity, and an ethic of care, in Aotearoa New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.14253359.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Ritchie ◽

C Lockie ◽

C Rau

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young Children ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Ethic Of Care ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

History Of ◽

This article discusses some of the philosophical and pedagogical considerations arising in the development of a peace curriculum appropriate for use in early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, with and by educators, parents/families and young children. It outlines contexts for the proposed curriculum, which include the history of colonisation, commitments to honouring the values and epistemologies of Māori, the indigenous people, and juxtaposes the proposed peace programme alongside current early childhood education pedagogical discourses in Aotearoa. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

He Tatau Pounamu. Considerations for an early childhood peace curriculum focusing on criticality, indigeneity, and an ethic of care, in Aotearoa New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.12738248 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Ritchie ◽

C Lockie ◽

C Rau

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young Children ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Ethic Of Care ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

History Of ◽

This article discusses some of the philosophical and pedagogical considerations arising in the development of a peace curriculum appropriate for use in early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, with and by educators, parents/families and young children. It outlines contexts for the proposed curriculum, which include the history of colonisation, commitments to honouring the values and epistemologies of Māori, the indigenous people, and juxtaposes the proposed peace programme alongside current early childhood education pedagogical discourses in Aotearoa. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

HETEROGLOSSIAL POSITIONING? BICULTURALISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND

Knowledge Cultures ◽

10.22381/kc5420175 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 66

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Preparedness to Teach Education for Sustainability

Australian Journal of Environmental Education ◽

10.1017/aee.2018.13 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 95-96

Author(s):

Anita Croft

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Early Childhood ◽

New Zealand ◽

Early Childhood Teachers ◽

Education For Sustainability ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

Sustainability Practices ◽

Preparedness To Teach

The benefits of beginning Education for Sustainability (EfS) in early childhood are now widely documented. With the support of their teachers, young children have shown that through engagement in sustainability practices they are capable of becoming active citizens in their communities (Duhn, Bachmann, & Harris, 2010; Kelly & White, 2012; Ritchie, 2010; Vaealiki & Mackey, 2008). Engagement with EfS has not been widespread across the early childhood sector in Aotearoa New Zealand (Duhn et al., 2010; Vaealiki & Mackey, 2008) until recently. One way of addressing EfS in early childhood education is through teacher education institutions preparing students to teach EfS when they graduate.