How Aistear was developed: Research Papers
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) commissioned four research papers to inform the work in developing Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Drawing on national and international research, these papers look at how:
- particular understandings of education and care impact on children's experiences during early childhood education
- children learn and develop in early childhood
- play can be used to extend and enhance children's learning and development
- formative assessment can support and extend early learning and development.
Want to read more?
Read a summary of the key messages from the research papers (PDF, 744 KB).
Click on the links in the table below to download the papers and/or their executive summaries.
| | Research paper | Executive summary |
Education and care (Hayes, 2007) | Perspectives on the relationship between education and care in early childhood (PDF, 379 KB) | Perspectives on the relationship between education and care in early childhood (PDF, 278 KB) |
Learning and development (French, 2007) | Children’s early learning and development (PDF, 509 KB) | Children’s early learning and development (PDF, 276 KB) |
Play (Kernan, 2007) | Play as a context for early learning and development (PDF, 496 KB) | Play as a context for early learning and development (PDF, 280 KB) |
Formative assessment (Dunphy, 2008) | Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment (PDF, 461 KB) | Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment (PDF, 375 KB) |