Listening to children’s voices in educational research: some theoretical and methodological problems

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in children’s experiences and perspectives of their own lives. This interest has been stimulated by legal and political initiatives (e.g., the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), and by theoretical developments in education and social science disciplines. Children are no longer viewed primarily as “becomings”, but as “beings”, whose ideas, experiences, choices and relationships are interesting in their own right. Children, like adults, are “social agents”, who make sense of their experiences. This paper discusses the multi‐level approach metaphorically termed “listening to children’s voices”. First, there is the methodological level – i.e., how to listen. However, this paper does not go into detail regarding what kinds of methods are suitable for grasping the sense of children’s experiences. Second, studies of children’s (or adults’) experiences are underpinned by insider epistemology, the core of which is that insiders have a privileged access to knowledge of their own experiences. The question that will be addressed is what kind of knowledge is insider knowledge; two versions of insider epistemology are discussed in this paper. Third, the approach of listening to children is also underpinned by theory of the subject (or subjectivities). The paper briefly discusses five conceptions of the subject in terms of their possible implications for research on children’s experiences and perspectives. It is argued that even though some definitions of the subject are directly opposed to each other, it is possible to combine some perspectives. The relational conception of the subject, and the theory of interactionism developed by Brian Fay may be helpful for developing knowledge of lived experience, especially when individuals and groups being studied are seemingly very different from the researcher. It is concluded that an open (or weak) thesis of insider epistemology and a relational theory of the subject can offer a powerful theoretical foundation for research on experiences of children, especially of children whose voices are seldom heard.     

An ecological exploration of young children’s digital play: framing children’s social experiences with technologies in early childhood

Abstract

This article outlines an ecological framework for describing children’s social experiences during digital play. It presents evidence from a study that explored how 3- to 5-year-old children negotiated their social experiences as they used technologies in preschool. Utilising a systematic and iterative cycle of data collection and analysis, children’s interactions with 24 technological resources were examined over a nine-month period and across three phases. Findings reveal that children played in clusters, exhibiting a multitude of social behaviours and interactions and varied degrees of social participation, and assumed various social status roles and technological positions. These behaviours formed part of a Digital Play System, which in turn was influenced by the Preschool System, which comprises children and practitioners as active agents, technological affordances, and the cultural systems, routines and practices of the early childhood setting. Ultimately, children’s social experiences during digital play cannot be determined by any single element of the ecological system.     

“In Kindy You Don’t Get Taught”: Continuity and Change as Children Start School

Over the last decade, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of engaging young children in research about their experiences and considering ways in which children’s experiences, expectations and perceptions influence both their interactions and those of others. This has resulted from recognition of young children as active citizens, with rights to be consulted about matters that affect them and from the principles underpinning the sociology of childhood, which emphasizes children’s capabilities and agency. This paper explores young Australian children’s perceptions of school and learning, as expressed through drawings and conversations about school. Data from children in preschools and the early years of school highlight children’s expectations and experiences of school, including the importance of play, friendships, children’s dispositions, and academic expectations of school and teachers. Drawing on previous research that notes the long term importance of children’s attitudes and approaches, as well as their sense of belonging and identity, at the start of school, this paper has implications for adults engaging with children as they make the transition to school.     

Participatory creativities: developing a research design for children’s pastoral encounters with the natural world

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the author discusses the interrelationship between creativity, children’s experiences of the natural world and pastoral education. Based on a research design developed whilst undertaking a professional doctorate in education (EdD), and grounded in a theoretical framework of children’s rights, the author explores the creative uncertainties of collaboratively researching children’s educational experiences with nature. The paper considers the ways in which the research design supports a pastoral care agenda, whilst encouraging the emergence of ‘creative artefacts’, alongside the extent to which the focus of the research, encounters with the natural world, might be deemed pastorally minded in its own right. The children who have participated in the research then draw the paper to a close, sharing what their involvement in the project has meant to them. Images and excerpts of children’s own creative reflections are offered as illustration of the powerful confluence of the Creative and the Pastoral.     

