Museum Pedagogy and Early Years Children: A Critique of Research, Policy and Practice

Museum Pedagogy and Early Years Children offers a critique of research, policy and practice on children’s status in museums, galleries and heritage sites. It is a critical synthesis of research and practice in the field of museum pedagogy for children that draws upon educational programmes and policy in the UK. It provides an overview of the development of museum education in the UK and the policy context within which museum pedagogy meets early childhood. The review of international research conducted over the past three decades identifies four main research strands of research that perceive children as ‘human becomings’, ‘meaning makers’, ‘active agents’ and most recently ‘the post human child’ within a spatial and material turn in research. This book advocates for a synergy between museum pedagogy and childhood studies, a critical reflection on the status of museum pedagogy within the professional terrain and the parameters that shape museum practices and argues for research that explores the museum experience as a holistic phenomenon.