ERIC Number: EJ1461814
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1598-1037
EISSN: EISSN-1876-407X
Available Date: 2023-04-10
Glocalization of Early Childhood Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study on the Integration of the Reggio Emilia Approach into the Chinese Kindergarten Curriculum
Qilong Zhang1; Jianqin Yin2; Ke Jiang3
Asia Pacific Education Review, v26 n1 p49-60 2025
In the globalized age, Chinese kindergartens are exposed to numerous western curriculum perspectives and practices. To construct a kindergarten-based curriculum (KBC), Chinese kindergartens tend to borrow western ideas. Using the Reggio Emilia approach (REA) as an example, this focused ethnographic study conducts an empirical investigation into such a borrowing process. The sample included 15 kindergartens located in seven cities in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected through interviews, site visit, and pedagogical documentation, and were analyzed using a combination of thematic and content analyses. The study found that the process of borrowing the REA constituted the glocalization of the kindergarten curriculum, which included four phases. Specifically, the kindergarten was attracted by a certain practice of the REA (Phase 1), decided to borrow a preferred practice of the REA (Phase 2), implemented the selected practice (Phase 3), and internalized the implemented practice (Phase 4). Instead of copying or imitating, Chinese kindergartens integrated the REA into their KBCs by experimenting, recontextualizing, and hybridizing with varying proportions. Further, the glocalization of the early childhood curriculum in China was greatly influenced by the social, political, and cultural contexts in China's new era. In particular, the major melody of being confident in the Chinese path and culture effectively prevented any importation of a western curriculum model as a whole. Lastly, the study discussed the implications of the findings.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Curriculum, Reggio Emilia Approach, Kindergarten, Global Approach, Foreign Countries, Cultural Context, Curriculum Implementation, Western Civilization, Non Western Civilization, Educational Practices, Blended Learning, Social Environment, Political Socialization, Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1United Arab Emirates University, College of Education, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; 2Jiangsu Second Normal University, College of Preschool Education, Nanjing, China; 3The University of Auckland, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Auckland, New Zealand