Digital Technologies and Early Childhood in China

Policy and Practice

Edited by:
Ilene R. Berson, University of South Florida
Wenwei Luo, University of South Florida
Chuanmei Dong, Macquarie University
Michael J. Berson, University of South Florida

A volume in the series: Research in Global Child Advocacy. Editor(s): Ilene R. Berson, University of South Florida. Michael J. Berson, University of South Florida.

Call for Chapters

The book project entitled Digital Technologies and Early Childhood in China: Policy and Practice will be the eighth volume in the Research in Global Child Advocacy Series published by Information Age Publishing. This volume will detail the entanglement of digital technologies and early childhood ecologies, learning and pedagogies in China. It analyses how traditional Chinese values, Eastern and Western curricular approaches, and socio-political, economic, cultural and demographic changes influence current policies, services and practice. This book is the first research-based review of technology integration into early childhood education and the factors that affect it in China. It is particularly timely given China’s growing influence and the increased recognition of the importance of early childhood education for human capital development globally. Across international contexts, there is limited knowledge of China’s early childhood curricular reforms, and this book will offer insight into the socio-cultural and political influences that have driven the nation’s tremendous investment in the technology infrastructure, the ambitious goals for implementation into the education of young children, and barriers to these integration efforts.

We invite chapter proposals that center on the following themes:
• The impact of past and present policies on the integration of technology into the Chinese early childhood system
• The effects of digital technologies on school and home environments for young children in China
• Critical perspectives on using digital resources or tools with young children in Chinese early childhood contexts
• Diverse pedagogic approaches to promote young Chinese children's digital learning
• Unique cultural impacts associated with digitization of early childhood in China
• Issues and trends in integrating technologies into Chinese early childhood teaching and learning
• Voices and perceptions of young children, families, and early childhood educators

Due Date
Interested authors should submit a 500-word abstract and working bibliography of the proposed chapter by April 30, 2021. Editors will notify potential authors by June 4, 2021 regarding proposed chapter acceptance.

Chapter Submission Procedures
If a proposed chapter is accepted, editors will adhere to the following due dates and submission procedures.

1. Author(s) submit completed chapter by September 30, 2021 to Ilene Berson (iberson@usf.edu).

2. Chapters should be sent via a Microsoft Word email attachment.

3. Submissions should include an abstract and adhere to the 7th edition APA guidelines.

4. Chapters include a brief – no more than 100 word – author’s bio (for each author).

5. Submissions should also include a cover page with author’s name(s), affiliation(s), and email(s).

6. Notifications of editorial and critical commentary and needed revisions will be sent by editors to author(s) by December 1, 2021.

7. Chapters should be at least 15 pages (minimum) and 20 pages (maximum) in length, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font (not including title page, references, tables and figures).

8. Tables may be included, but the presentation should be as simple as possible. A table that is long, but has few columns, is preferred to a wider table with many columns. A summary of the findings in a table should be discussed in the text. Author(s) should group all tables together at the end of the chapter manuscript and cite tables formally in text using consecutive numbers (e.g., see Table 1) and not “see table below”.

9. Pictures and other graphics can be included as needed. Photos should be submitted at 300 dpi and must be saved as TIF files. Line art should be submitted at 600-1200 dpi.

10. Information Age Publishing (IAP) will require authors to complete chapter agreement and publication agreement forms. These should be completed and included in the submission package. We are aiming for publication by Fall 2022.

Review Process
All completed chapters will go through a double-blind peer review process. If the reviewers and/or editors find the chapter is not consistent with the highest standards of academic scholarship, the editors reserve the right to remove the chapter from the completed book submission.

Proposed Timeline
• March 1, 2021 – Call for Chapter Proposals issued
• April 30, 2021 – Chapter proposals due to Ilene Berson (iberson@usf.edu)
• June 4, 2021 – Authors notified of status of proposal
• September 30, 2021 – All original chapters submitted to Ilene Berson (iberson@usf.edu) for review
• September 30-December 1, 2021 – Double-blind peer review of chapters
• December 1, 2021-March 1, 2022 – Authors edit chapters based on feedback from reviewers and submit revisions to Ilene Berson (iberson@usf.edu) as Microsoft Word attachments
• March 1-April 15, 2022 – Editors review chapter revisions and provide feedback to authors
• April 15-May 15, 2022 - Final revisions completed by authors and submitted to editors
• June 1, 2022 - Book submitted by editors to IAP

Send inquiries to:
Ilene Berson iberson@usf.edu