Transforming Early Childhood Education in Resource Scarce Contexts synthesises insights from various case studies in Southern Africa to propose a practical, context-sensitive approach for improving early childhood education in resource-scarce settings through participatory research that harnesses overlooked human, social, and cultural assets.The book argues that sustainable quality cannot rely solely on financial inputs but must position practitioners, parents, and communities as co-researchers who collaboratively design solutions tailored to local realities. Contributors provide detailed examples of participatory research that demonstrates how stakeholder collaboration, indigenous knowledge, and play-based pedagogies can strengthen ECE systems. Key contributions include professional development through participatory action research, enabling practitioners to build confidence, resilience, and innovative teaching strategies, while highlighting the transformative potential of parental engagement and community partnerships in creating supportive networks. By shifting from deficit-based thinking to resource-oriented strategies, the framework offers a roadmap for disrupting cycles of inequality and poverty, with practical examples showing how participatory approaches foster agency, bridge policy-practice gaps, and promote holistic child development to achieve equitable, sustainable ECE through collective action and contextually grounded solutions.Although most chapters focus on research conducted in Africa, the knowledge produced is relevant for any context experiencing increasing marginalisation and impoverishment. Researchers, scholars and early childhood educators around the world will find this an essential read.
Prof Lesley Wood, COMBER, North-West University, South AfricaProf Mariëtte Koen, COMBER, North-West University South Africa
Figures, tables and boxesList of acronymsAbout the contributorsForewordTony Betram & Christine PascalPreface and research justification Chapter 1: ECE in Resource Scarce Contexts: Participatory Approaches to Enhancing Quality and Sustainability ~Lesley Wood & Mariëtte KoenChapter 2: Building Sustainable Professional Development for ECE Practitioners in Low Resource Contexts: Learning with Practitioners in South Africa and Kenya ~ Helen Hendry, Sheila Drew & John Teria Ng’asikeChapter 3: Building Bright Futures: Sustainable Well-being in Early Childhood Education in Low-Resourced Contexts ~ Ncamisile P. MthiyaneChapter 4: 'It Takes a Village to Raise a Child': Developing a Multi-stakeholder Understanding of the Challenges Facing the ECCE Sector ~ Sandra Bruwer, Lesley Wood & Benita TaylorChapter 5: Fostering Positive Social Change in ECCE through Participatory Action Learning and Action Research in a South African Informal Settlement ~ Ashnie Mahadew & Zanele ZamaChapter 6: Collective Learning, Collective Action: The Development of an ECCE Hub through Participatory Inquiry ~ Koenane J. Thakalekoala & Lesley WoodChapter 7: Developing the Capacity of ECCE Practitioners to Use Indigenous Games to Introduce Children to Coding Skills ~ Malilensha Mkhwanazi, Lindiwe Jiyane &Busisiwe NdlovuChapter 8: Learning Through Play: Developing Cognitive Skills in the Early Years Through PALAR ~ Annie van As & Rosemary Wildsmith Cromarty Chapter 9: From Home to Hub: The Unyielding Spirit of ECCE Practitioners Building Futures Against All Odds ~ Marinda Neethling & Newlin MarongweChapter 10: Unlocking Hidden Resources: A Participatory Framework for Quality and Sustainable Early Childhood~ Mariëtte Koen & Lesley WoodIndex
Christine Pascal, Tony Bertram, Sally Cave, Sue Bennett, Tina Bruce, Anne Denham, Helen Lyndon, UK) Pascal, Christine (Centre for Research in Early Childhood, Birmingham, UK.) Bertram, Tony (Centre for Research in Early Childhood, Birmingham, Chris Pascal, Tony Bertram
Christine Stephen, Susan Edwards, Scotland) Stephen, Christine (recently retired as a Research Fellow at the University of Stirling, Australia) Edwards, Susan (Australian Catholic University
Michel Vandenbroeck, Mathias Urban, Jan Peeters, Belgium) Vandenbroeck, Michel (Ghent University, UK) Urban, Mathias (University of East London, Belgium) Peeters, Jan (Ghent University, Michel VandenBroeck
Michel Vandenbroeck, Mathias Urban, Jan Peeters, Belgium) Vandenbroeck, Michel (Ghent University, UK) Urban, Mathias (University of East London, Belgium) Peeters, Jan (Ghent University, Michel VandenBroeck
Christine Stephen, Susan Edwards, Scotland) Stephen, Christine (recently retired as a Research Fellow at the University of Stirling, Australia) Edwards, Susan (Australian Catholic University