Pedagogy is referred as “set of instructional techniques and strategies, which enable learning to take place and provide opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and dispositions within a particular social and material context. It refers to the interactive process between teacher and learner and to the learning environment” (Siraj Blatchford et al., 2002). In England, the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, are frequently mentioned as having influenced curriculum and pedagogy., and in Kuwait, the Froebel Approach has influenced pedagogy.
Pedagogy is influenced by a number of factors such as country’s ECEC system or organization, and links to primary school education. Moreover, teachers’ knowledge, teachers’ qualification, teacher training, content and teachers’ skills influence the teachers’ pedagogy. Pedagogical practices are influenced by organisations that monitor settings’ results and practices (Wall et al., 2015). The above all aspects will be discussed in Chapter 2 in more details.
1.4 The Contributors
Tuohy, (1997), defined a contributor as,
‘Someone who has a legitimate interest in the organization and its activities and, as a result, may have some right to influence the direction of the organization” (p: 32).
Key contributors of early childhood education are: governments; providers of early years teacher training (universities and school); and teacher educators, practicing teachers and trainee teachers. Each contributor is linked directly to the key issues, which they represent. This study includes the main function of these contributors and perceptions can be achieved through the opinions of interviewees.
1.5 The Selection of Case Countries
According to Bereday (1964), a cross-national comparison can be valued as, ‘to see schools of other countries not only as they appear in their own national contexts but in terms of other systems’ (p.6). Therefore, the provision of early years education and its teacher training programmes in both countries are analysed in Chapters 6 & 7.
While localities are undoubtedly distinctive, it is necessary to select cases for comparison that have sufficient similarities. Cross-nationally it can be problematic, especially when selecting two national cases where urban social development – with public education as a key component – needs to exhibit sufficient parallels (Smith, 1976 and 1977, cited in Ahmed, 2008). There are significant differences between the social, cultural and linguistic aspects between both countries therefore, for this doctoral programme of three-four years it was not possible to include the social and cultural aspects thoroughly at this stage.
Although each case is unique, for this case-study approach it is better to select locations with as high a degree of comparability as possible so as to maximise the potential value of replication logic that may arise from the analysis (Yin, 2003; Wolcott, 1990). This in turn will enhance the potential outcome of the research in its contribution to theory.
Within England, it was decide to avoid the main capital cities, but in the case of Kuwait the main capital city was included, in order to reduce the level of differences between the two case locations.
The English Case Location
The English case-locations are the two main cities of neighbouring counties. The cities have grown from both towns established in medieval times and particularly through large expansions in the nineteenth century and then be late twentieth century. These periods of significant urban growth represent very different economic developments. Much urban growth is associated with the establishment of a large working class population in traditional industries. More recent economic development- electronic and modern manufacturing industries, and social and professional sectors –are associated with the growth of a middle class. In this case, it was decided to select two main Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and two pre-primary schools from these counties (See Chapter 4).
The Kuwaiti Case Location
The Kuwaiti case-location is the main capital city of State of Kuwait. The city has many boroughs in it. The city is the political, cultural and economic centre of Kuwait and is considered a global city. The city has a petroleum-based economy; petroleum and fertilizers are the main export products. The Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is the highest- valued currency unit in the world. It has a population of 4.1 million in the metropolitan area. Among 60% of Kuwait’s population is Arab and the remaining 40% consists of non-Arab expatriates, mainly South Asian migrant workers. Kuwait has a wealthy,
open economy that is dominated by oil industries. The city has many modern architectural features and high-rise buildings, towers and shopping complexes. It is situated at the Gulf Bay and has very long coastal roads called, ‘Corniche’. This coastline is 310 miles (400km). It was decided to select the two Higher Educational Institutes and two pre-primary schools from this city (see Chapter 5).
1.6 Summary
This research examines the preparation and particularly the role of early childhood/kindergarten teachers. The study examines the four competencies of early years teachers; teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and pedagogical practice during their preparation as teachers and actual practice in the classrooms. Moreover, the study also examines, how to compare these competencies between two different countries.
The Chapter Two presents the existing literature about the system of early childhood education, preparation of its teachers and the role of the teachers. The literature also discusses the four main competencies of early childhood teachers and trainees. The Chapter Two will also explore the aspects discussed in this current chapter. Moreover, the majority of literature about early childhood education has been taken from the Western and English researches because Kuwaiti literature is very limited in this particular field.