Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education in Germany

The importance of early childhood education has been emphasized by a large body of research that has demonstrated that children's cognitive and socio-emotional development is significantly influenced by the quality of the education and care received from their families and in preschool. Consequently, it is important to investigate factors that pertain to the provision of a high-quality education and high-quality care for young children. This book addresses several important issues that are currently under discussion with respect to this topic. In particular, the book focuses on three topics presently under debate: the professionalization of pedagogues working in the field of early childhood education; the quality of education and care provided by families and preschools; and the promotion of children from socio-economically disadvantaged families. Providing an excellent overview of current research in Germany, this book will be useful to readers who are interested in international perspectives on early childhood education and who want to gain insight into relevant topics discussed in other countries. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

Wilfried Smidt is a Professor of Education at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. His main research interests focus on educational quality in early childhood education, preschool teacher personality, professionalization in early childhood education, and early literacy.

Introduction: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education in Germany Part I: Professionalisation of Pedagogues Working in the Field of Early Childhood Education 1. Occupational activities of non-academic and academic pedagogues working in the field of childhood education - an investigation of differences and predictor variables 2. Potentials and challenges of video-based self-reflection for the professionalization of early childhood education and care professionals 3. Does early childhood teacher education foster professional competencies? Professional competencies of beginners and graduates in different education tracks in Germany 4. Germany's ECEC workforce: a difficult path to professionalism Part II: Education Quality in Families and Preschools 5. Educational process quality in preschools at the individual child level: findings from a German study 6. Enjoyment of learning and learning effort in primary school: the significance of child individual characteristics and stimulation at home and at preschool 7. Influences of an academically oriented preschool curriculum on the development of children - are there negative consequences for the children's socio-emotional competencies? Part III: Promotion of Children from Socio-Economic Disadvantaged Families 8. Compensatory early childhood education for educationally disadvantaged children in Germany and beyond 9. Promotion of literacy and numeracy in pyramid classrooms in Germany 10. Formal and informal early education of Turkish-origin children in Germany 11. Triggering parental involvement for parents of different language backgrounds: the role of types of partnership activities and preschool characteristics