Abstract

FERNANDEZ, Loreto  and  FALABELLA, Alejandra. Neoliberalism in early childhood education: an international systematic literature review. Práxis Educativa [online]. 2023, vol.18, e22562.  Epub Mar 15, 2024. ISSN 1809-4309.  https://doi.org/10.5212/praxeduc.v.18.22562.083.

Neoliberalism in education has proliferated globally around the world, including early childhood education (0 to 6 years). At this level, children’s enrollment has grown mainly through this policy rationale, which includes policies, such as privatization, competitive funding, and standardized evaluation systems. However, there is scant evidence regarding these policies and their consequences, considering early childhood education’s particularities. In order to understand the implications of these transformations, a systematic literature review was developed, in which 53 publications between 2012 and 2022 were analyzed. Findings contribute to characterize neoliberal policies at this level and identify their effects in relation to: i) access, coverage and equity, ii) quality, curriculum and accountability, and iii) working conditions and institutional funding.

Keywords : Neoliberalism; Privatization; Education markets; Accountability; Early childhood education.

        · abstract in Spanish | Portuguese     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )