The chapters in this book reflect on the major shifts in the views of early childhood thinkers and educators, who have contributed to contemporary theoretical frameworks pertaining to early childhood learning. The book also revisits and critically analyses the influence of developmental theories on early childhood education, starting in the 1890s with the work of G. Stanley Hall that established the close association of early childhood education and child development. Several chapters comprise critical examinations of the fundamental influence of thinkers such as Piaget, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Adler, Pestalozzi, Froebel, and so on, on early childhood learning. The book also contends that these theoretical conceptions of child development have heavily influenced modern views of early childhood education.

This book is a significant new contribution to early childhood learning, and will be a great resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Education, Public Policy, History of Education, Psychology, and Sociology.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Early Child Development and Care.

About the Author

Roy Evans is Editor-in-Chief of Early Child Development and Care, a position he has held since 1977. He is Visiting Professor of Early Childhood Education in the School of Education at the University of Northampton. Prior to his retirement from full-time work, Roy was Professor of Education and Head of the School of Education at Brunel University, London. Since the late 1960s, he has authored numerous books in the field of early childhood and special education, published regularly in various scholarly journals, and lectured internationally on the social integration of young children and features of the environment which represent risks to children's normal development. In 1999, the Royal Society of Arts recognized Roy for his scholarly research and publications; therefore, the Society elected him to be a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), which is awarded to scholars in the world that the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) identifies and determines to have made important achievements to social progress and development. He is also Chief International Editor of the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, a journal that publishes research on adolescents and youth across international contexts.

Olivia N. Saracho is Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland. She has conducted many studies in the area of play focusing on areas such as literacy, cognitive style, and many others. She is widely published in the field of early childhood education. She is editor of the Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children, 4th ed. (2021, Routledge) and the series on Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood Education. She is the author of An Integrated Play-Based Curriculum for Young Children (2021).

Book Information
ISBN 9780367636753
Author Roy Evans
Format Paperback
Page Count 372
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g