Afrocentric cultural perspectives towards quality early childhood education for digital and psychosocial wellbeing of children: The role of community preschool centers (CPC) in Cameroon
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Abstract
Background. Digitalization has a profound psychosocial impact on young children; however, the dominance of Western educational models often ignores cultural specificities and the context of local communities, especially in rural Africa. Against the backdrop of growing digital inequality and the need to protect children’s psychosocial well-being, there is a pressing need to develop and implement culturally responsive approaches to early childhood education that draw on traditional African values, indigenous pedagogies, and community practices.
Objective. To explore the Afrocentric conceptualization of young children’s psychosocial well-being and digitalization practices within Cameroon’s community-based early childhood education system, and to substantiate the role of community preschool centers as an institution for protecting and supporting children in the digital age.
Methods. The study employs a set of theoretical methods: analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, regulatory documents, and educational development strategies (drawing on the example of Cameroon and UNESCO international recommendations); comparative analysis of Western and Afrocentric pedagogical approaches; and a bioecological approach to examining the child’s developmental environment.
Results. A research gap concerning the influence of culturally conditioned beliefs and rural geography on the implementation of digital resources in the African context has been identified. The key characteristics of Afrocentric child development (holistic personality, communal learning, and learning through participation) have been analyzed. The effectiveness of the community preschool center model in Cameroon has been substantiated; these centers serve as an institutional buffer that balances digital interaction with traditional socio-emotional learning. The strengths of this model have been highlighted: a safe environment, close collaboration with local councils, a play-based curriculum, and an emphasis on health and nutrition. The necessity of moving away from the exclusive dominance of Western epistemologies toward documenting and integrating local indigenous practices has been demonstrated.
Conclusions. The community-based approach to early childhood education in Cameroon implements the principles of inclusion and cultural appropriateness, ensuring the protection of the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable groups of children (including refugees and children from poor families) in the context of digitalization. The key success factor and innovation is parental education and the involvement of parents in the upbringing process. For the sustainable development of early childhood systems in Africa, it is necessary to generate and promote indigenous research and pedagogical practices that reflect local value systems, rather than uncritically borrowing Western standards.
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