Early childhood education (ECE), which includes both early childhood care and preschool education, provides children with an essential foundation for success in life. As Erikson (1950, 1968), an acclaimed theorist of childhood development, has explained, the preschool years are critical to the subsequent intellectual, social, psychological and…

One of the critical challenges that faces societies today is how to educate children and young people to cope with the ever demanding contexts in which they live. This education must include the relationships and support that facilitate socio-emotional development. This writing explores the work of Pestalozzi, a pioneering pedagogue, who, over two…

The Small Island Developing State of Jamaica, in the Caribbean region, is facing significant environmental, economic, and social challenges. Violence has become a serious challenge for Jamaica and several other countries in the region; the level of violence against and among children is particularly disturbing. Perhaps even more troubling is the…

This article emphasizes the importance of introducing/providing character education during the early years of child development in order to raise morally responsive citizens. Noting the rampant acts of violence and malicious crime at a time marked with deep global turmoil in many societies, the authors argue for an exhaustive study of the recently…

The author summarizes some of Piaget's beliefs, and states that the curriculum in today's schools must be changed in order to put into practice some of these beliefs, and to prepare students to reason together and work cooperatively to solve common world problems. (KC)

States that structural changes in families and schools may be necessary for children's moral development. Provides three ways families can better enable moral development, discusses how schools must change toward greater diversity in the student body and faculty, and offers two ways for schools to better foster moral development. (CMK)

Describes a course in ethics for younger children taught in a gymnasium school in the Russian city of Ufa. Provides a fascinating look at the conception and implementation of ethical instruction in contemporary Russia (students assume the role of head of the family and devise "taboos" to maintain peace and harmony). (MJP)

Examines the Greek National Curriculum for kindergarten within a historical/cultural perspective. Considers social development accompanying formation of the modern Greek state, problems of kindergarten teacher education, and elements of causal significance in production of Greece's National Curriculum. Critically examines aspects of the…

Maintains that there is a need for principles or models of child rearing that integrate universal knowledge with Thai cultural and social values. Presents a set of principles and models gleaned from a Thai research project. Asserts that culturally appropriate educational practices are important in Thailand's educational system. (CFR)