NEW PEDAGOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY ANDEARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CULTURE
ULLA HÄRKÖNEN, SAVONLINNA DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION,
UNIVERSITY OF JOENSUU
ABSTRACT | INTRODUCTION | PROBLEMS AND METHODS OF THIS STUDY | THE
CONCEPT OF SYSTEMS | THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND EDUCATION | THE
CONCEPT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 1: DEFINITIONS OF
EXTENSION AND INTENSION | THE CONCEPT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
PART 2: EXTENSIONS | THE CONCEPT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 3:
INTENSIONS | THE CONCEPT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CULTURE |
THEORIES INSIDE THE CONCEPT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION | THE IMPACT
OF THEORIES ON THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CULTURE | THE PRINCIPAL
THEORIES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION | CULTURAL THEORETICAL
ORIENTATIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 1: THE MAIN FIELD OF
SCIENCE OF EACH THEORY | CULTURAL THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 2: THE FOCUSES OF EACH THEORY | CULTURAL
THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 3:
EDUCATIONAL ISSUES | CULTURAL THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. PART 4: THE TITLES OF CULTURAL THEORETICAL
ORIENTATIONS | THE NEW PEDAGOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY | THE NEW SYSTEMIC
PEDAGOGICAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CULTURE | THE IMPACT OF
THEORIES ON SYSTEMIC EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND ITS CULTURE:
SUMMARY | DISCUSSION | REFERENCES | APPENDICES
ABSTRACT
This article is a study of relationships between the theories of institutional early childhood
education and the early childhood education culture in Finland. Early childhood education
also includes preschool education for six years old children. The theories make the context
international, and it is extending from the past into the future. Culture serves as a broader
context for the study.
The purpose is to show how the concept of culture has evolved in the course of time,
how the concept of early childhood education is defined, how the concept of early childhood
education culture is defined, where – inside the concept of early childhood education – is the
place for theories and how do theories in general influence the culture of early childhood
education. It will also be asked, what are the principal theories applied in the field of early
childhood education, which cultural theoretical orientations are formed by the principal
theories in early childhood education and what the new pedagogical systems theory of early
childhood education should look like. Also, it will be discussed, why a new pedagogical
systems theory should be generated and what an impact the new pedagogical systems
theory and theories in general might have on early childhood education and its culture. The
focus will be on the systems theory and on pedagogics.
The hypothesis is that the phenomenon of early childhood education needs an
educational pedagogical theory which should especially be a new pedagogical systems
theory. Content analysis is the method used in this article to reach a new understanding.
This study adheres to qualitative culture research.
Key words: early childhood education, preschool, pedagogics, systems theory, systems
thinking, pedagogical systems theory, culture and education, theories of early childhood
education, pedagogical theories, culture research, content analysis.
1
INTRODUCTION
In Finland, over the past decades, many different theories have been used in institutional
early childhood and preschool education. Theories have had a varying impact on the culture
of early childhood education, including the foremost question of all – what is early childhood
education or what even does the concept early childhood education mean. The position of
power of theories tends to change. Even the best-known and often-applied theories lead to
problems and leave questions without answers.
Härkönen (2003a) has researched the meaning of the concept early childhood education
and its changes over the period of thirty years in Finland. But, before that and in addition to
that the author, by doing the analysis of historically significant early childhood education
theories (Härkönen 1983; 1991; 1993; 1996a), began to develop a systemic early childhood
education theory. After that she made a comparison between the differences of the
contemporary theories (Hytönen 2004; Vasta 2002) and the systems theory (Härkönen
2002; 2003a; 2003b; 2003c; 2003d; 2006), their similarities and influences on the culture of
early childhood education. The systems character of pedagogical thinking was found in the
works of history’s important pedagogues, meaning the pedagogical theories of Friedrich
Froebel, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Helen Parkhurst, Célestin Freinet,
Vasili Sukhomlinsky, Alexander Neill, Loris Malaguzzi, Paulo Freire and others. This article is
an exposition of the main results of the author’s studies of those issues.