Using Animals to Teach Children Biology: Exploring the Use of Biological Explanations in Children’s Anthropomorphic Storybooks

Research Findings: Anthropomorphism—the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman entities—has long been a staple of children’s media. However, children’s experiences with anthropomorphic media may interfere with biological reasoning instead encouraging an anthropocentric view of the natural world. To date, little research has addressed the typical content of children’s storybooks about animals: Do these storybooks present factual information that may support early developing biological reasoning, or do they instead focus on human-centered, psychological information that may encourage anthropocentrism? We analyzed the types of causal explanatory information that commercial storybooks about animals provide to children about 2 biological concepts that have been extensively studied in the experimental literature: biological inheritance and the transmission of illness. Using coding schemes similar to those used in prior experimental literature to assess preschool-age children’s biological reasoning, we found that none of the anthropomorphized books presented children with scientifically accurate causal mechanisms. These books focused almost exclusively on social-emotional experiences as opposed to biological explanations, which may inadvertently encourage anthropocentric reasoning. Practice or Policy: Understanding more about the content of informal sources of early learning can help inform educators on how to best support developing knowledge about the natural world and biological properties.     

合肥市流动儿童学习适应性调查分析

利用《学习适应性量表》（ AAT）对合肥市两所小学3-6年级280名流动儿童进行学习适应性调查研究。调查结果显示：合肥市小学流动儿童的学习适应性总体水平与全国常模相比有较大差异,且学习适应性问题有随年级升高而升高的发展趋势;家庭环境、独立性、心身健康、学校环境等因素对流动儿童学习适应性的影响较大;流动儿童学习适应性的发展存在一定程度的性别差异,女生的学习适应性整体水平显著高于男生。     

Exploring the social inclusion of deaf young people in mainstream schools,using their lived experience

Research suggests that children with hearing loss face a number of difficulties in the education system, including socially. Although there has been much research with the severe to profound deaf population there has been little research into the life experiences of children with moderate hearing loss who attend mainstream secondary schools. This research sought to examine the experiences of social inclusion for five young people with moderate hearing loss. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews in the young person’s school setting and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Although each participant had distinctive experiences, there were a number of common themes that emerged indicating the factors that support social inclusion and those which create barriers for deaf children in schools. Implications for educational psychologists are considered and the limitations of the research are outlined.     

Young children’s photographs of measurement in the home

This article explores the use of children’s photography as a method for conducting mathematics education research with young children. Collected as part of a study focusing on the experiences with measurement children have at the start of schooling, the photographs presented here were taken by children aged five and six years, from two Australian primary schools. The children took a digital camera home and were asked to photograph things that they considered to be related to measurement. While the intended use of the photographs was to provide insight into the types of experiences children have with measurement in the home context, an additional outcome to emerge from the research was a deeper understanding relating to the strengths and weaknesses of using children’s photography and photo elicitation as a research method with young children. This article presents some of the insights gleaned from this mathematics education research, and examines the use of children’s photography and photo elicitation as a research strategy for working in early years research contexts.     

幼儿分享行为研究状况概述-基于“中国期刊全文数据库”

目前,幼儿分享行为研究主要集中在内涵、积极意义、现状、影响因素和培养策略上,研究存在一定的不足：定性研究多,定量研究少;经验总结多,个案研究少;重复研究多,创新研究少。研究者需进行更有针对性的研究,借鉴国外学者的研究经验,使幼儿分享行为的研究更加丰富。     

Preschool + school + communication = What for educator relationships?

Communication between educators in preschool and school settings has been promoted consistently in research literature and policy as a practice to enhance children’s transition to school. Underlying the practice are the assumptions that communication between educators is (a) a way of building on children’s learning and responding to their diverse needs and interests as they start school and (b) a means of developing positive relationships between educators. Whilst it is an advocated practice, there has been little research about the consequences of preschool–school communication or exploration of the ways in which the practice might support positive transition experiences. This paper specifically addresses what happens for educators as a result of preschool–school interactions. The communication experiences of preschool and school educators reported in an online questionnaire provide important insights into the impact of intersetting communications, particularly on educator relationships. Most outcomes for relationships between educators in preschool and school settings were reported to be positive. However, the results contest the notion that preschool–school communication automatically results in the development of positive relationships; relationships which support collaboration between educators as children start school.     

Hearing children’s voices? Including children’s perspectives on their experiences of domestic violence in welfare reports prepared for the English courts in private family law proceedings

This research examined Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) reports prepared for private family court proceedings in domestic violence cases in England. The research found that in cases where children’s accounts identified them as victims of violence, these disclosures regularly disappeared from report recommendations. Particular discourses regarding ‘child welfare’ and ‘contact’ were identified, which routinely impacted on the ways in which children’s voices were taken into account. Whilst culturally there has undoubtedly been an influential move towards including children’s perspectives in decision-making that affects them, how these views are interpreted and represented is subject to adult ‘gate-keeping’ and powerful cultural and professional ideologies regarding ‘child welfare’ and ‘post-separation family relationships’. This research found that the unrelenting influence of deeply embedded beliefs regarding the preservation or promotion of relationships with fathers continues to have the effect of marginalising issues of safeguarding, including children’s voiced experiences of violence, in all but the most exceptional of cases. Rather, safeguarding concerns in respect of domestic violence and child abuse were persistently overshadowed by a dominant presumption of the overall benefits of contact with fathers.     

