Pedagogical Approaches in Early Childhood Education

There is general agreement that quality early childhood education and care has powerful effects on children's development and learning. Many international studies reveal that quality early childhood education and care is beneficial for the development of language, reading, mathematics and socio-emotional skills that form the basis of school success in the future.

Early childhood education, which also has important implications for disadvantaged children, has been associated with a 2.8-fold increase in high school completion rates for these children.

These data indicate that the practices that will support the development and learning of children are directly related to a qualified early childhood education. In this respect, it is important what the components of quality are in early childhood education and how they are handled. Quality in general; "structural quality", which consists of dimensions such as existing physical conditions, material resources and human resources, and "process quality", which includes children's interactions with teachers and peers.

There are many studies that reveal the relationship between both structural quality and process quality and the quality of early childhood education. Most of these studies focus on variables for structural quality that are relatively easy to measure, such as student-teacher ratio, class size, or teacher training. There is limited research on process quality, which is closely related to the nature of pedagogical interactions. However, in order to help children become lifelong learners with a deep knowledge and a wide range of social skills, it is necessary to understand how pedagogical approaches and practices affect learning in early childhood.

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the pedagogical approaches and practices that are effective for a qualified early childhood education and care that will support children's well-being, contribute to equal opportunities, and facilitate their preparation for school and life. For this purpose, firstly, the importance of early childhood education and care will be discussed and prominent pedagogical practices and approaches in early childhood will be examined. Then, pedagogical approaches applied in different countries will be compared, and in the next section, the relationship between pedagogy and education programs will be discussed.

The first five years of human life are critical for the development of cognitive, social and emotional skills that are fundamental in childhood and adulthood. Although the human brain continues to develop throughout life, "learning and development" is not as rapid in any period of life as in the first years. By the age of six, the brain reaches about 90% of its adult volume.

This pace of development in early childhood means that investments in children, both through their families and through access to quality early childhood and care services, will have strong personal, social and economic returns. Effective early childhood education contributes to positive well-being in adulthood, including general well-being, physical and mental health, educational attainment and employment. In particular, it has important implications for at-risk children from disadvantaged families.