CONTENTS
Introduction: Early Childhood Education Research and Practice in International Perspective. Bernard Spodek and Olivia N. Saracho. Early Childhood Education in Australia: Approaches, Issues, Policies and Research. Wendy Schiller. Contemporary Early Childhood Education and Research in China. Jiaxong Zhu and X. Christine Wang. How Finland is Researching Early Childhood Education. Mikko Ojala. Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood Education: The Case of Greece. Demetra Evangelou and Hara Cortessis-Dafermou. Research and Policy Issues in Early Childhood Care and Education in Japan. Yoko Shirakawa and Sachiko Kitano. Early Childhood Care and Education in Korea: Current State and Research. Unhai Rhee, Won Young Rhee, and Young-Ja Lee. A Global Perspective on Early Childhood Education: Characteristic Traits and Research in Norway. Ole Fredrik Lillemyr. Elementary Education in Poland: A Brief History and Current Research. Barbara Muraska. Research in Early Childhood Education in Portugal. Teresa Vasconcelos. Early Childhood Education Research in Spain. Miguel A. Zabalza. Early Childhood Education in Turkey: An Overview. Sevda Bekman. Early Childhood Education: An International and Contemporary Perspective. Bernard Spodek and Olivia N. Saracho. About the Authors.