Dimensions of International Comparison in Early Childhood Education and Care: Theoretical Notes

Abstract

International educational science research and communication relies on clear frames of reference in order to understand and compare different contexts of early childhood education and care in various countries, specifically the actors, educational content and arrangements, forms of support, as well as legal and procedural features. This chapter proposes a simple and differentiated visually supported frame of reference, which should facilitate communication in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. Fundamental to this is the understanding of international comparative Social Pedagogy as well as Early Childhood Education as a field of theory and research, which deals with the partially pedagogical, partially structural forms of education, care and support in different living conditions.