The systems character of famous pedagogical theories has been a most interesting
scientific observation made by the author. It proved to be so radical that the new
pedagogical systems theory began to emerge. Already, many studies have been written on
the topic and this article is one of them. Systems thinking and systems models, like figure 1,
are principal issues throughout this study.
2
This article offers one more important context for the theories and early childhood
education – a cultural context. The aim is to study the impact of the theories of institutional
early childhood education on the culture of early childhood education. A more pointed focus
will be on the question about the new pedagogical systems theory and its impact on early
childhood education culture.
Figure 1 on the previous page outlines the deliberation on education and culture, theories
and education culture, the new pedagogical systems theory and the new systemic
pedagogical early childhood education culture. The input comes more from the side of
theories so as to study their cultural impacts.
The context proper is the Finnish early childhood education culture, but through the prism
of theories the context extends to cover an international dimension while on the time axis the
past and the future are included.
Figure 1 features the principal concepts and the order for following the main focuses in
the arrangement by the number.
PROBLEMS AND METHODS OF THIS STUDY
The problems follow the focuses of the study in accordance with figure 1. The problems are
the following:
1. What does the concept of systems mean?
2.
3.
How has the concept of culture and education been defined?
How can the concept of early childhood education be defined?
4.
5.
How can the concept of early childhood education culture be defined?
Where is the place of theories inside the concept of early childhood education?
6.
7.
How do theories impact on early childhood education culture?
What are the principal theories applied in the field of early childhood education?
8.
Which cultural theoretical orientations are formed by the principal theories of early
childhood education?
9.
What would the new pedagogical systems theory of early childhood education be
like?
10. What would the new systemic pedagogical culture of early childhood education be
like?
11. Which kind of impact should theories have on systemic early childhood education
and its culture?
The method employed in order to acquire new knowledge has been the text content
analysis. This paper is a qualitative culture study (Alasuutari 1994, 46-64; Härkönen 1991;
1996b; 1999; 2003a; Pietilä 1976). The choice of significant early childhood education
theories, the knowledge of the theory content and the choice of the criteria to analyze these
theories are based on the researcher´s wide early childhood education experience, gained in
the areas of practice, teaching, science and research both in Finland and abroad. The text is
a meta-analysis of the earlier main studies and articles of the author, giving, in addition, new
knowledge and newly produced conclusions.
In this kind of research logical reasoning, explanation, argumentation and deductions are
the scientific methods applied, while moving forward through the constantly arising
problems. (Niiniluoto 1983; 2002.) The question is in many cases about fitting the newly
created concept systems together. While working on it, the earlier results come to be
checked over and over again. If the problems occur somewhere, all the system must be
checked and corrected.
3
In this article it is in its part question about historical philosopher-pedagogues. Cohen and
Manion (1994, 46) writes, that “the historical study of an educational idea or institution can
do much to help us understand how our present educational system has come about; and
this kind of understanding can in turn help to establish a sound basis for further progress.
Historical research in education can also show how and why educational theories and
practices developed. It enables educationalists to use former practices to evaluate newer,
emerging ones.” Through instruction in history of education it is possible to develop specific
competencies like among others “understanding the dynamics of educational change,
increased understanding of the relationship between education and the culture in which it
operates, increased understanding of contemporary educational problems and also
understanding the functions and limitations of historical evidence in analysing educational
problems”. These thoughts are desired aims also in this article.
THE CONCEPT OF SYSTEMS
This chapter will give an insight into the systems theory as an answer to the 1st question:
What does the concept of systems mean? (Figure 1.) In order to understand systems,
systems theories and systems thinking are also treated first.
Systems thinking is not quite the most often applied way of thinking in education, not at
least in the educational papers published in Finland. However, it is not unknown, either. The
author has studied the famous philosophers and pedagogu