Parent-practitioner partnerships in early childhood provision in England, Hungary and Kazakhstan: similarities and differences in discourses

Abstract

Whilst international policymakers have reached consensus on the importance of investing in early childhood development and increasingly monitor that investment using standardized measurement, the nature and rationale of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision remain diverse. In the context of that disparity, this article explores an aspect of ECEC provision that is commonly recognised for its potential to enhance young children's development and learning, yet for which characteristics remain variable: partnerships between ECEC practitioners and parents. The article reports and discusses results from a cross-cultural narrative study that investigated the nature of such partnerships in three different countries: England, Hungary and Kazakhstan. During focus group interviews, ECEC academics (n=16) discussed five themes that emerged from literature reviews. Findings indicate more differences than similarities between the countries' narratives concerning ECEC parent-practitioner partnerships, suggesting such partnerships may be an aspect of ECEC provision for which a homogeneous approach and quality measure across countries are not feasible.

‘It’s in my interest to collaborate … ’ – parents’ views of the process of interacting and building relationships with preschool practitioners in Sweden

“…Haug (2003) argues that researchers studying preschool often have an inside perspective when they are familiar with preschool as former employees, for example. This may be presented as a strength, as in the study by Murray et al (2018), when possessing 'practical wisdom' (p. 597), but it can also become a weakness. Haug (2003) argues that when researchers identify themselves with preschool practitioners, they may be less critical of the practitioners' perceptions of a phenomenon.…”

Relationship between families and kindergartens in Hungary in the 1950s

“…Research conducted in this area suggests that human factors, such as the kindergarten pedagogue as a person and pedagogue's loving, kind attitudes influence parental choice (Kim & Fram, 2009;Rose & Elicker, 2008;Teszenyi & Hevey, 2015;Török, 2004). The role of loving relationships and how families and society look at early childhood education and the partnership between early childhood educators and parents have also been examined (see Murray, et al, 2018;Varga, 2020).…”

Az óvodáskorú gyermek fő nevelési színtereinek, azaz a család és az óvoda kapcsolatának alakulása az ötvenes években

“…A kutatók itt az óvoda emberi dimenziójára, vagyis az óvodapedagógus személyére, illetve az őt jellemző szereteten alapuló attitűdre fókuszálnak (Török, 2005;Rose & Elicker, 2008;Kim & Fram, 2009;Teszenyi & Hevey, 2015). Egy, a szeretetkapcsolat kisgyermekkori nevelésben betöltött szerepére vonatkozó kutatás angliai, kazahsztáni és magyarországi eredményei színesítik -többek között -az arról szóló ismereteinket, hogy miként tekint a család, illetve a társadalom a kisgyermekkori nevelésre, illetve a gondozásban résztvevő szakemberek és a szülők közötti partnerségre (lásd például Vargáné, 2020;Murray et al, 2018).…”