Pub Date : 2024-06-06DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241257330
Shaddai Tembo, Magdalena Dujczynski, Mona Sakr
In light of ongoing inequalities within society, the role of social justice leadership in educational spaces remains a central arena amongst research and practice. It is widely recognised that clear recognition and understanding of social justice among educators can offer the capacity for meaningful change against inequalities that continue to saturate both the profession and the experiences of children themselves. Yet, as argued with most clarity by Furman, recognition and understanding alone remain limited strategies in the absence of examples of practice and the development of capacities needed to advance social justice. Furman’s model of social justice leadership offers an avenue to consider the more precise nature of anti-racist practice praxis in the early childhood field. This article will evaluate the effectiveness of the model as applied to anti-racism. It will draw on data from a qualitative study on ethnicity and the early years workforce to consider the extent to which nursery school head teachers may be becoming attuned towards anti-racist social justice leadership praxis, inclusive of reflection and action. Our data reveal that, in more and less structured ways, leaders are already cognisant of the need to engage in anti-racist social justice leadership. The production of this framework offers a stepping stone towards more formalised anti-racist praxis for leaders in the early years profession.
{"title":"‘Maybe that makes a difference actually’: Attuning to praxis for anti-racist social justice leadership among nursery school head teachers in the UK","authors":"Shaddai Tembo, Magdalena Dujczynski, Mona Sakr","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241257330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241257330","url":null,"abstract":"In light of ongoing inequalities within society, the role of social justice leadership in educational spaces remains a central arena amongst research and practice. It is widely recognised that clear recognition and understanding of social justice among educators can offer the capacity for meaningful change against inequalities that continue to saturate both the profession and the experiences of children themselves. Yet, as argued with most clarity by Furman, recognition and understanding alone remain limited strategies in the absence of examples of practice and the development of capacities needed to advance social justice. Furman’s model of social justice leadership offers an avenue to consider the more precise nature of anti-racist practice praxis in the early childhood field. This article will evaluate the effectiveness of the model as applied to anti-racism. It will draw on data from a qualitative study on ethnicity and the early years workforce to consider the extent to which nursery school head teachers may be becoming attuned towards anti-racist social justice leadership praxis, inclusive of reflection and action. Our data reveal that, in more and less structured ways, leaders are already cognisant of the need to engage in anti-racist social justice leadership. The production of this framework offers a stepping stone towards more formalised anti-racist praxis for leaders in the early years profession.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141379365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-06DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241257341
Saber Abdolmalaki, M. Khosravi, Noushin Nouri, Mostafa Ghaderi
This phenomenological study aimed to develop a framework integrating play into preschool curriculum based on educators’ lived experiences using play-based methods. Fifteen educators from 12 centers were interviewed using theoretical sampling. Data analysis revealed nine pathways linking play types, educator roles, and learning objectives. Results culminated in a comprehensive framework elucidating how educators actualize educational goals through play.
{"title":"A model for play in the preschool curriculum: A phenomenological study","authors":"Saber Abdolmalaki, M. Khosravi, Noushin Nouri, Mostafa Ghaderi","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241257341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241257341","url":null,"abstract":"This phenomenological study aimed to develop a framework integrating play into preschool curriculum based on educators’ lived experiences using play-based methods. Fifteen educators from 12 centers were interviewed using theoretical sampling. Data analysis revealed nine pathways linking play types, educator roles, and learning objectives. Results culminated in a comprehensive framework elucidating how educators actualize educational goals through play.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141379928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-15DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241241140
Shaddai Tembo, Simon Bateson
The role of anti-racism in early childhood remains a salient concern for many educators working with young children. Yet to what extent, and through what socio-political paradigms, government guidance supports proactive engagement remains an area to be mapped and explored. In this article, through a critical scoping review we aim to consider the context and policy landscape for anti-racist practice in Scotland and England and examine confluences and divergences between each country.
{"title":"Skin deep: A review of early childhood policy affordances for anti-racist practice in England and Scotland","authors":"Shaddai Tembo, Simon Bateson","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241241140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241241140","url":null,"abstract":"The role of anti-racism in early childhood remains a salient concern for many educators working with young children. Yet to what extent, and through what socio-political paradigms, government guidance supports proactive engagement remains an area to be mapped and explored. In this article, through a critical scoping review we aim to consider the context and policy landscape for anti-racist practice in Scotland and England and examine confluences and divergences between each country.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-15DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241241142
Shaddai Tembo, Simon Bateson
In this article, we consider the academic literature regarding how racial discrimination is prefigured in societal norms and habits in early learning and childcare in Scotland and England. Specifically, we outline what we see as a salient opportunity to strengthen the existing knowledge base, namely how race and racism are understood in young children’s relational habits and play prior to explicit acts. Leaning on the work of Jones and Okun, the article signals how a broader understanding of coloniality may inform earlier intervention in childhood practice. We conclude by introducing our interest in resurgent Froebelian pedagogies, especially in Scotland where they intersect strongly with national frameworks. We consider their potential affordances for understanding and intervening in childhood colonialities and strengthening childhood decolonialities.
