Does Santa exist? Children’s everyday narratives as dynamic meeting places in a day care centre context

Abstract

The article attempts to answer the question: What is the nature of children’s everyday narratives in a day care centre context? The theoretical framework of this study is based on a narrative approach. The research material was gathered through applying the methodology of narrative ethnography. The article is based on observational material collected from three groups of children within day care centres over the course of one year. The material was analysed through dialogic analysis of narratives. For the purpose of the article, one narrative is used as an evocative anecdote to illustrate research findings revealing the emerging nature of children’s narratives characterised by fragmentariness, multimodality, collaboration and a complex relationship between narrative and context. The article challenges the predominant formalist discourse on children’s narratives, and suggests utilising the pedagogical potential of young children’s narratives in the day care centre context.

Keywords:

• children
• day care centre
• early childhood education
• narrative
• narrative ethnography
• dialogic analysis

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Academy of Finland research project ‘Children tell of their well-being – Who listens?’ (TelLis, Project No. 21892) for making this study possible.