In this article, the authors argue for a rethinking of kindergarten education from a critical feminist perspective. They illustrate how the devaluation and denigration of femininity and care - otherwise known as femmephobia - that permeates patriarchal societies is present in the seemingly innocent spaces of play in kindergarten. Tracing…

The construct of moral injury is usually utilized to understand cases in which individuals perform or witness actions they consider morally wrong. In this paper, we suggest the construct of "moral trap", which entails circumstances in which teachers face pressure to act but are unable to simultaneously meet the demands of care, justice,…

In the main, writing about care seems to contrast the ethics of justice with the ethics of care. Whilst the former deploys objectivity, the latter holds that individuals are connected. Problematically, contemporary primary education seemingly holds a-personal, justice conceptions as its basis and rationale. In turn, primary education, in parts,…

The affective qualities of teacher-child relationships were examined by observing 20 pre-service teachers' (PST) interactions with kindergarten and first-grade students identified as either "naturally" or "ethically" cared for. Videotaped mathematics and science lessons were coded by the PST and an independent rater. Written…

The objective of this study was to analyse assessments made by principals, teachers and parents regarding the performance of values education in Estonian kindergartens. Six fields of activity were investigated: formulating and explaining values, promoting values, having a systematic approach towards values education, kindergarten culture,…

The educative project MelArete proposes an interpretation of ethical education: a form of Education to Virtue Ethics in the light of the philosophy of care. Starting from the ontological assumption that care is prime in life and without it the human being cannot flourish in his/her humanity, the project is based on an interpretation of the…

Discussions of research ethics are often focused on research ethics guidelines. These guidelines are useful in designing ethical research projects but are not designed to guide the interpersonal interactions that occur once researchers are out in the field. Drawing from Noddings' care theory, this article argues that making ethical decisions when…

At its heart "Every Child Matters: change for children" endeavours to engender an ethic of "care for" the client group. However, although its raison d'etre might well espouse such orientations, it has a certain level of internal ambiguity which if not considered might lead education to position subsequent operationalization in…