Researching the Early Years Continuum

This publication draws together research undertaken by nursery and primary teachers, in conjunction with Local Education Authorities and by Higher Education staff. It focuses on practice and provision in the early years of education and care, looking predominantly at children between the ages of three and eight. The research is drawn upon in making a case for considering the early years as a continuum of development and learning. The aspects of this continuum that are addressed include special needs, language development, parental involvement, four-year-olds in school, learning and teaching mathematics, learning and teaching science and assessment. It is hoped that the publication can add weight to the call for well-focused initial training and for ongoing professional support for all working with young children - the complexities of the learning-development continuum need to be asserted and understood. In this respect, further research is clearly needed and it is hoped that the future might witness a renewed commitment to substantially-funded early years research. The book is intended for both practitioners and researchers. Several of the reported research projects would lend themselves to replication by teachers seeking to explore their own practice. All have an integrity and rigour that can help raise the status and profile of early years research.