Module: Children's Participation in ECE

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Children's Participation in ECE
Module Code	ECE1035 (ITS: EC307)
Faculty	Language, Literacy & ECE	School	DCU Institute of Education
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

This module analyses current conceptions of the ways in which babies, toddlers and young children participate in early education and care settings. Children’s perspectives on a variety of aspects of early education and care are explored with a view to maximising their participation in shaping provision. The focus of this module is on an ethical and rights based perspective of children’s participation. Approaches to children’s participation are compared across a range of ECE curricula from an international and national perspective. The approach, from an Irish perspective, to universal provision of preschool education and care is examined.

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyse the different ways in which all children can participate in early education and care settings from a rights based perspective
2. Recognise all children’s rights and agency
3. Examine models of participation
4. Evaluate national legislation, regulation and policy that supports and underpins children's participation in Irish society
5. Compare children’s participation across a range of early childhood curricula and frameworks from an ethical perspective
6. Identify effective approaches for eliciting the individual perspectives of babies, toddlers and young children, taking due account of communication and learning abilities

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	No Description
Assessment Feedback	25	No Description
Independent Study	76	No Description
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10349	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Marlene Mccormack	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Assignment	Essay plan.	20%	Week 7
Participation	n/a	10%	n/a
Essay	Critical analysis of children’s participation in early education and care settings.	70%	Sem 1 End

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

1
• Children’s rights and agency

3
• Current conceptualisations of young children’s participation in early childhood education and care

4
• Models of participation

7
• Analysis of case studies relating to children’s participation in early childhood education and care

5
• Analysis and comparison of children’s participation across different curriculum models

8
• Approaches to eliciting babies, toddlers and young children’s perspectives

2
• The ethics of participatory practice and research

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Alison Clark: 2011, Listening to Young Children, 2nd, National Children's Bureau Enterprises Ltd, London, 83, 1907969268
Carlina Rinaldi: 2006, In dialogue with Reggio Emilia, 1st, 15, Routledge, London, 192, 0415345049
Gunilla Dahlberg and Peter Moss: 2005, Ethics and politics in early childhood education, 1st, 8, Routledge, London, 224, 0415280427

Articles:

Hart, R.: 1992, Children’s participation: from tokenism to citizenship, In UNICEF innocenti essays, 4. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 519508
2001: Pathways to participation: openings, opportunities and obligations, Children and Society, 15(2), 107-117, 519509, 1
Participation in practice: Making it meaningful, effective and sustainable: Children and Society, 18, 106-118, 519510, 1, United Nations.
New York: UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc, 519511, 1, Lundy, L., 2007
519512: 1, Duggan, K., 2016, Towards a children’s rights model in Ireland: an exploration of the values and limitations of Irish Policy, Legislation and Practice from a Children’s Rights Perspective., An Leanbh Óg, 10, 95-110,
1: Theobald, M., Danby, S. & Ailwood, J., 2011, Child participation in the early years: challenges for education., Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36 (3), 19-26.,
Quennerstedt, A.: 2016, Young children’s enactments of human rights in early childhood education., International Journal of Early Years Education., 24 (10), 5-18.,

Other Resources

None