Child-initiated pedagogies in Finland, Estonia and England: exploring young children's views on decisions

Abstract

This paper focuses on child-initiated pedagogy that is based on the process of co-construction of learning experiences between children, adults and the environment, being part of longitudinal research project that analyses child-initiated pedagogies in formal early years settings with 3–6-year-old children. Drawing on an ethnographic approach this paper explores children's own views of the relationships between their own and adults' decisions. Twenty-four participating teachers, in 14 different early years settings in three countries (Finland, Estonia and England) used interviews with puppets and video methodologies to document children's views on how decisions are reached, what kinds of things are decided, and who decides. The data suggest that children embrace the feel of control. They also acknowledge, at a level, acting and taking control within boundaries. Given an opportunity, the children are skilful in sharing the responsibility of control with peers and adults.

Keywords:

• children's voice
• child-initiated pedagogy
• ethnography

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Leena Helavaara Robertson is an associate professor at Middlesex University, England, where she coordinates research degrees in Education. Her long-term interests, expertise and publications include culture, social justice and multilingualism in early years settings and urban schools. Currently she is working on an Erasmus+ funded project on Roma, Gypsy and Traveller children.

Jarmo Kinos is an adjunct professor and researcher at the University of Turku, Finland. His research activities and interests are multidisciplinary, drawing on educational science, history of education, educational sociology and early childhood pedagogy.

Nancy Barbour is a professor in Early, Elementary and Reading Education at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. Her scholarly interests and publications have focused on early childhood professional development, particularly in relation to laboratory preschool programmes. She serves on the editorial boards of Early Education and Development and Child and Youth Care Forum. Her most recent book is a co-edited volume by Routledge Press, University Laboratory Preschools (2014).

Maarika Pukk is a lecturer at the University of Tallinn, Estonia. She is finishing her doctoral thesis on the history of early childhood education in Estonia. Her scholarly interests focus on child-initiated pedagogy and developing operational culture in kindergartens. She has written together with Jarmo Kinos a popular Estonian textbook (2010) on child-initiated pedagogy.

Leif Rosqvist is a kindergarten teacher (BA) in Finland and a research assistant on the Child-Initiated Pedagogies Project. He is working on a Ph.D. thesis on the subject at the University of Turku.