Research Around the World

              I have become familiar with the Early Childhood Australia website over the past few courses. They have a plethora of information related to the early childhood profession. An abundance of the information correlate with some of the same instances here in America. One current topic the present information on “how learning takes place in the early years, how relationship building with students can guide behavior of young children, and then play and its implications for learning.

              An article on the site that spark interest was one regarding children of refugee families. They detailed the role of educators have in situations of displaced families. The author discussed how the portrayal asylum seekers in the media. I have had the discussion with providers on how children’s perceptions are shaped about different culture groups. Refugees would constitute as a cultural group with the connotations that follow them. The media can play a major role in the perception of children, along with teachers and community. “The construction of identity is complex. Young children seek to make meaning from their experiences.” (Dorman-Sparks et al, 2011). If one would examine the effects these situations have on young children and their development it would be astonishing. I would love to see what studies show on development of asylum seeking children versus poverty stricken children. Unfortunately both of these situations are causes of adult experiences and indirectly involve children.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Derman-Sparks, L., Ramsey, P. G., & Edwards, J. O. (2011).  Anti-bias multicultural education with young children and families. New York: Teachers College Press. 224