{"title":"Before race: A literature review on de/colonial habits in play within early childhood","authors":"Shaddai Tembo, Simon Bateson","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241241142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241241142","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we consider the academic literature regarding how racial discrimination is prefigured in societal norms and habits in early learning and childcare in Scotland and England. Specifically, we outline what we see as a salient opportunity to strengthen the existing knowledge base, namely how race and racism are understood in young children’s relational habits and play prior to explicit acts. Leaning on the work of Jones and Okun, the article signals how a broader understanding of coloniality may inform earlier intervention in childhood practice. We conclude by introducing our interest in resurgent Froebelian pedagogies, especially in Scotland where they intersect strongly with national frameworks. We consider their potential affordances for understanding and intervening in childhood colonialities and strengthening childhood decolonialities.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-11DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241241141
Eileen Africa, Michael Duncan, Lauren Bath
The Montessori philosophy and environment offers opportunities for free movement within the classroom. Physical development includes the acquisition of fundamental movement skills (FMS) which children acquire through different opportunities for movement. Previous research has shown that Montessorian pre-schoolers were more physically active during the school day compared to those attending traditional pre-schools. This led to questioning whether this noted increase in physical activity had any effect on the learning of FMS. The purpose of this study was to examine the proficiency of FMS of children aged 3–6 years in three private Montessori pre-schools. This purposive sample consisted of 105 Montessori 3–6 year olds in the Western Cape, South Africa. FMS were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development Second Edition (TGMD-2). About 51.6% of the 3 year olds mastered run but scored in the poor category for five out of the six object control skills. The majority of 4 year olds (75.7%) reached mastery only in run. Most of the 5 year olds achieved mastery in run (69%) and slide (65.5%), and only 51.7% in kick. About 87.5% of the 6 year olds achieved mastery in run and slide, only half of them in leap, hop, kick and catch. No area of FMS were mastered by all the participants, but overall, the performance ranged from ‘average’ to ‘above average’. This shows potential for improvement in FMS proficiency. Therefore, children, even in a Montessori environment, require specific instruction to achieve proficiency of all FMS.
{"title":"Fundamental movement skill proficiency of selected South African Montessorian pre-schoolers","authors":"Eileen Africa, Michael Duncan, Lauren Bath","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241241141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241241141","url":null,"abstract":"The Montessori philosophy and environment offers opportunities for free movement within the classroom. Physical development includes the acquisition of fundamental movement skills (FMS) which children acquire through different opportunities for movement. Previous research has shown that Montessorian pre-schoolers were more physically active during the school day compared to those attending traditional pre-schools. This led to questioning whether this noted increase in physical activity had any effect on the learning of FMS. The purpose of this study was to examine the proficiency of FMS of children aged 3–6 years in three private Montessori pre-schools. This purposive sample consisted of 105 Montessori 3–6 year olds in the Western Cape, South Africa. FMS were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development Second Edition (TGMD-2). About 51.6% of the 3 year olds mastered run but scored in the poor category for five out of the six object control skills. The majority of 4 year olds (75.7%) reached mastery only in run. Most of the 5 year olds achieved mastery in run (69%) and slide (65.5%), and only 51.7% in kick. About 87.5% of the 6 year olds achieved mastery in run and slide, only half of them in leap, hop, kick and catch. No area of FMS were mastered by all the participants, but overall, the performance ranged from ‘average’ to ‘above average’. This shows potential for improvement in FMS proficiency. Therefore, children, even in a Montessori environment, require specific instruction to achieve proficiency of all FMS.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-11DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241241143
Dag Øystein Nome
Using participatory observations accompanied by video and audio recordings, this article investigates how negotiations about play scripts evolve during play in two Waldorf kindergartens. In particular, this study aims to examine how child-initiated play can contribute to the development of basic democratic skills in early childhood. The concept of resistance proposed by Gert Biesta has been a theoretical starting point for analysis. Hence, this article investigates how and what kinds of resistance are offered through play negotiations with unprocessed, open-ended play materials typical of Waldorf kindergartens. The analysis reveals that resistance is offered by the play materials, previous play scripts, and play partners. In addition, open-ended play materials seemed to add more complexity to negotiations than industrially processed toys. Consequently, the risk of failure in such negotiations becomes more intrusive.
