Negotiating agency in teacher-children triads of collaborative (re)storytelling: Empirical study and methodological implications

Abstract

This study addresses the support and responsiveness towards children's agency within early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the context of collaborative storytelling. We analyze activities in which ECEC teachers together with pairs of children (re)tell a story that they know from a book. Like in any social activity, the matter theoretically referred to as ‘agency’ is actualized. In the case of storytelling, this is a matter that could be formulated in terms of ‘authoring’ and ‘what story’ or ‘whose story’ is (to be) told. Adopting a sociocultural/dialogical perspective, we analyze the interaction in these triads, paying particular attention to shifts in the authoring of stories and in manifestations of stancetaking. The empirical data were gathered from two internationally profiled preschools in Sweden, involving 10 children aged 4–5 years who engage in multiple languages. The results clarify the continuous negotiation of agency in the activities. The results are discussed in terms of methodology and the importance of studying agency in a manner that captures it as dynamic, changing and evolving, rather than as reified possession, is emphasized.