Ethical Awareness: a Cross cutting Element in the Intercultural Skills of Early Childhood Educators

This contribution aims to explore the relationship between the intercultural skills of educators working in early childhood institutions and ethical awareness, drawing on insights from an empirical research project. Ethical aware- ness is the core category identified in the ongoing research “Reflecting Together: an Ethical-Social Education Cur- riculum in Early Childhood Schooling”, from which the proposed reflections have emerged. Initially, the focus is on describing a context that provides meaningful experiences for young children in their early years (Piccioli, 2021) from an intercultural perspective (Fiorucci, Pinto Minerva, Portera, 2017; Pescarmona, 2021). The study also delves into the intercultural skills of educators (Fiorucci, 2020) and subsequently explores the potential role played by teachers’ ethical awareness in this context. Ethical awareness is examined regarding education professionals working with children aged 0 to 6 and in relation to the educational intervention itself, aiming to promote this competence from early childhood. The paper presents the initial results of research that focuses on the relationship between education and ethics, reflective thinking, discussions on values, and meaningful educational practices. The research adopts an ethically oriented methodological framework (Bianchi, 2019): Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014), and its main characteristics are explored. The sample chosen for semi-structured interviews includes pedagogues, kinder- garten teachers, and university professors working in Italy. The analysis of data from over thirty interviews led to the identification of several categories, with their properties thoroughly investigated. One of these categories, proven to be pivotal, is ethical awareness. Specifically, the char- acteristic that gives rise to this contribution is its intertwining with the intercultural skills of teachers working in early childhood services. Using as a reference the intercultural competence model proposed by Fiorucci (2020) and Deardorff (2006), ethical awareness emerges as a cross-cutting element within the complex and articulated frame- work of competences required for educators working in early childhood services. This is crucial for them to work effectively and contribute to building a quality education (Moss, 2013). In conclusion, the paper proposes a reflection on the possibility of including intercultural ethical awareness as an educational objective in Bachelor’s programs in Educational Sciences and Primary Education Sciences. It suggests the construct of a community of thought (Michelini, 2016) as a horizon of meaning in the context of these academic pathways.