Mathias Urban
Prof
Mathias
Urban, PhD, is Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education,
and Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC) at Dublin City University, Ireland (DCU). He works on questions of policy related to diversity and equality, social justice, evaluation and professionalism in education and care systems for young children, families and communities in diverse socio-cultural contexts.
Before joining DCU Mathias held the position of Froebel Professor of Early Childhood Studies and Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre at the University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom.
Mathias is Professor of Pedagogy (professor II) at the University of Stavanger, Norway, and Affiliate Professor and Fellow at EDPolicyFORWARD: The Center for Educational Policy at George Mason University, VA, USA.
Mathias has 20 years experience in designing and leading international collaborative research projects. He has a
well-established track record of publications in international peer-reviewed journals; his work has been classified as ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ in the context of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) of the United Kingdom.
Mathias was awarded the ‘Marianne Bloch Distinguished
Career Award’ by the international Reconceptualising
Early Childhood Education network in 2018, and the DCU President's Research Impact Award in 2020.
From 2010 to 2011 he coordinated the European CoRe project (Competence Requirements in Early Childhood Education and Care). His current and recent projects include collaborative studies on early childhood systems and governance in Europe and Latin America, studies on Privatisation and on the impact of Assessment Regimes, and an 11-country project on Governance and Leadership for Competent Systems in Early Childhood.
Mathias is the lead author of the 2018 (Argentina), 2019 (Japan), 2020 (Saudi Arabia), 2021 (Italy), and 2022 (Indonesia) G20/T20 early childhood development, education and care policy briefs, and a member of the European Commission expert working
group on Early Childhood Education and Care.
He was President of the International Froebel Society (IFS) from
2016-2019.
Book
Book Chapter
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Urban, M. (2023) 'Vagabonds Efficaces—Effectively Changing the World from a Non-space' In: Home in Early Childhood Care and Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations. UK : Cham: Springer International Publishing. | |
| 2023 | McCormack, M.; Silke, A.; Kearns, A.; O’Toole, L.; Stafford, P.; Stokes, T.; Urban, M. (2023) 'Pedagogies of hope. Exploring play opportunities for young children in an urban environment' In: The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel. London : Bloomsbury. | |
| 2023 | Guevara, Jennifer; Urban, Mathias (2023) 'UNICEF: self-transformation in a reconfigured global childhood space?' In: International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition). Oxford : Elsevier. [Link] https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.01056-3 | |
| 2023 | Guevara, J.; Urban, M. (2023) 'UNICEF: self-transformation in a reconfigured global childhood space?' In: International Encyclopedia of Education, vol. 1. Europe : Elsevier. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Urban, Mathias (2022) 'The temptations of block play' In: Ireland's yearbook of education. Dublin : Education Matters. | |
| 2022 | Urban, Mathias (2022) 'Tales from A Thousand and One Nights? New stories for Early Childhood Education and Care' In: Ireland’s Yearbook of Education 2022. Dublin : Education Matters. | |
| 2022 | Urban, Mathias; Macha, Katrin (2022) 'Frühpädagogik neu denken' In: Halt(ungen) in Wandel - Qualität im Diskurs. Berlin, Germany : Deutscher Verein. | |
| 2020 | Urban, Mathias (2020) 'Common Good and Public Service. Crisis lessons for the future of early childhood education and care' In: Ireland's yearbook of education 2019-2020. Dublin : Education Matters. | |
| 2019 | Stefan Faas, Dagmar Kasüschke, Elena Nitecki, Mathias Urban & Helge Wasmuth (2019) 'Introduction' In: Globalization, Transformation, and Cultures in Early Childhood Education and Care - Reconceptualization and Comparison -. New York : Palgrave MacMillan. | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias; Gómez Muñoz, Diana Paola; Zárate Pinto, Germán Camilo (2019) 'Learning with and from Colombia: perspectives on rights-based early childhood policies' In: International Handbook of Young Children's rights. London and New York : Routledge. [Link] | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias; Cardini, Alejandra; Guevara, Jennifer; Flórez, Rita; Okengo, Lynette (2019) 'Early Childhood Development Education and Care: the future is what we build today' In: Realizing Education for All in the Digital Age. Tokyo : Asian Development Bank Institute. [Link] | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias (2018) '(D)evaluation of early childhood education and care? A critique of the OECDs International Early Learning Study' In: Improving the Quality of Childhood in Europe Volume 8. Brussels : Alliance for Childhood. | |
