ABSTRACT

Early childhood education changed in the twentieth century, from mother-at-home-care in the 1950s, to professional early education today. Theoretical and social-political choices of pioneers in ECE had a profound impact on the way children’s education is conceptualized. We argue from a social constructivist perspective. The oral history method is used to document the professional life stories of 29 pioneers, born in Europe and the USA between 1940 and 1955. These pioneers were inspired by personal histories of growing up in the post-WWII / the cold war era, and, for some, their experience with poverty and discrimination based on social class and gender; but also by social-political movements of the 1970s. These experiences motivated to fight against discrimination, to support women’s and children’s rights, and communities, through the provision of high-quality services. They expressed concern that these values are at risk today by the dominance of economics and neoliberal policies.

摘要

幼儿教育在 20 世纪发生了变化，从 1950 年代的在家照顾母亲，到今天的专业早期教育。ECE 先驱者的理论和社会政治选择对儿童教育的概念化方式产生了深远的影响。我们从社会建构主义的角度进行论证。口述历史方法用于记录 1940 年至 1955 年间出生在欧洲和美国的 29 位先驱者的职业生涯故事。这些先驱者的灵感来自于二战后/冷战时代成长的个人历史，并且，对于一些人来说，他们在贫困和基于社会阶层和性别的歧视方面的经历；但也受到 1970 年代社会政治运动的影响。这些经历旨在打击歧视、支持妇女和儿童的权利以及社区，通过提供高质量的服务。他们表示担心，由于经济和新自由主义政策的主导地位，这些价值观在今天处于危险之中。