Early Childhood Studies: An Introduction to the Study of Children's Worlds and Children's Lives

The third edition of this popular core text provides comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the course content for Early Childhood Studies. The contents list reflects the multi-disciplinary and multi-professional scope of the discipline and provides an overview of current issues and approaches. Seven new chapters have been added including those on Frameworks for Understanding and Development, Providing an Enabling Environment and Action Research. Each chapter includes activities to help the reader engage with the text and advice on further reading.

Rod Parker-Rees is the co-ordinator of Early Childhood Studies and joint programme director for the BA (Hons) ECS at the University of Plymouth, where he also helped to develop the Early Childhood Studies Specialist pathway on the Bed and the BA (Hons) degree in ECS. Before he taught three to five year-old children in Bristol and conducted research with the National Primary Centre (South West). His research interests centre on playfulness, early communication and the role of young children as active social agents.

Dr Caroline Leeson is Associate Professor in Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth University. She has particular interests in the welfare of looked after children, children’s centre leadership and reflective practice and enjoys working with students towards their goal of being strong advocates for young children and their families. Her research interests are in social justice; children with a parent in prison; children who go missing and/or are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and the involvement of children in decision making processes. She is also active in researching the articulation of leadership in early years settings. Before working in higher education she worked as a social worker in child protection, fostering and adoption and was the leader of a family centre for a period of time. This experience proved particularly profound as she learnt the importance of communication, collaboration and the joy of spending time in the home corner making stone soup.

Dr Jan Savage was joint co-ordinator of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Plymouth until August 2005, and helped to create the specialist pathway on the B Ed and BA (Hons) degree in ECS. Shehas always been interested in promoting an inter-disciplinary collaborative approach to Continued Professional Development work in Early Years. She is currently working as a tutor on the national leadership programme for Children Centre leaders, deputies and others across professional boundaries (NPQICL).

Jenny Willan teaches on modules with a focus on research methodology. She previously worked in educational research at the University of Cambridge and the National Foundation for Educational Research. She has worked on children′s writing, gender studies and teacher action research.