How early childhood educators use curriculum to support interest and critical thinking: A comparative study

• In Event: Virtual Roundtable Session 1
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Innovative Pedagogies for Peacebuilding and Global Citizenship: Comparative and Participatory Perspectives

Proposal

Curiosity and critical thinking are essential dispositions in societies facing division and uncertainty; they cultivate empathy, reflection, and peaceful engagement. This research explores how early childhood education (ECE) curricula (Montessori, Play Based, and Reggio Emilia models) foster these dispositions in ways that prepare children for constructive participation in a complex world. It asks: How do educators actively interpret and enact curricula to nurture both interest and critical thinking in young learners?
This research stands out for its comparative approach. Curriculum models are often discussed in isolation, but little attention is given to how teachers bring them to life across contexts. Through interviews, classroom observations, curriculum analysis, and survey data, this study centers teacher voices: their choices, adaptations, and struggles in balancing curriculum ideals with real classroom needs. By examining these perspectives, the research highlights how educators encourage curiosity and critical thinking in early learning.
The research is anchored in constructivist theory. Piaget (1964) frames children as active constructors of meaning, Vygotsky (1978) emphasizes collaboration and scaffolding, and Dewey (1938) insists that authentic inquiry arises through experience. Each curriculum model interprets these principles differently: Montessori cultivates structured independence; Reggio emphasizes collective inquiry and Play Based learning privileges imagination and negotiation. Rather than treating these philosophies abstractly, this study investigates how they are translated into practice by educators in diverse settings.
Grounded in an approved IRB protocol, data collection includes analysis of curriculum documents, semi structured teacher interviews, optional classroom observations, and surveys. This comparative design reveals both contrasts and shared practices, while situating findings within cultural and institutional contexts. The focus is not on ranking curricula, but on uncovering how teachers transform frameworks into opportunities that spark curiosity, stretch children’s thinking, and encourage respectful engagement.
Preliminary findings suggest that each curriculum nurtures interest and critical thinking in distinctive ways: Montessori through structured exploration, Play Based through imaginative play, Reggio through collaboration and documentation. Across models, the decisive factor is teacher agency, the creativity, adaptability, and professional knowledge that shape how children experience learning. Teachers’ ability to connect children’s interests with deeper inquiry is expected to emerge as the central thread.
This research offers three contributions. First, it provides comparative insight by moving beyond curriculum labels to examine how dispositions are fostered in practice. Second, it contextualizes findings by highlighting how teacher agency and local conditions mediate curriculum enactment. Third, it informs policy and practice by offering evidence for curriculum design and teacher preparation that cultivate curiosity and critical thinking as foundations for peace and social cohesion. Preparing children for the future is about nurturing the dispositions that empower them to participate thoughtfully in a divided world.

Author

• Mahlet Tekle