ABSTRACT
Undergraduate and postgraduate early childhood education courses, in Australia and elsewhere, are underpinned by a variety of theories relating to emotional and psychological development, cognitive and physical development, language and social development, play, autonomy and independence. These theories position children and their learning in particular and sometimes conflicting ways, which have ramifications for teaching, learning and understanding child development. Early childhood education training courses conducted in Western countries tend to focus on major theorists such as Erikson, Bowlby, Ainsworth, Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner, Bandura, Chomsky, Bronfenbrenner, Smilansky, Parten, Rogoff and Foucault (Palmer 2001). These theorists’ philosophies and hypotheses inform and guide the work of practitioners working with young children, families and communities, as they provide conceptual understandings on aspects that otherwise are difficult to comprehend – for example, why people interact in particular ways, or how societies and communities work. When considered in relation to early childhood education and care, theories provide ‘ways of knowing’ that influence thinking and impact on practice.
