Peer-reviewed article
Children’s participation in early childhood education: A theoretical overview
Nadine Elisabete Fernandes Gomes Correia, Cecília Aguiar, Fausto Amaro ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This theoretical paper examines children's right to participate in decisions affecting them, with a focus on early childhood education settings. The authors review different conceptualizations and models of participation from sociological, educational, developmental, sociocultural and social policy perspectives. The paper argues that promoting participation from an early age benefits children, adults and communities. The work is intended to inform research and practice in early childhood education.
Key points
- Children's right to participate in matters affecting them has gained societal recognition
- Participation promotion is recommended from early childhood education settings
- Participation is described as beneficial for children, adults and communities
- Multiple conceptualizations, models and perspectives on participation exist across disciplines
- The overview draws from sociological, educational, developmental, sociocultural and social policy fields
Limitations
This is a theoretical overview rather than empirical research, so it does not provide evidence on the actual outcomes or effectiveness of participation initiatives in practice. The document does not appear to present original data or evaluate specific interventions in early childhood education settings.
Abstract
Children’s right to participate in all matters and decisions affecting them has gained recognition in society. Its promotion is recommended from an early age – namely, in early childhood education settings – and it is described as benefiting children, adults and the community in general. Given the complex and polysemic meaning of participation, different conceptualizations, models and perspectives have emerged. In this article, the authors provide a theoretical overview, describing relevant models, concepts and contributions from distinct perspectives and fields of knowledge – sociological, educational, developmental and sociocultural – as well as contributions from social policy. This overview is particularly relevant to inform research and practice about children’s participation in early childhood education.