黑格尔哲学的形成与德国早期浪漫派

成熟期黑格尔对德国早期浪漫派的批判遮蔽了青年时期黑格尔与浪漫派的隐秘渊源,青年黑格尔不但与广义浪漫派圈子中的谢林、荷尔德林有着生活和思想上的密切交往,而且也大量接受了浪漫派核心人物诺瓦利斯和弗雷德里希·施莱格尔的许多哲学原则和概念,并把它们综合融会为自己哲学体系的建构性因素。德国早期浪漫派是黑格尔的又一秘密诞生地。     

学术思潮与清初骈文的新气象

明末清初,因战乱频仍,政权更迭,士人的危机感顿然加剧,社会上逐渐形成以经世致用和博古通今为主的学术思潮,这两种思想深刻影响着清初骈文的内容和风格。受经世致用思想的影响,清初骈文家如陈维崧、吴绮、陆繁弨等皆关注现实,抒发真情实感,故清初骈文具有时代感和重情意识;而崇尚“博通”的学术追求,反映在骈文创作上表现为追求富丽典赡之美。清初骈文内容的充实和提高有力地推动了清初骈文的复兴,为清代中叶骈文全盛开拓了路径。     

幼儿教师的教育观念内化机制研究

在当前国家大力发展学前教育的背景下,研究幼儿教师对国家颁发的《幼儿园教师专业标准》《3—6岁儿童学习和发展指南》等政策文件代表的先进的教育观念的内化,是目前非常紧迫且有价值的课题。影响幼儿教师教育观念内化的心理内部因素包括个性倾向性系统、认知系统、情感意志调控系统和个性心理特征系统,与此相应地可以获得幼儿教师的教育观念内化的动力机制、认知机制、信念机制和发展极机制。     

Professionalisation policies in the ECEC field: trends and tensions in the Italian context

In recent times, a growing consensus has emerged, among researchers and policy-makers, that a well-educated, competent and adequately supported workforce is crucial for the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Despite governmental initiatives aimed to enhance the professional preparation and continuing development of early years practitioners being high on the political agenda of many EU member states, very few studies are analysing professionalisation policy developments and their implications within the national contexts of ECEC. Against this background, the article describes the key features of ECEC policies in Italy and their current trends by focussing specifically on the professionalisation of early childhood practitioners working across 0–3 and 3–6 services. Drawing on the data collected from documentary sources and interviews with key informants, this paper will critically review policy discourses as well as recurring themes and tensions arising from the academic and political debate. The findings from our analysis highlight that the increasing discontinuity characterising professionalisation initiatives across the 0–3 and 3–6 sector might lead to widening the gap among professionals working in such services. The risks that are associated with this trend are, on the one side, to devalue the educational role of 0–3 services and, on the other, to produce the schoolification of educational practices in 3–6 services. In addition, our analysis identified inconsistencies between initial and continuing professional development policies, which are progressively creating a dichotomy between initial and in-service training. The consequences of this process might produce, on the long term, the fragmentation of the ECEC system across public and private not-for-profit provision with the subsequent risk of impoverishing the local culture of childhood on which the Italian ECEC system has traditionally built its strength.     

Supporting English second-language learners in disadvantaged contexts: learning approaches that promote success in mathematics

In the Australian context, children living in disadvantaged circumstances, whose second language is English, are one of the groups at risk of failing in mathematics. This paper explores the impact purposely developed learning activities (Representations, Oral Language and Engagement in Mathematics Learning activities) have on pupils' mathematics outcomes in the first three years of formal schooling (Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2). The participating group (n = 461) comprised 328 English language learners and 133 mainstream pupils. To ascertain the impact of the learning experience, pre- and post-tests were conducted at the commencement and completion of each school year. The results indicate that all of the children significantly improved, with English as a second language pupils showing the greatest gains, and achieving norm-referenced expectations for their age.     

Improving numeracy outcomes for children through community action research

Virtue, according to Aristotle, is doing the right things at the right time with the right people for the right end and in the right way. This concept is central to the work of the Early Learning Initiative, an Irish community-based educational initiative. This paper describes how a community of parents, early childhood care and education practitioners and a third-level institution used action research to develop a three-year numeracy programme for children aged zero to six years. The Early Numeracy Project was one of 11 national projects that aimed to influence early years practice, provision and policy in Ireland. Remaining true to our local values and virtuous practice while implementing a national project was challenging, particularly when robust evidence of the impact of the programme on the children and parents in our community was required at national level. Approximately 860 children (zero to six years old) and their families took part in the Early Numeracy Programme each year, with national and local evaluations indicating that the outcomes for children in the programme had improved. The programme is an example of how a local community can use action research and virtuous practices to implement a national programme and improve outcomes for children.     

Exploring the social connections in preschool settings between children labelled with special educational needs and their peers

This paper reports on a small-scale study of the social interactions between six children labelled with special educational needs and their peers in their respective early years settings. Data from play observations, photographs and staff interviews is used to examine the dynamics of the connections that they make with other children. The position of these six children as active agents in making decisions about their peer interactions is highlighted and the ways that this agency is expressed is analysed. By focusing on the personal strategies that the children use to make social connections the findings contribute to the developing understanding of children's relationships within inclusive early years settings. In particular compatible play interests and personalities are identified as significant factors that attract children to one another in this case study. It also emerged that recurrent playmates did not feature consistently in the social exchanges involving this group of children. This factor is considered in the context of it being indicative of the social connections that children labelled with special educational needs pursue. Suggestions for further investigation are proposed and key practice messages offered around developing awareness and facilitation of social connections between children.     

Creating pretence and sharing friendship: modal expressions in children's play

Friendships and play provide children with opportunities for mutual engagement, which both require and facilitate children's language use. Modality is a semantic system in the language associated with children's learning. One way in which modality is realised is through linguistic expressions which allow speakers to moderate the degree of certainty about the truth of propositions (expressions of possibility) and the degree of necessity with respect to proposals (expressions of obligation). No research has explored the relationship between friendship and children's use of modality. This paper reports on the use of both types of modal expression during play between five- and six-year-old children in two friendship contexts. Results showed that possibility expressions occurred at similar rates in both contexts while obligation expressions occurred significantly more often in play in high-level friendships than in low-level friendships. Findings suggest that in high-level friendships modality was used cohesively to create and extend pretend play, whereas in low-level friendships it was used to regulate behaviour. Because modal expressions are important resources for managing interpersonal relationships, for talking about ideas and situations beyond the here and now and for writing for a non-present audience, our findings provide valuable insights for educators of young children.     

Neoliberalism,global poverty policy and early childhood education and care: a critique of local uptake in England

The global rise of a neoliberal ‘new politics of parenting’ discursively constructs parents in poverty as the reason for, and remedy to, child poverty. This allows for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) to become a key policy lever by using human technologies to intervene in and regulate the lives of parents and children in poverty. The article explores the uptake of this policy locally through interviews with 30 ECEC practitioners in three locations across England. The interviews suggested that the neoliberal discursive formation of child poverty as a problem of the poor themselves had symbolic power and was a view shared by most of the interviewees. This appeared to restrict their thinking and action, shaping a limited engagement with parents in poverty. Delivering curricular requirements was seen to further delimit practitioners’ practices with children in poverty by reducing their poverty sensitivity. Although this is a small study, its findings may be of value in questioning neoliberal logics, and their implications are considered critically.