Early Childhood Education

Course (3 credits/ course) Description
Critical Literature Review in Early Childhood Education (ECE7143) The course is offered to strengthen the analytical skills of students as they develop their background knowledge in an area of early childhood education. Students will develop competence in literature review techniques and in preparing writing suitable for publication. A critical analysis of one selected area of early childhood education will be undertaken in order to identify methodologies, pedagogies and ethical issues related to the selected topic. The focus will be to develop insights into research trends and generate appropriate theoretical frameworks to address the selected area and topic. 
Policies and Practices in Early Childhood Education (ECE7144) This module aims to enable the learner to engage in a small-scale investigative research project through advanced study into one aspect of early childhood educational needs in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides an opportunity to critically reflect upon major issues relating to the development of a coherent and flexible understanding of early childhood education and the curriculum and pedagogies that are used to support young children’s learning. The focus is on exploring existing policies and practices within the region and on the identification of existing models being employed in the field. 
International Perspectives in Early Childhood Education (ECE8145) This course aims to enable the student to engage in a detailed investigation through study into early childhood educational contexts and provision in at least one international jurisdiction. It enables the candidate to critically reflect upon major issues relating to the international issues and provision in early childhood education and to relate this to localized practices. The focus will be to identify policies and practices within one region and evaluate the range of models being employed to examine the provision of early childhood education. It is envisaged that this will involve a study tour to visit the specified country(ies) where practical.
Provision of Exemplary Early Childhood Education (ECE8146) This module will enable the learner to undertake an evaluative project based on the findings from an Asia-Pacific and/or international investigation. An area of study (e.g. curricula, pedagogies, practices) will be selected for a small-scale implementation in the Asia-Pacific context. Learners will be expected to critically reflect upon the application and undertake a detailed evaluation and analysis of its implication locally.


Research areas