ERIC Number: EJ1012233
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0264-3944
EISSN: N/A
Children's Experiences during Circle-Time: A Call for Research-Informed Debate
Leach, Tony; Lewis, Ellie
Pastoral Care in Education, v31 n1 p43-52 2013
The concept of pupil voice is widely employed in research from across the world when claiming children and young people have a genuine, legitimate right to be heard on matters they consider important, and when considering ways of engaging them as important "influencers" of policy and decision-making. This article is concerned with problematic issues around power and pupil voice during circle-time. It is argued that the space in which children and young people are "allowed" a voice is prescribed by adults and is frequently located within interventions for improving schools, pupil behaviour and promoting their social and emotional development. Based on a rigorous analysis of the findings from a small case study about children's experiences during circle-time, and using the concepts of social identity and social representation, this article highlights the dangers of inadvertently creating a climate within which children can feel isolated and threatened, and bullying can thrive. Increasingly, it would seem children are being invited and expected to reveal things in circle-time that will need careful and experienced handling from the point of safeguarding the child's well-being, offering the required support and ensuring the child's protection and confidentiality. It is argued these findings highlight the need for a robust research-informed debate about children's lived experiences during circle-time, and the impact of those experiences in terms of children's identities and self-esteem. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Classroom Environment, Power Structure, Student Participation, Identification (Psychology), Bullying, Social Influences, Self Esteem, Interpersonal Relationship, Trust (Psychology), Problem Solving, Student Behavior, Emotional Development, Social Development, Elementary School Students, Case Studies, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A