Employing a multifocal view of ECD curriculum development at a rural settlement community in South Africa: Themes from a ‘design by implementation’ early childhood education programme

Early childhood curriculum development is challenged by the vast contextual variability of sites in South Africa. In this article, the author reports on the implementation of an early childhood development programme at an informal rural settlement community by an external societal agent. The article...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sonja Brink
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2016-06-01
Series:South African Journal of Childhood Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/405
Description
Summary:Early childhood curriculum development is challenged by the vast contextual variability of sites in South Africa. In this article, the author reports on the implementation of an early childhood development programme at an informal rural settlement community by an external societal agent. The article looks at the complex dynamics at play within such an early education development situation and examines the main themes that emerged from the process. Referring to the tensions that emanated from the implementation of this programme as a positive driver for change, it concludes that the employment of participatory methodologies could be utilised as a curriculum development tool and calls for the employment of a less formulaic and more holistic view of early childhood development. Keywords: Participatory action research; rural community development; curriculum development
ISSN:2223-7674
2223-7682