Pedagogy in Early Years Education

Dear Colleagues,

The term pedagogy has traditionally been associated with formal schooling and structured “readiness” curricula; yet, in the context of early childhood education, the term has a much broader meaning, referring also to the essence of play, care, emotional connection, attentive listening, and nurturing relationships—crucial elements for enriching the educational experience and setting the stage for lifelong learning. Embracing this broader understanding of pedagogy is crucial for promoting the holistic development of our youngest learners.

This Special Issue explores how the term 'pedagogy,' when applied to early childhood contexts, can be reframed as a dynamic, child-centered, and holistic approach to education. We aim to challenge narrow interpretations that confine pedagogy to teacher-led instruction, instead highlighting its potential to encompass diverse, culturally situated, and developmentally appropriate practices that respect children's voices and agency.

This Special Issue aims to critically examine and broaden understandings of pedagogy within early childhood education. We invite contributions that explore pedagogical theories, practices, and experiences that go beyond traditional school-based models and that foreground the complexity, creativity, and relational nature of working with young children. We also aim to highlight professional development models—both initial and in-service—that equip educators to integrate multiple pedagogical lenses, including play-based, digital, and nature-based learning approaches. 

This issue welcomes interdisciplinary perspectives and international contributions that investigate how early childhood pedagogy is shaped by cultural, social, political, and institutional contexts. We are particularly interested in studies that articulate new meanings of pedagogy, including those grounded in participatory, inclusive, posthuman, decolonial, or feminist frameworks.

We invite submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Reconceptualising pedagogy in early childhood education;
• Pedagogy of care, play, and listening;
• Educator–child relationships and pedagogical documentation;
• Culturally responsive and inclusive pedagogical practices;
• Pedagogy and children’s rights, voice, and participation;
• Comparative studies on early childhood pedagogies across contexts;
• Challenges and innovations in teachers’ education for early childhood;
• Effective Professional Development models for fostering diverse pedagogies;
• Teachers’ mentorship, reflective practice, and practitioner research as catalysts for change;
• Forest schools, garden classrooms, and sustainability education in early years;
• Non-school-based learning environments and community pedagogies;
• The role of materials, environments, and space in pedagogical encounters;
• National/regional policy frameworks that enable or constrain innovative pedagogy.

Dr. Natalie Nóbrega Santos
Dr. Mónica Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• early childhood education
• pedagogy
• pedagogical practices
• child-centered learning
• play-based learning
• nature-based learning
• participatory pedagogy
• professional development
• educator training
• reflective practice