Experiences of parents whose children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are starting primary school

Starting school is a critical event in a child’s life and successful transitions to school have been posited as key indicators for future academic achievement. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the process is complicated by difficulties in social communication and social interaction. Parents of children with ASD can experience their child’s transition to school as a stressful and challenging time. In this study a qualitative methodology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), was used to elicit the experiences and perceptions of six parents whose children with ASD were starting school in Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and a cross-case analysis was conducted. Three common overarching themes were identified which reflected participants’ experiences of the transition process; these were (a) “I think they need to believe, believe what we’re telling them”, (b) “Experience of ASD/it’s a very labelling thing”, and (c) “Preparing for school and feelings about the future”. Implications from the research are discussed with reference to the role of the educational psychologist (EP) in supporting parents of children with ASD in the transition process.     

Chinese children’s perceptions of aggression among peers at school

Recent research suggests that children may encounter aggressive behaviour during the transition from preschool to school. Yet, relatively few longitudinal studies have been conducted on children’s perceptions of aggressive behaviour in the transition from preschool to school. This study aims to fill a major gap in the literature by exploring Chinese children’s perceptions and experiences of aggressive behaviour, and their ways of coping with aggression, at three points in time: during the last month at preschool (Time 1), the first three months of Year 1 at school (Time 2) and the last month of Year 1 (Time 3). The present study also examines the role gender plays in 79 Chinese children’s perceptions of aggressive behaviour, as depicted in their drawings and accompanying narratives. The children mainly reported physical and verbal aggression rather than relational aggression. The findings provide robust data for understanding how children cope with aggression at school.     

Reverse Engineering From Eminent Exemplars: How About a Retrospective Study Too?

In his target article, Sternberg (2017) quite rightly criticizes the approach to identifying giftedness that was initiated by Terman’s (1925–1959) classic prospective study of high-IQ children. Sternberg then recommends a number of novel approaches to both identification and education. Nonetheless, this commentator recommends that future researchers follow Terman’s example in conducting not just a long-term prospective investigation into these approaches but also a retrospective inquiry such as that conducted by Cox (1926), which constituted the second volume of Genetic Studies of Genius (Terman, 1925–1959). A retrospective study can determine whether eminent exemplars of Sternberg’s desired adults displayed the expected characteristics and experiences much earlier in childhood and adolescence. Prospective and retrospective approaches should converge, but they may not.     

‘Tugging at our sleeves’: understanding experiences of obligation in teaching

Classrooms are complex spaces. These complexities magnify the teacher’s sense of obligation to children and the subsequent experiences of being overwhelmed, which can influence the teacher’s decision to leave the profession. Yet, we believe that a teacher’s obligation to children is inherent to morally defensible teaching. Drawn from a larger research project, we explore one teacher’s experience of obligation as a promissory relation between the teacher and the child, and consider the effect this has on the teacher’s relationships with other professionals and her disengagement from the profession. In doing so, we will illustrate the teacher’s experiences of obligation; the ways these are complicated within the matrix of relationships with professional colleagues; and the possibilities for professional disengagement to be considered an act of moral resistance.     

Ready,steady … pause: integrating ICT into Shanghai preschools

Western research over the last decade has shown that early childhood (EC) teachers’ perspectives on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the early years strongly shape young children's experiences in educational settings and affect the integration of ICT into the classroom. The research in China is scant however. This article reports a study of Chinese EC teachers’ views on the use of ICT in preschools. Data consist of illustrative original quotations generated from interviews with four teachers, as part of a larger study. This study shows that Chinese preschool teachers had an emerging understanding about social and technological impacts on the use of ICT in early childhood education (ECE), but they recognised the value of ICT for young children and themselves in a limited way. This restrained young children's active and meaningful use of ICT for early learning and development. We argue that there is a need to develop explicit ICT polices and curriculum guidelines for the ECE system that emphasise young children's active and creative use of ICT for early learning and development, and better support teacher learning.