Educational Practices and Young Children’s Socio-Moral Development: A Cultural Psychological Approach

Abstract

Early childhood education in Brazil, and in the world at large, draws on historical cultural traditions, and since it was institutionalized, it has served different purposes, from economic to social demands. After a brief analysis of its role within the Brazilian context, we discuss the major goals of Brazilian public policies to the field and emphasize the need to implement new educational paradigms for early education. In this chapter we stress the need to promote, within the context of early childhood education, children’s socio-affective development. We criticize the lack of formal attention and planning that educational practices dedicate to socialization, as well as to the emotional and moral development of young children. To illustrate our ideas, we present and discuss two empirical studies, both carried out in Brasilia, Brazil. The first study aimed at analyzing beliefs held by experts in charge of basic and in-service training of young children teachers concerning early childhood education and socio-affective development; the other analyzed socio-moral values and young children’s interaction teachers promoted within the classroom. New methodological approaches were developed for both studies, carried out from a cultural constructivist theoretical perspective in psychology. The studies made use of observations, video recordings, and interviews. Their results provide research evidence and theoretical elaborations suggesting possible venues to organize early childhood education programs planned to promote both intellectual and socio-moral development among young children. We stress the centrality of appropriate teacher training and the need for further investigation in the area.