ERIC Number: EJ1037049
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Aug
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-7187
EISSN: N/A
Not Babies Anymore: Young Children's Narrative Identities in Finnish Day Care Centers
Puroila, Anna-Maija; Estola, Eila
International Journal of Early Childhood, v46 n2 p187-203 Aug 2014
With the aim of deepening understanding of young children's identity construction, the study explores small stories produced in a Finnish day care center context. Small stories are understood as identity-constituting social practices that occur and recur in day care settings. Taking ideas on narrative ethnography as starting point, research material was collected by participating in the everyday life of children, as well as observing and listening to children. This paper draws on small stories, co-constructed over the course of 6 months in Violets, a group of children ranging between 1 and 3 years old. The findings of the study illustrate the dynamic and multiple nature of children's narrative identities. Identity construction emerges as a process involving age, social status, emotions, peer relationships, and gender. In this paper, we reflect on our findings by retelling the story of one child, Joni. The study highlights pedagogical practices, the material environment, and the quality of interactions as important elements of children's identity construction. It calls for critical reflection on how children's sense of who they are is supported in the pedagogical practices of day care centers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Child Care, Child Care Centers, Young Children, Personal Narratives, Ethnography, Observation, Toddlers, Agency Role, Social Status, Emotional Experience, Peer Relationship, Gender Issues, Educational Practices, Interaction, Personality, Educational Environment, Preschool Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A