Description

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Based on a rich seam of research evidence, this book leverages value in engaging with scientific enquiry to further understanding of young children's emotional experiences.

Early childhood development has featured increasingly prominently on international policymakers' agenda in recent years. Yet whilst policy foregrounds economic imperatives including academic attainment, school readiness, and time-bound outcomes, similar attention has not been afforded to the potential value of nourishing affective engagements that may secure 'emotional capital' for infants and young children. This collection from the field of early childhood is therefore timely. Its chapters are based on empirical evidence derived from contemporary scientific studies, and address challenges and opportunities inherent in young children's emotional experiences in diverse twenty-first century early childhood education and care contexts. The authors provoke debate, discussion, and critique, and they ask significant questions of the policymakers, practitioners, and carers who may influence young children's lives and their emotional experiences. The findings that are presented in the chapters indicate overall that a test-based approach may detract from young children's emotional development as well as the positive affective experiences in early childhood which have potential to provide an important foundation for a fulfilling life.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

About the Author

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Jane Murray is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Education and Research at the University of Northampton, UK. Her research interests and publications concern education, early childhood education, and social inclusion. She is Editor of the International Journal of Early Years EducationIoanna Palaiologou is an Associate at UCL Institute of Education, London, UK, a Chartered Psychologist, and Co-Director of Canterbury Educational Services. Her research interests and publications include focus on leadership, research methods, and observation in early childhood.