Understanding the context

Cultural and diversity contexts in early childhood education cover the experiences of children and families from a wide range of cultures, languages, and religious backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, recently arrived migrants, refugees, and CALD communities. These contexts include traditions, languages, concepts of value, belief systems, and ways of knowing that impact how a child identifies themselves and literally engages in learning.

Over 30% of the populace of Australia has been born overseas with upward of 300 languages spoken, making it one among the most multicultural countries (ABS, 2022). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are recognized to be the oldest living cultures in the world, with ancient spiritual and ancestral ties to Country. Nonetheless, both the First Nations and migrant communities can face systemic barriers designed in perpetuating marginalization, such as racism, discrimination, language barriers, and services unsafe physically or culturally (Dunn et al., 2020).

From the point of view of sociology, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory puts a weight on culture and social interaction, the very matrix within which children develop their learning and cognitive abilities (Vygotsky, 1978). Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital similarly helps explain the way values, knowledge, and practices children bring from home interact with those valued by the education system to affect participation and achievement (Bourdieu, 1986).