This paper is an exploratory study to identify similarities and diferences between twogroups of early childhood educator’ perceptions of how infants and toddlers learn inthe contexts of Australia and China. Researchers have demonstrated the importanceof high-quality education programs for children in the frst 3 years and evidence nowexists that these learning experiences can be enhanced when programs includeinfant and toddler participatory practices. The concept of participation for infants andtoddlers was the focus of the data collection. To investigate educator’s perceptions ofchildren’s participation in their own learning was the aim of this research with a purposeof conducting a comparative study on the sharing of knowledge, attitudes andpractices across the two contexts. The study was based on a theoretical understandingof learning and participation grounded in socio/cultural theories on the importance ofcontext and the social nature of learning. An anonymous survey was conducted witheducators working with infants and toddlers in early childhood services in the twocountries. Results were similar for many of the survey questions with two signifcantareas of diference, relationships with parents and the role of creative activities in children’slearning. These results have been discussed against the infant/toddler educationand care literature and contextual information from both countries. Discussion focuseson educator’ perceptions of how children learn and what is participation in these earlyyears. The fndings have implications for the training of educators working with infantsand toddlers and for the design of early childhood programs for our very youngest.
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