1. The core value contexts of the concept of early childhood education (ECE)
18th EECERA Annual Conference in Stavanger, NORWAY September 3 – 6, Ulla Härkönen Docent, Dr., Lecturer in Early Childhood Education
The University of Joensuu
Savonlinnan Department of Teacher Education FINLAND

2. INTRODUCTION 1/3
The aim of this presentation is 1) to point out the extensions and intensions of the concept of early childhood education (ECE) - Data: 12 textbooks and 3 articles (2,745 pages) from early childhood education and preschool, published over 30 past years in Finland. (Härkönen 2003a)

3. INTRODUCTION 2/3
The aim of this presentation is 2) to show the general systems model of early childhood education and preschool thinking
Data: The works of great pedagogues and books written about them (Härkönen 2003b; 2008)

4. INTRODUCTION 3/3
3) The aim of this presentation is
to derive the core value contexts of the concept of early childhood education from the results of the above mentioned first and second tasks. (In the abstract the concept elements are understood now as the contexts)

5. addition
Context (language use), the relevant constraints of the communicative situation that influence language use, language variation and discourse

6. Problem 1/1
The main question is: What are the core value contexts of the concept of early childhood education (ECE).

7. THEORETICAL FRAME 1/1
The main theoretical frame of the study is based on the general systems theory and systems thinking (Chekland 1981; Rapoport 1968).

8. Concepts 3/3
The Finnish researcher Karvonen (2003) has defined the extension and the intension in a very understandable way:
The ‘extension’ or an application area. It must looked at what phenomena in the world will suit the concept or fulfill the criteria given in the intension.”
”The ‘intension’ or content: the criteria or a set of signs that is held valid for a given period of time.”

9. Different ways – different views 1/1
“People perceive the world through the prism of concepts or, in other words, through the intensions.
People recognize from the world the things that conform to intensions. All that exists in the world distributes in different ways.” (Translated by the author from the Finnish text: <

10. Methods 1/6
On the basis of the phenomenological-hermeneutic approach and through the text content analysis I discovered the systems character and the model of the great pedagogues’ educational thinking

11. Methods 2/6
Content analysis was needed in analyzing the concept of early childhood education
The question is, how to give a greater conceptual order to specific data? (Strauss, A.L.1987, 143)
A qualitative analysts may use visual devices such as diagrams, matrixes, tables, and graphs

12. Methods 3/6 Model: a particular design or type of product
Model: a simple description of a system, used for explaining how something works or calculating what might happen, etc. a realistic model of evolution (Oxford Dictionary…2000, 819)

13. Methods 4/6
In this study: Cross tabulation between the two verbalized and modelled data
Definition of cross tabulation: To analyze and summarize data. A common example is summarizing the details from database records and placing them into a spreadsheet. (

14. Results of the former studies
The next four figures represent the main results of my earlier studies carried out in the constructing process of my new systems pedagogical theory.
(I have also an animation about the 3rd figure.)

15. Early childhood education thinking
systems
Early childhood education thinking
systems
Early childhood education science, e.g. theories
Systems
systems
Systems
Early childhood education subject
systems
Early childhood education practice
Figure 1. The four extensions of the early childhood education concept as a systems model.
Härkönen Ulla 2008

16. systems
Early childhood education thinking
care
spiritualization
education
learning
socialization
teaching
development
civilization
systems
Early childhood education science, e.g. theories
Systems
systems
Systems
Early childhood education subject
systems
Early childhood education practice
Figure 2. The four extensions and eight intensions of the early childhood education concept as a systems model. Härkönen Ulla 2008 (EECERA_08: spiritualization added)

17. Views on world
Views on human being Views on child
Views on society
Wies on knowledge
Views on education
Views on goals
Views on methods
Views on subjects
opened
Views on outdoor education
Views on play
Views on work
Views on teaching
Views on celebrations
Views on basic activities and care
Tourism Social sciences Natural sciences Internatio- nalism
Ethnology Folkfore Entertain- ment Arts
Work pedagogy
Didactics
Nursing Hygiene Medicine Nutrition Home economics
Play pedagogy
educational science, developmental psychology, psychology, philosophy, sociology early childhood education science
Views on planning of pedagogical process of early childhood education
Views on pedagogical process of early childhood education
Figure 3. The general systems model of early childhood education and preschool thinking (GSM). Härkönen Ulla 2008

18. Views on contents and subjects
Views on human being
Views on child
Views on world
Views on society
Views on knowledge
Views on education
Views on methods
Views on goals
Views on contents and subjects
Views on celebrations
Views on outdoor education
Views on basic
activities and care
Views on play
Views on work
Views on teaching
Education science, developmental psychology, psychology, philosophy, sociology,
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SCIENCE
Nursing Hygiene Medicine Nutrition
Home economics
Tourism
Social sciences
Natural sciences
Internationalism
Play
pedagogy
Work pedagogy
Entertaimen
Artst
Views on pedagogical process of early childhood education
Didactics
Views on planning the pedagogical process of early childhood education

19. Orientation to the results of this study
The results are derived from the qualitative and verbal model of the figure 1 titled The four extensions of the early childhood education concept as a systems model,
and the qualitative and verbal model of the figure 3 titled General systems model of early childhood education and preschool thinking (abbr. GSM)
These models are now cross-tabulated.

