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ERIC Number: EJ1137281
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0966-9760
EISSN: N/A
Reflect, "Refract" or Reveal: Sociocultural Explorations of the Place of Teacher Subjectivity in Infant Care
Brennan, Margaret
International Journal of Early Years Education, v25 n2 p156-170 2017
Research indicates that adult sensitivity to psychological states (both the adult's and the infant's) will affect the security of attachment yet the teacher's internal state has received little attention in infant care. "Perezhivanie" is a sociocultural concept that presents affect and intellect as a unit rather than separate elements. "Refraction", a related concept, positions teacher subjectivity as the reference point for understanding caregiving behaviour as all thinking and behaviour is "refracted" through the emotional prism of the person's feeling state. This article discusses an emerging finding from a qualitative case study investigating early childhood teachers' subjective and affective experiences of infant care. Early findings suggest teachers have difficulty expressing the personal and emotional nature of their work which appears at odds with studies confirming the significance of adult affect in adult-infant relationships. Theoretical and methodological explanations for the teachers' silence are explored and implications discussed. "Refraction" is presented as a supplementary theoretical tool to increase understanding of the personal and emotional nature of infant care.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A