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Rule Breaking in the Child Care Centre: Tensions for Children and Teachers

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Abstract

Research suggests that young children transgress conventional rules in every culture and society. In this article, the argument is made that rule teaching and learning provide insight into how children learn to be part of a group. The research question addressed is, ‘Why do some children transgress the rules if their actions risk jeopardising valued group membership?’ A qualitative case study of a child who repeatedly challenged the rules in a child care setting is presented. Three vignettes are analysed and discussed. For the child, ‘rule learning’ becomes a public rather than private affair and both the child’s transgressions and the teacher’s responses are under group scrutiny. Teaching young children to feel a sense of responsibility and remorse for transgressions is not easy and it takes teachers into family territory making it one of the more contentious aspects of early childhood educational practice. Sociocultural theory provides a means to reframe children’s challenging behaviours as adaptive responses to their environment when they are overloaded or uncertain as to how to manage group demands. Ideas for how to help children navigate between individual needs and group demands are discussed.

Résumé

Selon les recherches, les jeunes enfants transgressent les règles conventionnelles dans toutes les cultures et toutes les sociétés. Dans cet article, l’argument avancé est que l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de règles aident à mieux comprendre comment les enfants apprennent à appartenir à un groupe. Le sujet de recherche abordé est «Pourquoi certains enfants transgressent-ils les règles si leurs actions mettent en péril leur précieuse appartenance au groupe?». Une étude de cas qualitative d’un enfant ayant contesté, à maintes reprises, les règles dans un établissement de garde d’enfants est présentée. Trois anecdotes sont analysées et discutées. Pour l’enfant, «l’apprentissage de règles» devient une affaire publique plutôt que privée, et tant ses transgressions que les réponses de l’enseignant sont sous la surveillance du groupe. Éduquer les jeunes enfants à se sentir responsables et à éprouver du remords vis-à-vis des transgressions n’est pas facile, et cela mène les enseignants sur le terrain familial, ce qui en fait l’un des aspects les plus litigieux de la pratique en éducation de la petite enfance. La théorie socioculturelle propose un moyen de recadrer les comportements provocateurs des enfants, en tant que réponses adaptatives à leur environnement lorsqu’ils sont surchargés ou incertains de la manière de gérer les demandes du groupe. Des idées sur la façon d’aider les enfants à savoir naviguer entre les besoins individuels et les demandes du groupe sont débattues.

Resumen

La investigación sugiere que los niños de corta edad transgreden las normas convencionales en todas las culturas y sociedades. En este artículo se debate sobre cómo el aprendizaje y la enseñanza de las normas proporcionan una mejor comprensión acerca de cómo los niños aprenden a formar parte del grupo. La pregunta de investigación que se plantea es: “¿Por qué hay niños que violan las normas si sus acciones ponen en peligro la pertenencia al grupo, tan valorada por ellos?”. Se expone el estudio cualitativo del caso de un niño que desafiaba repetidamente las normas en un centro de cuidado infantil. Se analizan y debaten tres posibilidades. Para el niño, “el aprendizaje de las normas” se convierte en un asunto público más que privado y tanto la violación de las mismas como las reacciones del profesor son examinadas atentamente por el grupo. Educar a los niños pequeños a tener sentido de la responsabilidad y a arrepentirse por sus infracciones no es una tarea fácil y conlleva la intrusión de los educadores en el terreno familiar, lo que la convierte en una de las más polémicas de la práctica educativa de la primera infancia. La teoría sociocultural proporciona una manera de replantear las conductas desafiantes de los niños como reacción para adaptarse al medio cuando se sienten desbordados o indecisos a la hora de gestionar las exigencias del grupo. Se debaten ideas sobre cómo ayudar a los niños a desenvolverse entre las necesidades individuales y las exigencias del grupo.

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Correspondence to Margaret Brennan.

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Brennan, M. Rule Breaking in the Child Care Centre: Tensions for Children and Teachers. IJEC 48, 1–15 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-015-0153-x

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