20. Orientation to the results of this study
The results are seen in the next slide, figure 4, titled The four extensions and new pedagogical intensions as the value contexts of the early childhood education concept, presented as a systems model.

21. systems
Early childhood education thinking
Consists of the value contexts of the GSM of ECE
systems
Early childhood education science, e.g. theories
Consists of the value contexts of the GSM of ECE
systems
Systems
Systems
Early childhood education subject
Consists of the value contexts of the GSM of ECE
systems
Early childhood education practice
Consists of the value contexts of the GSM of ECE
Figure 4. The four extensions and new pedagogical intensions as the value contexts of the early childhood education concept, presented as a systems model. Härkönen Ulla 2008

22. Results 4/9
* After cross-tabulation pedagogical core value contexts of GSM ought to be found on every one of the four value extension contexts (practice, subject, science, thinking)
; otherwise it is not the question about the concept of ECE

23. Results in details 5/9 1) Four extensions as the core value contexts:
ECE practice is a value context
ECE subject is a value context
ECE science is a value context
ECE thinking is a value context

24. Results in details 6/9
2) GSM and its parts as the core value contexts:
Values of views on world
Values of views on human being
Values of views on society
Values of views on knowledge
Values of views on education
Cont. …2…………….

25. Results in details 7/9 Cont…2
Values of views on goals
Values of views on subjects
(Values of views on scientific, pedagogical and didactical knowledge areas (which gives knowledge about subjects) (not figured on GSM)
Values of views on methods
Values on basic activities and care
Values on play
Values on work
Values on teaching
Values on celebration
Values on outdoor education

26. Results in details 8/9Cont…2
Values of views on scientific, pedagogical and didactical knowledge areas (which gives knowledge about methods (these are figured on GSM)
Values of views on different near sciences
Values of views on pedagogical process
Values of views on planning process

27. Results in details 9/9 3) systemic thinking as the core value context
Systemic relationship between core value contexts is a basic value context
Systemic thinking makes core value contexts open, not closed

28. Conclusions 1/4 Existing values in a culture can be studied
While making decisions and while changing educational and pedagogical values negotiation and democratic planning are methods needed in a democratic society

29. Conclusions 2/4
In this study values were put under the concept views , which was always written in the plural form
This is because there are many different practical, educational, scientifical and thoughtful ideas inside the mentioned contexts
This kind of theory refers to pluralism, multi-valued, and multi-cultural societies and different pedagogical ideas

30. Conclusions 3/4
The results of this study can be used while analyzing, developing or creating new visions in any value context
For instance: while analyzing the pedagogical ideas of Pestalozzi, Froebel, Steiner, Montessori, Neill, Parkhurst, Freinet, Sukhomlinsky, Malaguzzi, Freire
(this period is 1746 – 1997 = 251 years). All these ideas are largely alive in today’s world

31. Conclusion 4/4
While analyzing today’s education, curriculums, thinking of students, educational ideas in education institutions, trends at the universities
While creating new pedagogical approaches, for instance, the pedagogical systems theory
While getting new ideas or rediscovering old ideas again and again

32. References
Checkland, Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Strauss, A.L Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists. Cambridge University Press.
Härkönen, U. 2003a. Mitä termit varhaiskasvatus ja esiopetus tarkoittavat? What do the terms Early childhood education and preschool mean? Research reports of the Faculty of Education. The University of Joensuu, 86.
Härkönen, U. 2003b. The new Systems Theory of early childhood education and preschool as a frame for sustainable education. In JTET, Journal of Teacher Education and Training. Vol. 2, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology. Daugavpils University,
Härkönen, U New pedagogical systems theory and early childhood education culture. In International views on early childhood education, ed. by Härkönen, U. & Savolainen, E. Savonlinna Department of Teacher Education, University of Joensuu.
Karvonen, E Tiedotusopillinen ajattelu ja tutkimus. Käsitteiden ekstension ja intension määrittelyä. Internet
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.6th edition, ed. by Sally Wehmeier. Oxford University Press.
Rapoport, A Systems Analysis: General systems theory. In David L. Sills (red.) International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Volume 15. The MacMillan Company & The Free Press,
Runes, D. (ed.)1972. Dictionary of Philosophy. Littlefield, Adams & Company, Totowa, NJ. Internet:

33. Thank you for your attention. Ulla. Harkonen@joensuu. fi http://joyx
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