Chapter 19: Conducting Historical Research In Early Childhood Education

To understand early childhood education one needs to learn about its history. The education of young children can be traced back to the Hebrews in Christian and Jewish history when Hebrews lived as roaming tribes and taught their young children through family religious rituals beginning in infancy. Other cultures and religions have similar histories (Cubberley, 1920).

The focus of this chapter is how to conduct historical research in early childhood education in the United States. The education of young children in the United States began soon after the first permanent settlements were established in the colonies prior to the American Revolution. From the beginning of these first educational endeavors, the education of young children was influenced by European immigrants who traveled to the United States to begin a new life. The history of early childhood education cannot be separated from the history of early childhood. How, when, and where very young children experienced the early years cannot be separated from how they were educated. The time and place of a child’s early years have a strong relationship with the educational settings and types of early childhood education. Culture, family routines, religion, social and economic factors, and types of opportunities for learning all affect the possibilities for early education (Kagan, 1984).