| 2018 | Hayes, Nóirín and Urban, Mathias (2018) 'Early Childhood Education and Care: where so much begins' In: In Search of Social Justice: John Bennett's Lifetime Contribution to Early Childhood Policy and Practice. London and New York : Routledge. | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias (2018) 'Reimagining Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland' In: Ireland's Yearbook of Education. Dublin : Education Matters. | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias (2018) 'Gentle, passionate, and most of all persistent: John Bennett’s Influence on European Union ECEC Policy' In: In Search of Social Justice: John Bennett's Lifetime Contribution to Early Childhood Policy and Practice. London and New York : Routledge. [Link] | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias and Hayes, Nóirín (2018) 'Much has been achieved – but now is not the time for complacency' In: In Search of Social Justice: John Bennett's Lifetime Contribution to Early Childhood Policy and Practice. London and New York : Routledge. [Link] | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'Starting Wrong? The trouble with a debate that just won’t go away' In: Critical Examinations of Quality. Regulation, Disqualification and Erasure. New York : Peter Lang. | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. & Murray, C. (2015) 'Internationale samenwerking: onderlinge steun en solidariteit' In: Ruimte voor jong en oud. Professioneel omgang with diversiteit. Amsterdam : SWP. | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. (2015) 'Starting wrong? A critical perspective on the latest permutation of the debate on the quality of early childhood provision' In: Improving the Quality of Childhood in Europe (Vol. 5). Brussels : Alliance for Childhood European Network Foundation. | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. (2015) 'A pedagogy based on critical consciousness and democratic values' In: Tuscan Approach Learning for Early Childhood Education and Care. Activities, results and perspectives. Florence : Istituto degli Innocenti. | |
| 2014 | Urban, M. (2014) 'Learning from the Margins: Early Childhood Imaginaries, ‘Normal Science’, and the Case for a Radical Reconceptualisation of Research and Practice' In: Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Care and Education: Critical Questions, Diverse Imaginaries and Social Activism. New York : Peter Lang Publishers. | |
| 2013 | Urban, M. (2013) 'Sistemas competentes en la educación de la primera infancia' In: Primera infancia, lenguajes e inclusión social: una mirada desde la investigación. Bogotá : Universidad Santo Tomás. | |
| 2013 | Urban, M. (2013) 'Professionalitaet und Kompetenz in der fruehkindlichen Bildung, Betreuung und Erziehung: systemisch, politisch und dialogorientiert' In: VALIflex – les expériences. Personal mit niedriger Qualifizierung im non-formalen Bildungssystem. Luxembourg : Caritas. | |
| 2012 | Urban, M., & Dalli, C. (2012) 'A profession speaking - and thinking - for itself' In: Early childhood grows up: towards a critical ecology of the profession. Dordrecht and London : Springer. | |
| 2010 | Urban, M. & Dalli, C. (2010) 'Conclusion: Towards new understandings of the early years' profession: the need for a critical ecology' In: Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care. International perspectives. London : Routledge. | |
| 2010 | Urban, M. (2010) 'Duurzame verandering: professioneel leren in een kritische leergemeenschap' In: Permanent leren. Van zelfreflectie naar teamreflectie. Amsterdam : SWP. | |
| 2010 | Urban, M. (2010) 'Zones of Professional Development: arguments for reclaiming practice-based evidence in early childhood practice and research' In: Early Childhood Programs as the Doorway to Social Cohesion: Application of Vygotsky's Ideas from an East-West Perspective. Newcastle-upon- Tyne : Cambridge Scholars. | |
| 2008 | Urban, M. (2008) 'Wissenschaftliche Begleitung in kommunalen Netzwerken' In: Kommunale Netzwerke für Kinder. Ein Handbuch zur Governance frühkindlicher Bildung. Gütersloh : Bertelsmann Stiftung. | |
| 2008 | Urban, M. (2008) 'Critical Thinking in Forschung, Praxis und Politik: Der Joint European Master in Early Childhood Education and Care' In: Professionalisierung der Fruehpaedagogik. Opladen : Budrich. | |
| 2005 | Urban, M. (2005) 'Quality, Autonomy and the Profession' In: Questions of Quality - Proceedings of a Conference on Defining, Assessing and Supporting Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education. Dublin : Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education. |
Edited Book
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Faas, Stefan; Kasüschke, Dagmar; Nitecki, Elena; Urban, Mathias; Wasmuth, Helge (Ed.). (2019) Globalization, Transformation, and Cultures in Early Childhood Education and Care - Reconceptualization and Comparison -. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, | |
| 2018 | Hayes, Nóirín and Urban, Mathias (Ed.). (2018) In Search of Social Justice. John Bennett's Lifetime Contribution to Early Childhood Policy and Practice. London and New York: Routledge, [Link] |
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Macha, K.; Urban, M.; Lonnemann, J.; Wronski, C.; Hildebrandt, F. (2024) 'Making it explicit - Sustained shared thinking dialogue as a method to explore children’s perspectives on quality in German Early Childhood Education'. British Educational Research Journal, . | |
