Early childhood arts curriculum: a cross-cultural study

• Published in: Journal of curriculum studies Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 698 - 714
• Main Authors: Hamilton, Amy, Jin, Yan, Krieg, Susan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 03.09.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Art Education; arts; Comparative Education; Core Curriculum; Cross Cultural Studies; cross-cultural; Cultural Awareness; Cultural Context; Curricula; curriculum; Early childhood; Early Childhood Education; Elementary School Curriculum; Foreign Countries; International Educational Exchange; Kindergarten; National Curriculum; Preschool Curriculum; Social change; Young Children; Australia; China (Beijing)
• ISSN: 0022-0272; 1366-5839
• DOI: 10.1080/00220272.2019.1575984

Many countries, including Australia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, have included art subjects in their core curriculum. Using the theory of governmentality as a critical lens to investigate the intricate power-knowledge system in relation to curriculum, arts and pedagogy, this paper makes a comparative document analysis of two contemporary arts curricula for children aged 5-6 years-the Beijing Kindergarten Happiness and Development Curriculum in the arts learning area (upper class in kindergarten), and the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (Foundation level). Curriculum is best understood as a multi-faceted phenomenon and this paper draws from research which categorized curriculum into three phases: the intended (or planned) curriculum, the enacted (or implemented) curriculum and the experienced (the learner experience) curriculum. By focusing on the first phase: the intended curriculum, this paper compares the documents that comprise the planned curriculum from two very different contexts, and thus makes a contribution to cross-cultural understanding of early childhood arts curriculum in ways that may lead to social change.