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Abstract

Research is always carried out in a specific time and context and is based on certain perspectives. All studies presented here are from a Nordic context (see also Einarsdottir, J., & Wagner, J. (Eds.). (2006). Nordic childhoods and early education: Philosophy, research, policy, and practice in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Greenwich: Information Age), but the theoretical frames will vary. This will be clear in each chapter. However, in this chapter, we will place the book in its historical and cultural context. More specifically we will be focusing on:

  • Contemporary Early Childhood Education (ECE).

  • What is didactics?

  • The distinction between the process and product of learning.

  • Profession-related research.

  • A brief presentation of the chapters to follow and their theoretical frameworks. The opening of a debate on educational objectives in the light of educational research.

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Pramling, N., Samuelsson, I.P. (2011). Introduction and Frame of the Book. In: Pramling, N., Pramling Samuelsson, I. (eds) Educational Encounters: Nordic Studies in Early Childhood Didactics. International perspectives on early childhood education and development, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1617-9_1

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