This book is the outcome of a joint collaboration between East China
Normal University and the University of Luxembourg, initiated by the
Center of Ideas for the Basic Education of the Future (IBEF), and
focuses on kindergartens in China from a cultural psychology
perspective.
By coupling young scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds as research
tandems, this book uses an innovative methodological method to reveal a
deeply immersing research perspective of the often complicated issues in
the Chinese social reality, where long historical tradition and strong
motivation for a "modernized" future are fused together and continuously
evolve itself into a vibrant and intricate landscape. Meanings and
values consciously or unconsciously promoted and conducted in the
kindergarten are semiotic devices and they mediate children's and
educator's daily behaviours and activities, which are constantly
navigating among different social institutions and crossing the border
of kindergarten.
The book discusses the process of children's socialization in the
kindergarten from different angles such as cultural objects, moral
education, conflict negotiation, children's drawing analysis and the
role of Lego in numeracy development. It also provides an overview of
basic educational needs in Chinese kindergartens as well as three
commentaries to provide background information and to add a reflective
angle for the readers. By reading the book, readers will hopefully go
through a constantly transforming process between familiarizing and
de-familiarizing along with the research tandem and develop their own
understanding of the complex landscape of the Chinese kindergarten and
its children as developing subjects constantly living and transcending
the context.
