2. Communicating and learning research
This section contains examples of research related to communicating and learning in early childhood. It is a huge area of study. The selected examples are specific studies that look at questions such as:
- What are the language capacities of newborns and how do babies learn to communicate?
- What is the impact on development of learning multiple languages?
- What kinds of adult behaviours make a difference in supporting children’s development and learning?
- What kinds of approaches and programs support literacy and numeracy in early childhood?
Before looking at some specific samples of research, let’s look at the “big picture” by exploring meta-studies, or collections of studies. Sir Kevan Collins is the former chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. Listen to him talk about the Teaching and Learning Toolkit, and the specific section related to the early years.
Explore the Early Years Toolkit to learn more. It is a rich resource that you will want to refer to as you work through this and other modules. At this point, focus on those topics related to communication and language, early literacy, early numeracy, and play-based learning. For each of these “strands”, note the cost, impact, and strength of evidence.
Cultural considerations
Although some universal principles explain how all children learn and develop, in practice learning and development are so tempered by circumstances and so grounded in local knowledge that they cannot be supported without an understanding of local contexts. In early childhood, this is a critical issue, because of the intimacies of child rearing” (Brooker and Woodhead , 2010, p. 4).
As noted in the overview of this module, attention must be paid to the contexts in which children live. Child development is mediated by cultural practices and expectations. This presents some challenges for research, especially when one measurement tool is being used in various cultural contexts and/or when researchers are comparing outcomes in different countries and cultures.
Dr. Sally Brinkman is an Australian researcher who works with the EDI (Early Development Instrument), which is used to assess Kindergarten children’s readiness to learn. In the next video, Brinkman discusses the challenge of adapting the EDI for use in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge of and respect for cultural contexts is an important consideration for those working with and studying young children and families.
