Teachers' perception of children's agency in early childhood education
The concept of agency is currently brought more and more into the focus of ed- ucational research. While professional agency at work is for instance already broadly discussed in adult education, research on children’s agency is still in its infancy. Children’s agency can be viewed from every aspect of children’s life, the focus of this research will be on early childhood education (ECE).
For this study, children’s agency is examined from the teachers’ point of view. Five open-ended interviews were carried out with ECE teachers working in different kindergartens in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, one interview was held with two regional managers of the largest provider of kindergartens in Vienna. All interviews were conducted in the summer of 2016 and were ana- lysed using content analysis. The results were not only discussed regarding general agency, but also under consideration of the Capability Approach (CA).
The results indicate that children’s agency, in general, is supported by kindergarten teachers in kindergartens in Austria. The teachers receive much support in doing so, but they were also naming some hindering framework conditions. The outcomes of practiced agency in an early age are described widely positive, though certain restrictions on children’s freedom of choice are seen as necessary.
This study can not only implicate a change in society and other ECE teachers’ perception on the importance of promoting children’s agency but hopefully will also bring about further research on the issue.
...


Keywords
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
- Pro gradu -tutkielmat [27659]
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Teachers’ Perceptions of the Cultural Capital of Children and Families with Immigrant Backgrounds in Early Childhood Education
Lavanti, Lassi; Harju-Luukkainen, Heidi; Kuusisto, Arniika (MDPI AG, 2023)Finnish society has become increasingly diverse relatively recently, notably during the past few decades. This paper explores the perceptions of early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers (n = 11) about the cultural ... -
At the fringes of transitions : socio-spatial constitution of transitions within early childhood education and care institutions in Finland
Harju, Kaisa; Paananen, Maiju; Vuorisalo, Mari; Rutanen, Niina (Routledge, 2023)This study focuses on transitions that emerge between the child’s first transition from home to early childhood education and care (ECEC) and the transition to pre-primary education in Finnish centre-based ECEC. Group-based ... -
Enrichment and safety : the parents of young children constructing early childhood education and care institution in Finland
Kivimäki, Mirka; Karila, Kirsti; Alasuutari, Maarit (Routledge, 2023)Parents` significance in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is emphasized in the research, but primarily from the perspective of ECEC professionals. Drawing on discursive institutionalism, we analysed what parents ... -
Child–educator disagreements in Finnish early childhood education and care : young children’s possibilities for influence
Salonen, Eija; Koitto, Emma; Notko, Marianne; Lahtinen, Maria; Sevón, Eija (Informa UK Limited, 2022)This study explores young children’s possibilities for influence in situations of child–educator disagreement in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC). Data were gathered from observations conducted in four ... -
Physical education in Finnish early childhood teacher education-curricula and preservice teachers' perceptions
Soini, Anne; Takalo, Susanna; Kalari, Joonas; Iivonen, Susanna (Suomen varhaiskasvatus ry, 2023)Physical education (PE) course curricula in Finnish universities were reviewed and compared, and 274 preservice teachers' perceptions of their PE studies in Finnish early childhood teacher education (ECTE) programmes were ...