Transformation of early childhood development and responsive learning environments: a collective case study in outer-west eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between responsive learning environments and policy transformation in South Africa. The research problem considered how the relationship between quality childhood development and quality learning environments is not recognised in South African policies to support early childhood development. This oversight has led to the implementation and development of early childhood development (ECD) policies that disregard the potential for quality education that is generated through responsive learning environment designs. The theoretical lens employed for the study first included phenomenology, through the concepts of ‘place’, ‘third space’, and ‘third teacher’. Secondly, it included reconceptualization of the ecological systems theory tied to pattern language, and thirdly, it included social and spatial justice. This approach was rooted in children’s rights and the global sustainable development goals, considering the inequality of the ECD context in South Africa. The study followed a multimethodology that included phenomenology, architectural and environmental psychology, and participatory research within a collective case study situated on the outskirts of Durban (eThekwini), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research sites included two centres in a high socioeconomic area and six smaller centres in a low socioeconomic area, enabling comparison. The research design combined evaluative methods from architecture with the constructivist approaches of observations and interviews with participants, providing them with a voice within the interpretive/transformative paradigm. The research findings illustrated how the interrelated relationship between children and their environment forms the basis for quality ECD. Furthermore, the research indicated that the ECD sector in South Africa is under tremendous pressure in terms of the provision of centre-based care and learning, and there are a range of challenges hindering the progress towards transformation. These challenges stand in contrast to the transformation agenda of the National Development Plan and the Integrated Development Plan for ECD, which aim to provide equal access to quality ECD for all children. The research concluded that the transformation of early childhood development is related to the quality of the learning environments. The research identified the need for a review of the role of architecture, the potential of collaboration, and the policy framework as critical to addressing the inequality of learning environments in the country.