Abstract
The UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and especially article 12 has put children’s right to participation high on the agenda in early childhood settings in many countries. Based in a qualitative study done in early childhood institutions in Norway, this article analyses how salient features of dialogues between children and teachers create premises for children’s participation. Qualitative differences are described by the metaphors of spacious and narrow pattern. It is shown that qualities inherent in spacious patters create relational premises for children to exercise their right to participation and to express their views. Neither children nor teachers need to be cast in fixed and limited roles. The findings are discussed in terms of other research describing democratic adult roles, and points to the need for critical thinking on theories on teachers–child relationships.
Résumé
La Convention des Nations Unies relative aux Droits de l’Enfant et surtout l’article 12, a mis le droit des enfants à la participation sur l’ordre du jour dans les milieux de la petite enfance dans de nombreux pays. Basé sur une étude qualitative réalisée dans les institutions de la petite enfance en Norvège, cet article analyse la manière dont les caractéristiques principales de dialogues entre enfants et enseignants créent les conditions pour la participation des enfants. Les différences qualitatives sont décrites par les métaphores des modèles étroits et spacieux. Il est démontré que les qualités inhérentes dans les modèles spacieux créent un cadre relationnel pour les enfants à exercer leur droit de participer et d’exprimer leurs opinions. Ni les enfants ni les enseignants n’ont besoin d’être placés dans des rôles prédéterminés et limités. Les résultats sont discutés en termes de recherche d’autres, décrivant des rôles démocratiques d’adultes, et soulignant la nécessité d’une réflexion critique sur les théories sur les relations entre l’enseignant et l’enfant.
Resumen
La Convención de la ONU de los Derechos del Niño (UNRCR) y especialmente el artículo 12, ha puesto el derecho del niño en alta prioridad en la educación infantil en muchos países. Basado en un estudio cualitativo realizado en instituciones de la primera infancia en Noruega, este artículo analiza cómo características en diálogos entre niños y maestros crean las premisas para la participación del niño. Las diferencias cualitativas se describen con las metáforas modelos abiertos y modelos estrechos. Esta demostrado que las cualidades propias de los modelos abiertos crean premisas donde los niños ejercitan su derecho a la participación y el derecho a la expresión de sus puntos de vista. Tanto los niños como los adultos no necesitan ser definidos en roles fijos o limitados. Los resultados del estudio se discuten en términos de otros estudios que describen el rol democrático del adulto, y apuntan la necesidad de pensar en forma crítica sobre teorías de la relación entre maestro y niño.
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Notes
In Bae (2012) several researchers discuss how children’s participation might be interpreted with regard to the youngest children in early childhood institutions.
See Bae (2004) for a full presentation of the study.
When I first started the project, the analytical approached was focused on separate communicational acts on the part of the teacher, a strategy that proved a failure both in terms of the data, theoretical development and collaboration with the teachers (see Bae 2005).
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Bae, B. Children and Teachers as Partners in Communication: Focus on Spacious and Narrow Interactional Patterns. IJEC 44, 53–69 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-012-0052-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-012-0052-3