‘Educare’ in Australia: analysing policy mobility and transformation

McShane, Ian

doi:10.1080/00131881.2016.1165413

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the focus has been on the EYFS, this analysis reflects international trends towards instrumental and standardised approaches to ECE, the micro-level regulation of practitioners and children through macro-level policy technologies, and the challenges of knowledge transfer between theory, policy and practice (Lowenstein, 2011; McShane, 2016). ECE frameworks in many countries constitute a range of political ideologies and policy technologies through which specific forms of content, coherence and control are established (Wood and Hedges, 2016), including the selective use of educational effectiveness research for promoting notions of ‘good’, ‘best’ or ‘most effective’ practices (Lowenstein, 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following this analysis, it is proposed that learning and development in the EYFS are messy constructs that exemplify the problems of how theories become inscribed in policy discourses, for what purposes, and with what effects. This analysis reflects international trends towards instrumental and standardised approaches to curriculum, the micro-level regulation of practitioners and children through macro-level policy technologies, and the challenges of knowledge transfer between theory, policy and practice (Lowenstein, 2011; McShane, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Learning, development and the early childhood curriculum: A critical discourse analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England

Wood

2020

Journal of Early Childhood Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article focuses on the national policy framework for early childhood education (birth to 5 years) in England – the Early Years Foundation Stage, specifically the use of child development theories as the underpinning knowledge base for practice. The aim is to understand what constructions of learning and development are foregrounded in policy, and their implications for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Critical Discourse Analysis methods are used to expose learning and development as messy constructs, and to propose three arguments. First, the evidence base for the Early Years Foundation Stage relies on selective appropriation of child development theories, and findings from government-funded research. These sustain normative discourses, reflecting a Piagetian ontology of ‘development leads learning’, through which children become ‘knowable’ and ‘measurable’. Second, the Early Years Foundation Stage shifts from developmental processes to learning outcomes as the basis for constructing curriculum, assessment of children’s outcomes and school readiness. Third, the Early Years Foundation Stage constitutes a discursive regime, which influences how practitioners must fulfil performance criteria that serve multiple purposes of assessing outcomes, evaluating standards and defining ‘quality’. From a critical perspective, this analysis questions the efficacy of the Early Years Foundation Stage in addressing the problems of equity and inclusion in diverse societies. The Early Years Foundation Stage exemplifies the policy technologies that can be discerned in international contexts, through which specific forms of curriculum coherence and control are produced. An alternative ‘learning leading development’ onto-epistemology is proposed, which offers potential for challenging the (il)logic of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning, development and the early childhood curriculum: A critical discourse analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England

Wood

2020

Journal of Early Childhood Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first theme which recurred in several articles (Douglas & Gittell, 2012;Lofgren, 2016;McShane, 2016) was that of the changing role of ELC. Of the papers which discussed the changing role of ELC, there was a spread of articles representing countries across the Western World, including but not limited to: the USA, Norway, UK and Australia, as well as a paper by the Economist Intelligence Unit (2012) which held relevance with 45 countries.…”

Section: Role As Evolving and Contestedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The role and nature of ELC has evolved throughout time (Nolan, 2020), and the most recent changes to provision may reflect a need to reconsider the purpose once again (Rogers, 2020). With longstanding debates around educare (McShane, 2016), it will be critical to investigate and establish through sub question one: "What is the role of ELC?" Historical influences which have shaped ELC will be explored, as well as the often-differing perspectives of the stakeholders involved, which in turn influence ELC priorities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care in Early Learning and Childcare Transitions

McKenzie

2023

Int J Ed Life Trans

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has been a global trend in the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision meaning more children of younger ages accessing ELC and experiencing the associated transitions than was previously the case. This has occurred within an increasingly Neoliberal context, with a greater focus on measurable educational outcomes, which are often placed as juxta positioned to care, which may prove challenging to define and quantify. These challenges are compounded when considering the often taken for granted nature of care in ELC, rendering it often unspoken and therefore at greater risk of being undermined or deemed a dispensable aspect of the increasingly multifaceted role. Given the above context, it was deemed essential that the concept of care was explicitly and critically explored in relation to the many multiple and multidimensional transitions which occur in ELC. This paper considers the criticality of care as part of ELC transitions by reviewing literature from 2010-present day. Findings suggested the role of ELC has shifted over time, leading to ambiguities and sometimes tensions in expectations between and within stakeholders. This in turn has influenced how care is defined, enacted and valued within ELC, with the overwhelming literature suggesting care is viewed less highly than education, for reasons such as difficulties in quantifying quality of care and the perception that care is innate rather than skilful. Transition practices were considered in relation to previously discussed definitions of care, which led to the identification of how care is enacted during ELC transitions.

show abstract

“…Research on social policy has become a focus in its own right (Fairclough, 2013;McShane, 2016;Taylor, 2004) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) share common characteristics and aims. CDA draws on diverse theoretical and methodological sources (Wodak and Meyer, 2016) but is fundamentally a study of language in use, and of its effects, in the context of specific texts, taking into account the wider socio-political contexts and processes of their production.…”

Section: Research Approach: Critical Discourse and Critical Policy Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unbalanced and unbalancing acts in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a critical discourse analysis of policy-led evidence on teaching and play from the office for standards in education in England (Ofsted)

Wood

2019

Education 3-13

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents a critical analysis of a report by the Office for Standards in Education in England (Ofsted, 2015), based on a survey of practitioners' perspectives of play, focusing on children age 2-5 years in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England. The report, 'Teaching and play in the early years-a balancing act? A good practice survey to explore perceptions of teaching and play in the early years' www.gov.uk/government/organisations/Ofsted, gathered evidence to address the 'recurring myth' that teaching and play are disconnected endeavours in the early years. Critical discourse and critical policy analysis are used to interrogate this report alongside interrelated texts, the socio-political context of production, the methods used to define policy versions of 'good practice' in play, and the resulting power effects within early childhood education (ECE). It is argued that this report exemplifies how the remit of Ofsted has extended to provide policy-led evidence that is based on the construction of 'problems' of practice, and the proposed solutions. The Ofsted version of teaching and play relies on circular discourses that reinforce the government's standards and accountability agendas. This analysis reveals the extension from Ofsted's remit of inspection, to a mandate for defining 'quality' and 'good' practice. These actions, relationships and processes constitute the 'meaning-laden architectures' (Fairclough et al, 2004) that connect discourse and power. Using the metaphor of a kaleidoscope, it is proposed that 'Teaching and Play', and related reports, represent unbalanced and unbalancing acts in which policy-led evidence, based on flawed and biased 'research', exerts power effects for children, families and practitioners.

show abstract

‘Educare’ in Australia: analysing policy mobility and transformation

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Learning, development and the early childhood curriculum: A critical discourse analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England

Learning, development and the early childhood curriculum: A critical discourse analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England

Care in Early Learning and Childcare Transitions

Unbalanced and unbalancing acts in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a critical discourse analysis of policy-led evidence on teaching and play from the office for standards in education in England (Ofsted)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About