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ERIC Number: EJ1048288
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1463-9491
EISSN: N/A
"I Am Not Angry in the Kindergarten!" Interruptive Anger as Democratic Participation in Norwegian Kindergartens
Grindheim, Liv Torunn
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, v15 n4 p308-318 2014
This article calls into question the idyllic picture of Norwegian kindergartens where harmonious and joyful interaction is the preferred and normal way to participate. If taking children's right to democratic participation and freedom of expression seriously, anger can also be seen as a legitimate way of participating. Conflicts of interest, contradictory perspectives and children's resistance to adjusting to settled conventions are understood as important aspects of democratic participation. Episodes from fieldwork indicate that children who communicate what they regard as disrespect or injustice through anger are more often considered to be aggressive children who need to modify their emotions than communicators presenting an important message. This response to anger can be seen as a limiting condition for children's democratic participation. Children in kindergarten get angry and so interrupt this understanding of how children are supposed to interact and participate. In relations among children, however, anger seems to be more accepted. Nevertheless, anger appears to present both a temporary threat to friendship and the possibility of being heard.
Symposium Journals. P.O. Box 204, Didcot, Oxford, OX11 9ZQ, UK. Tel: +44-1235-818-062; Fax: +44-1235-817-275; e-mail: subscriptions@symposium-journals.co.uk; Web site: http://www.wwwords.co.uk/ciec
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A