European Early Childhood
Education Research Association (EECERA)
The website I visited was the European Early
Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) . EECERA is a
non-profit organization, wholly-owned and subscribed to by its substantial and
influential world-wide membership. It generates its own revenue, receives no
external funding and thus ensures its independence, radical attitude and
innovative openness. It is an independent, self-governing, international
association which promotes and disseminates multi-disciplinary research on
early childhood to determine how it applies to policy and practice.
EECERA seeks to sustain and develop the rich tradition and
legacy past European researchers such as Frobel Steiner Vygotsky and Piaget.
These were some of the many early childhood pioneers that have impacted the
lives of young children. They aim is to continue looking forward on ways to
explore new paradigms, methodologies, concepts and applications in the
ever-changing context of early childhood studies. Its reach and interest is
resolutely international and, whilst wanting to identify with Europe’s
pluralist and diverse cultures. Their mission is to learn and to share in, the
equally rich early childhood traditions and concepts of the World.
One of the
research articles I found interesting is “Ethnic
habitus and young children: a case study of Northern Ireland”. This article presents the findings of an exploratory
survey of the ethnic attitudes and identities of a random sample (n=352) of
three–six‐year‐old children in Northern
Ireland. The survey represents one of the first of its kind to explore how
young children's awareness of ethnic differences develops in contexts where
ethnicity is not marked by visible, physical differences. In drawing upon the
notion of an ‘ethnic habitus’, the article shows how young children from the
two majority ethno‐religious groups in the region – Catholic and Protestants
– are already acquiring the cultural dispositions and habits of their
respective groups even though, at the earlier ages, they have little awareness
or understanding of what these dispositions represent. The article shows that
young children are capable of developing ethnic identities and prejudices in
the absence of physical cues and discusses the implications of these findings
for practice as well as for understanding the effects of racial and ethnic
divisions on young children in other social contexts.
I think this was a
good article for early childhood educations to know about because being aware
of the diversity of children we serve and their ethnicity does impact the
interactions with peers. Please visit the website below read more about this
very important topic.
Hi Shelia,
ReplyDeleteI find your blog very interesting. I haven't read the article but learning about ethno-religious groups especially the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland brings us understandings of other cultures and their values. Most young children 3-4 do not have prejudices and play well with other children regardless of ethnicity or religion in the US. To me this is very sad and I wish societies could move past prejudices.
Diana