| 2023 | Macha, K.; Urban, M.; Lonnemann, J.; Wronski, C.; Hildebrandt, F. (2023) 'Children’s perspectives on quality in ECEC as a specific form of participation'. International Journal of Early Years Education, :1-15. [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Urban, M. (2023) 'Effective vagabonds? RECE in the micro- and macro-politics of critical early childhood scholarship'. International Critical Childhood Policy Studies, (Critical reflections and provocations from reconceptualist “elders”):28-31. | |
| 2023 | Urban, M.; Reikerås, E.; Eidsvåg, G. M.; Guevara, J.; Saebø, J.; Semmoloni, C. (2023) 'Nordic approaches to evaluation and assessment in early childhood education and care'. Global Studies of Childhood, 13 (3):200-216. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Lake, Gillian; Urban, Mathias; Giblin, Fiona; French, Geraldine; Farrell, Therese (2022) 'Making a difference in the real world'. Evaluation and Program Planning, . [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Urban, M. (2022) 'Scholarship in times of crises: towards a trans-discipline of early childhood'. Comparative Education, 58 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Urban, Mathias; Guevara, Jennifer; Moss, Peter (2022) '¿PISA desde la cuna? El Estudio Internacional de Aprendizaje Temprano e implicancias para América Latina'. Educacao e Pesquisa, 48 (1). [Link] https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-4634202248248362esp | |
| 2021 | Arndt, S.; Smith, K.; Urban, M.; Ellegaard, T.; Blue Swadener, B.; Murray, C. (2021) 'Reconceptualising and (re)forming early childhood professional identities: Ongoing transnational policy discussions'. Policy Futures in Education, 19 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Lake, G; Urban, M; Giblin, F; French, G; Farrell, T (2021) 'Making a difference in the real world. User-centred impact evaluation of an eight-country, community-based early childhood programme'. Evaluation and Program Planning, 92 . [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Moss, Peter & Urban, Mathias (2020) 'The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study: The scores are in!'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 18 (2):250-258. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120929466 | |
| 2020 | Arndt, Sonja; Smith, Kylie; Urban, Mathias; Ellegard, Tomas; Blue Swadener, Beth; Murray, Colette (2020) 'Reconceptualising and (re)forming early childhood professional identities: Ongoing transnational policy discussions'. Policy Futures in Education, . http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1478210320976015 | |
| 2020 | Moss, P.; Urban, M. (2020) 'The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study: The scores are in!'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 21 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Urban, Mathias; Gomez Munoz, Diana Paola; Zarate Pinto, German Camilo (2020) 'LEARNING WITH AND FROM COLOMBIA Perspectives on Rights-Based Early Childhood Policies'. ROUTLEDGE INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S RIGHTS, . | |
| 2019 | Urban, M. (2019) 'The Shape of Things to Come and what to do about Tom and Mia: Interrogating the OECD’s International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study from an anti-colonialist perspective'. Policy Futures in Education, 17 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias (2019) '(E)Utopia: The Local, the Global and the Imaginary in Early Childhood Education'. GLOBALIZATION, TRANSFORMATION, AND CULTURES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE: RECONCEPTUALIZATION AND COMPARISON, . | |
| 2019 | Hayes, Noirin; Urban, Mathias (2019) 'Early childhood education and care Where so much begins'. IN SEARCH OF SOCIAL JUSTICE: JOHN BENNETT'S LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICY AND PRACTICE, . | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias; Hayes, Noirin (2019) 'Much has been achieved - but now is not the time for complacency'. IN SEARCH OF SOCIAL JUSTICE: JOHN BENNETT'S LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICY AND PRACTICE, . | |
| 2019 | Moss, P.; Urban, M. (2019) 'The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning Study: What’s going on'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias (2019) 'The Shape of Things to Come and what to do about Tom and Mia. Interrogating the OECD's International Early Learning Study from an anti-colonialist perspective'. Policy Futures in Education, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2018 | Arndt S.; Urban M.; Murray C.; Smith K.; Swadener B.; Ellegaard T. (2018) 'Contesting early childhood professional identities: A cross-national discussion'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, . [DOI] | |
| 2017 | Urban, M. (2017) 'We need meaningful, systematic evaluation, not a preschool PISA'. Global Education Review, . | |
| 2017 | Urban, M. & Swadener, B. (2017) 'Democratic accountability and contextualised systemic evaluation. A comment on the OECD initiative to launch an International Early Learning Study (IELS)'. International Critical Childhood Policy Studies, . | |
| 2017 | Moss, P., & Urban, M. (2017) 'The OECD’s International Early Learning Study: what happened next'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, . | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'At Sea: what direction for critical early childhood research?'. Journal of Pedagogy, . | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'At sea: What direction for critical early childhood research?'. Journal of Pedagogy, 7 (1):107-121. [DOI] | |
