Picture Books as Conceptual Knowledge Tools in Early Childhood Education Ecosystems
Kitapta bölümler > Diğer · 2026
Yazarlar: Gamze BİLİR SEYHAN
Early Childhood Education as a European Knowledge Ecosystem, Diğer, Uluslararası, 2026, ss 135-164, ,
DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3373-9509-8.ch006
Özet
This chapter reconceptualizes picturebooks as active agents of knowledge production embedded within the dynamic, relational systems of early childhood education. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural framework, and Nodelman's critical analysis of children's literature, the chapter develops an integrated theoretical lens for examining picturebooks' conceptual significance. Three interrelated arguments are advanced. First, picturebooks function as sites of conceptual knowledge production through narrative structure, visual representation, and emotional resonance, enabling children to engage with concepts such as identity, belonging, and fairness. Second, this conceptual potential is realized through educators' mediating practices, selection, dialogic reading, and reflective engagement. Third, picturebooks are positioned within rights-based approaches to early childhood education, with attention to children's right to representation and ethical dialogue. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.