Research Network Cultures of Early Childhood Education and Care (CECEC)

RECOdE is strongly related to the Research Network Cultures of Early Childhood Education and Care (CECEC) which has been founded, among others, by the RECOdE partners. They have been working in close collaboration in this network since 2017 in order to theorize and analyze cultural conditions in the field of early childhood education and care. 

Issues identified by the CECEC Network

Issues of diversity, along with the powerful social and cultural dynamics of a globalizing world, drive national discourses in the educational field. Research projects that explore these aspects in a cultural context and which are composed of international teams are, however, still quite rare. The danger is evident that ethnocentricity can result in a purely national focus. Therefore, we need to take stock of international comparisons concerning different cultural contexts and educational policies and practices – as these can prove extremely useful when reflecting on national and transnational developments in Early Childhood Education. Furthermore, analyzing both similarities and differences can contribute substantially to theory development. In particular, research into educational practices and structures, which can be described as both hybrid and dispersed as well as transnational and transcultural, can greatly facilitate the task of improving regulations and frameworks in early educational fields.


Against this background, the international research network Cultures of Early Childhood Education and Care (CECEC) was founded in 2017. The idea of the network is that different universities worldwide shall focus their research activities on cultural comparisons in the context of Early Childhood Education.

Network Frame: "Transformations and interpretations of transnational concepts in and local ECEC practices" (TRACES)

The theoretical frame of the network builds on our interest in questions of the transformation of local educational practices in the context of globalization. The central question is what effect transnational developments have on national educational settings. The aim is to clarify how transnational concepts are transformed in specific cultural discourses and local educational practices. Our analysis explores what significance is attached to the respective socio-cultural conditions in the context of implementing and interpreting transnational agendas.
The assumption is that transnational concepts and agendas in national and in particular local contexts are re-shaped in specific ways. If this assumption can be substantiated through analysis of various individual cases, it will call into question both what can be derived from transnational programs and what conclusions can be drawn from the interpretation of quantitative international education studies or standardized measuring instruments and how the growing diversity of societies opposes this movement within educational policy.

Network Partners

University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany:

  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Faas
  • Prof. Dr. Dagmar Kasüschke

Dublin City University, Ireland:

  • Prof. Dr. Mathias Urban

University of Roehampton London, United Kingdom:

  • Dr. Clara Ines Rubiano Zornosa

Mercy College New York, U.S.A:

  • Prof. Dr. Helge Wasmuth
  • Prof. Dr. Elena Nitecki

University of Stavanger, Norway:

  • Prof. Dr. Anita Berge
  • Dr. Gunnar Magnus Eidsvåg

Tarbiat Modares University of Teheran, Iran:

  • Prof. Dr. Ebrahim Talaee