| 2016 | Jones, L., Urban, M., Osgood, J. & Holmes, R. (2016) 'Reimagining Quality in Early Childhood'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, . | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'Editorial'. Journal of Pedagogy, . | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'Sufficiently well informed and seriously concerned? European Union policy responses to marginalisation, structural racism and institutionalised exclusion in early childhood'. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, . | |
| 2016 | Urban, M. (2016) 'Resisting ‘normal science’ in educational research'. Journal of Pedagogy, . | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. (2015) 'From ‘closing the gap’ to an ethics of affirmation. Reconceptualising the role of early childhood services in times of uncertainty'. European Journal of Education, . | |
| 2014 | Urban, M. (2014) 'Not solving problems, managing messes: competent systems in early childhood education and care'. Management in Education, . | |
| 2014 | Jones, L., Osgood, J., Urban, M., Holmes, M. & MacLure, M. (2014) 'Eu(rope): (Re)assembling, (Re)casting, and (Re)aligning Lines of De- and Re-territorialisation of Early Childhood'. International Review of Qualitative Research, . | |
| 2012 | Urban, M. (2012) 'Researching early childhood policy and practice: a critical ecology'. European Journal of Education, . | |
| 2012 | Urban, M. (2012) 'Editorial'. European Journal of Education, . | |
| 2012 | Urban, M., Vandenbroeck, M., Van Laere, K., Lazzari, A. & Peeters, J. (2012) 'Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice'. European Journal of Education, . | |
| 2010 | Urban, M. (2010) 'Rethinking Professionalism in Early Childhood: untested feasibilities and critical ecologies'. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, . | |
| 2008 | Urban, M. (2008) 'Dealing with uncertainty: challenges and possibilities for the early childhood profession'. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, . | |
| 2008 | Urban, M. & Dalli, C. (2008) 'Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care'. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, . |
Other Journal
Published Report
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Urban, Mathias; Reikerås, Elin; Eidsvåg, Gunnar Magnus; Guevara, Jennifer; Saebø, Janken; Semmoloni, Carolina (2022) Nordic approaches to evaluation and assessment in early childhood education and care. Final report. Nordic Council of Ministers, . [Link] http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/temanord2022-512 | |
| 2022 | Urban, M., Guevara, J., Cardini, A., Acosta, A.; Vargas-Barón, E., Costín, C., . . . Pangastuti, Y. (2022) Education for Survival. Strengthening multi-sectoral and integrated policy approaches to early childhood education, care, and development as a global common good. T20 Indonesia, . [Link] | |
| 2021 | Urban, M., Guevara, J., Cardini, A., Acosta, A., Vargas-Barón, E., Costín, C., . . . Priyono, D. (2021) How do we know goals are achieved? Integrated and multisectoral early childhood monitoring and evaluation systems as key to developing effective and resilient social welfare systems. T20 Italy, . [Link] | |
| 2020 | Blofield, M.; Braunstein, J.; Filguiera, F.; Grimalda, G.; Urban, M. (2020) Promoting Social Cohesion during Pandemics. Think 20 Task Force 4 Social Cohesion and the State. T20 Saudi Arabia, . [Link] | |
| 2019 | Urban, Mathias; Cardini, Alejandra; Guevara, Jennifer; Flórez, Rita; Okengo, Lynette (2019) Early Childhood Development Education and Care: The Future is What We Build Today. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) / T20 2019, . [Link] | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias; Cardini, Alejandra, Flórez Romero, Rita (2018) It Takes More Than a Village. Effective Early Childhood Development, Education and Care Services Require Competent Systems. T20 Argentina, . [Link] | |
| 2017 | Urban, M., Robson, S., & Scacchi, V. (2017) Review of Occupational Role Profiles in Ireland in Early Childhood Education and Care. Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC), . | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. & Rubiano, C. (2015) Privatisation in Early Childhood Education. An explorative study on impacts and implications. Education International, . | |
| 2011 | Urban, M., Vandenbroeck, M., Van Laere, K., Lazzari, A. & Peeters, J. (2011) Competence requirements in early childhood education and care. Research documents. European Commission, . | |
| 2011 | Urban, M., Vandenbroeck, M., Van Laere, K., Lazzari, A. & Peeters, J. (2011) Competence requirements in early childhood education and care. Final report. European Commission, . |
Blog
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Urban, Mathias & Moss, Peter (2020) A testing challenge for early childhood. BLOG [Link] | |
| 2018 | Urban, Mathias (2018) You say you want a revolution. Dublin: BLOG [Link] | |
| 2015 | Urban, M. (2015) Cui bono? The myth of the closing gap and the need for radical reconceptualisation of early childhood research. BLOG |
Editorial
Electronic Source
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Moss, Peter; Urban, Mathias (2021) El Estudio Internacional sobre Aprendizaje Temprano y Bienestar Infantil de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico: ¡Ya están los resultados!. São Paulo, Brazil: ELES [Link] |
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.