Cultural hybridization of Froebelian principles: Autonomy, play, and relationship-based practices in infant-toddler care and education

Researchers examined the cultural hybridization of Froebel’s principles of autonomy, play, and relationship-based care, which feature prominently in infant-toddler care and education in US, UK, New Zealand, and Hong Kong curriculum/pedagogical frameworks. How are these principles enacted worldwide? Methods: Reviewed data from researchers’ existing larger study that included video-cued, multi-vocal (teachers, families, and researchers) analyses, to identify examples of these principles in action in ‘day-in-the-life’ videos of one-year-olds in each country. Findings: The way Froebel’s principles were enacted differed in specific ways found connected to each country’s broader culture, with Hong Kong demonstrating this most distinctly. Significance: Widely endorsed Froebelian principles are adopted but hybridized to represent each country’s uniqueness and to contribute to transmission of cultural values and norms. Copyright © 2023 AERA.