as a social investment strategy has been accompanied by worldwide concerns to
identify appropriate pedagogical practices for working with young children.
Here, we trace the developing interest in child-centred approaches, before
considering whether there can be shared understanding of the term between
countries with different histories of early childhood provision. Case studies of
England, Hungary and Italy consider focus group and questionnaire responses
from staff and students on early childhood courses, together with curriculum
guidance, to examine ‘child-centredness’ in the context of the cultural-historical
background to early childhood provision in the three countries. Findings suggest
that the term ‘child-centred’ has rich pedagogical associations that can be easily
subsumed into different value systems prizing, for example, individuality, child
development or democracy. In the light of these findings, we consider the
implications of the use of the term ‘child-centred’.
