East China Normal University Office of International Education
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Early Childhood Education in a Cross-Cultural Context

Program brief introduction

The Early Childhood Education program is a nationally recognized specialty and a key discipline in Shanghai. Throughout its development, it has actively incorporated international best practices in education and aligned with national and regional educational strategies, achieving outstanding accomplishments across all dimensions. It has become a robust hub for cultivating high-caliber professionals in preschool education and incubating high-quality scientific research in China, consistently ranking first among similar programs nationwide for multiple consecutive years. The faculty comprises 7 professors and 13 associate professors.

This program is an English-taught master's degree initiative in the field of Early Childhood Education, open to international students. It aims to cultivate high-level Early Childhood Education professionals equipped with an international perspective, professional expertise, and cross-cultural educational capabilities. The program integrates cutting-edge international educational philosophies, curriculum theories, and research methodologies, focusing on major global issues in early childhood education to foster exchange and mutual learning of educational concepts. Leveraging China's rich practical experience in early childhood education, it constructs a training system that balances international standards with local characteristics. The program is committed to cultivating core talents with global competence, contributing wisdom to advancing educational openness and international cooperation.

The program primarily draws upon early childhood education while integrating theoretical resources and research methodologies from comparative education, developmental psychology, educational psychology, educational sociology, educational economics and management, and curriculum and instruction theory. This multidisciplinary foundation underpins both talent development and research within the program. Key research directions and content include cross-cultural childhood education studies and integrated childcare and Early Childhood Education research.


Study Period: 2 years, no longer than 4 years

Location: Putuo Campus, Shanghai

Graduation Requirement: Complete all required courses in the training program with satisfactory grades, fulfill professional practice requirements, and pass the thesis defense.



Major Courses

Principles of Education

Learning Psychology and Instructional Design

International Preschool Education Policy Research

Theory and Practice of Integrated Care and Education for Children Aged 0-6 in China

Theory and Practice of Play in Preschool Settings

Theory and Practice of International Academic Exchange for Graduate Students

Teacher Professional Development and Growth

Literature Review and Academic Writing

Philosophy for Children

Education for Gifted Children


Quality Assessment and Enhancement of Teacher-Child Interaction

Large-scale Assessment Supported by Al


Faculty Team

The Department boasts a robust, diverse faculty, all of whom have overseas academic experience and some earned their doctorate abroad. All are regular faculty at ECNU and will therefore be available to form strong mentorships as they teach, advise, direct student research, and help graduates embark on post-graduate opportunities. The program is supported by teachers in areas of Early Childhood Education.





姜勇 Yong Jiang

Professor

Research Interests: teacher’s professional development and teacher education, phenomenology of education


苏雪云 Xueyun Su

Ph.d, Professor

Research Interests: early childhood inclusive education, assessemnt in ECE and early intervention, social emotional development etc.


钱雨 Yu Qian

Ph.d, Professor

Research Interests: early childhood curriculum and pedagogy, educational policy and teacher education


张莉 Li Zhang

Ph.d, Associate Professor

Research Interests: school readiness and approaches to learning in young children, early literacy development and education  



刘婷 Ting Liu

Ph.d, Associate Professor

Research Interests: professional development of teachers for children aged 0-3, behavior observation and assessment of young children, and mathematics education for young children



祝贺 He Zhu

Ph.d, Associate Professor, Master's Supervisor, and Visiting Scholar at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Department of Early Childhood Education, East China Normal University

Research Interests: the basic theory of preschool education, preschool children's games and curriculum


古秀蓉 Xiurong Gu

Ph.d

Research Interests: philosophy for children(P4C), children's literature, social emotional learning


Contact Information


Global Education Center

Contact person: YIN Laoshi

Address: Room 253, Gezhi Building, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, China, 200062

Email: yyin@ied.ecnu.edu.cn

Tel: +86-21-62232013 / +86-21-62238353


Faculty of Education

Contact person: CAI Laoshi

Email: szcai@ed.ecnu.edu.cn

Tel: +86-21-62233156

https://ed.ecnu.edu.cn/45880/list.htm



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Contact Information
Office of International Education, ECNU
Add: Room 253, Gezhi Building, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, China, 200062
Tel: (86-21)62232013/ 62238353
E-mail: lxs@ecnu.edu.cn