Early years in Scotland: An exploration of "race", class, gender and coloniality in child-centred learning within home educating communities of colour

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This project aims to explore the impact of "race", class, gender and coloniality in child-centred learning within home educating communities of colour, with a focus on the early years. Since coloniality refers to the continued impact of the distribution of power and resources through the legacy of colonisation and imperialism, which we continue to remain in the midst of, it would be crucial to understand how home educating families of colour are impacted by "race", class, gender and coloniality and how these inform and shape child-centered learning in the early years. Although home education is a parental and legal right in the UK, home educators and how they facilitate learning don't seem to be explored very much within educational and sociological research. Home educating families of colour also navigate systemic racism while focusing on learning opportunities outwith the system. Through a variety of mixed methods such as a case study approach, autoethnography, snowball sampling and child-led participatory methods, this study would offer insights into ideologies held around child-centred learning, reasons for home educating and how child-centered learning actually takes place outside of schools, nurseries and childminding groups. Autoethnographic approaches situated in decolonial work, excompass utilisation of the researcher's autobriographical data, inputs, perceptions and knowledge to analyse and interpret assumptions around culture and identity (Steeg & McCarty, 2012). Since my identity is shaped within the politics, racist structures and violence that exist (Kinouani, 2021), this allows me as the researcher, to explore and share why I would like to tell this particular story from all of my other lived experiences. It is therefore important for me to share that my commitment to disruption, research and my (un)learning started 21 years ago when I lived and worked with tribal communities in India. They showed me what grace, dignity, (un)learning and compassion really looked like. I also draw huge inspiration from my children, who have been my greatest teachers, companions and facilitators, as I carry on with this work that has been fashioned by the blood, sweat, tears, rage, frustration, joy in transformation and so much more from me, the communities I serve and that of my family. The findings from this study would be extremely useful in shaping policies around (re)imagining education and learning within the early years, outlining barriers and challenges impacting the decision of families of colour to home educate, as well as, (re)framing policies around pedagogical approaches to learning, anti-racism, holistic development of children of colour and educational reform initiatives.