Objects in early childhood education (ECEC) experiences have begun to receive a great deal more attention than ever before. Although much of this attention has emerged recently from new materialism, in this paper we turn to Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological concern with the (in)visibility of 'things' to illuminate the presence of objects within…

Early childhood education settings are arguably places of community, togetherness and belonging. But what if they are not? What if individuals' senses of identity, place or reality clash, do not fit or, worse, repel or offend? This article picks up on the largely under-researched area of teachers' belonging and sense of cultural identity in early…

Implementing relationships-based pedagogies in infant and toddler settings might assume that teachers' experiences of emotional labour will be acknowledged. This assumption may be complicated by assessment practices that both rely on and detract from relationship-building opportunities with infants and toddlers. Assessment also relies on…

This article examines small-scale research into what passion might mean to early childhood teachers in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The catalyst for this research was twofold: Moyles' work in the United Kingdom on passion, professionalism and paradox, and the author's personal encounters with the distinct views in the teaching community on…

The concept of "subjects" has posed a philosophical dilemma and polarised debate within early childhood education. Consequently, little attention has been paid to teachers' and children's subject knowledge and the role these might play in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy to extend and enhance children's learning. This article…

This article highlights initial findings from a qualitative research study in Aotearoa/New Zealand exploring the discursive production of children's sexuality in early childhood education. The article draws attention to teacher talk about and around sexuality. Drawing from heteronormative, developmentalist and biological discourses and discourses…

Early childhood care and education services in New Zealand have experienced major policy reforms since 1984. Life history interviews were carried out over a two-year period to obtain insight into the impact of the major reforms on the lives of eight kindergarten teachers. This article looks at the teachers' own perceptions of the changes and how…