Abstract

Recent research has shown that early childhood education has become a priority in the public agendas of a number of countries. However, research has focused on identifying good teaching practices for that age group, in an approach that provides little insight into other contexts, where it cannot systematically be transferred. This study adopts a theoretical framework that serves as a basis to propose a method to identify and understand core practices in early childhood education. By following this theory through, it becomes possible to refine theoretical constructs to gain insight into the grammar of the practice, employing a methodology that examines representation, decomposition, and approximation. Key findings include a conceptualization of characteristic practices of early childhood education and guidelines constructed around a common language able to provide direction for the initial training of early childhood teachers.