{"title":"Playing with open-ended material as experiences of democracy: The Waldorf case","authors":"Dag Øystein Nome","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241241143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241241143","url":null,"abstract":"Using participatory observations accompanied by video and audio recordings, this article investigates how negotiations about play scripts evolve during play in two Waldorf kindergartens. In particular, this study aims to examine how child-initiated play can contribute to the development of basic democratic skills in early childhood. The concept of resistance proposed by Gert Biesta has been a theoretical starting point for analysis. Hence, this article investigates how and what kinds of resistance are offered through play negotiations with unprocessed, open-ended play materials typical of Waldorf kindergartens. The analysis reveals that resistance is offered by the play materials, previous play scripts, and play partners. In addition, open-ended play materials seemed to add more complexity to negotiations than industrially processed toys. Consequently, the risk of failure in such negotiations becomes more intrusive.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-14DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241231671
A. Gellel, Josephine Deguara, Jennifer Formosa
This paper reports on an investigation into the potential effects of the Symbol Literacy Approach (SLA) on the metaphorical reasoning of 25 five-year-old children attending a Maltese Catholic School. This was implemented via six pedagogical activities comprising the ‘St. Michael Project’, which sought to prompt the children’s symbolic engagement with the Judeo-Christian myth concerning the triumph of Archangel Michael against Lucifer. In the final activity, the children’s observation, role-play and conversation were prompted in relation to a 17th-century Flemish painting depicting St. Michael, after which the children were invited to draw pictures of anything the activity had made them think about. The research data comprised video recordings of conversations held with the children during the drawing process as well as photographs of the finalised pictures. Thematic analysis subsequently revealed that the SLA had supported most of the children to engage in metaphorical reasoning, while illuminating various facets of this pivotal cognitive process.
{"title":"Supporting young children’s metaphorical engagement through a Symbol Literacy Approach","authors":"A. Gellel, Josephine Deguara, Jennifer Formosa","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241231671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241231671","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports on an investigation into the potential effects of the Symbol Literacy Approach (SLA) on the metaphorical reasoning of 25 five-year-old children attending a Maltese Catholic School. This was implemented via six pedagogical activities comprising the ‘St. Michael Project’, which sought to prompt the children’s symbolic engagement with the Judeo-Christian myth concerning the triumph of Archangel Michael against Lucifer. In the final activity, the children’s observation, role-play and conversation were prompted in relation to a 17th-century Flemish painting depicting St. Michael, after which the children were invited to draw pictures of anything the activity had made them think about. The research data comprised video recordings of conversations held with the children during the drawing process as well as photographs of the finalised pictures. Thematic analysis subsequently revealed that the SLA had supported most of the children to engage in metaphorical reasoning, while illuminating various facets of this pivotal cognitive process.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139778287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-14DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241231674
R. G. Barajas-Gonzalez, Alexandra Ursache, D. Kamboukos, Keng-Yen Huang, Heliana Linares Torres, Sabrina Cheng, Devon Olson, L. Brotman, Spring R. Dawson-McClure
Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
{"title":"Latinx parent engagement and school readiness","authors":"R. G. Barajas-Gonzalez, Alexandra Ursache, D. Kamboukos, Keng-Yen Huang, Heliana Linares Torres, Sabrina Cheng, Devon Olson, L. Brotman, Spring R. Dawson-McClure","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241231674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241231674","url":null,"abstract":"Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139779040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-14DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241231674
R. G. Barajas-Gonzalez, Alexandra Ursache, D. Kamboukos, Keng-Yen Huang, Heliana Linares Torres, Sabrina Cheng, Devon Olson, L. Brotman, Spring R. Dawson-McClure
Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
{"title":"Latinx parent engagement and school readiness","authors":"R. G. Barajas-Gonzalez, Alexandra Ursache, D. Kamboukos, Keng-Yen Huang, Heliana Linares Torres, Sabrina Cheng, Devon Olson, L. Brotman, Spring R. Dawson-McClure","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241231674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241231674","url":null,"abstract":"Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139838876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-14DOI: 10.1177/1476718x241231671
A. Gellel, Josephine Deguara, Jennifer Formosa
This paper reports on an investigation into the potential effects of the Symbol Literacy Approach (SLA) on the metaphorical reasoning of 25 five-year-old children attending a Maltese Catholic School. This was implemented via six pedagogical activities comprising the ‘St. Michael Project’, which sought to prompt the children’s symbolic engagement with the Judeo-Christian myth concerning the triumph of Archangel Michael against Lucifer. In the final activity, the children’s observation, role-play and conversation were prompted in relation to a 17th-century Flemish painting depicting St. Michael, after which the children were invited to draw pictures of anything the activity had made them think about. The research data comprised video recordings of conversations held with the children during the drawing process as well as photographs of the finalised pictures. Thematic analysis subsequently revealed that the SLA had supported most of the children to engage in metaphorical reasoning, while illuminating various facets of this pivotal cognitive process.
{"title":"Supporting young children’s metaphorical engagement through a Symbol Literacy Approach","authors":"A. Gellel, Josephine Deguara, Jennifer Formosa","doi":"10.1177/1476718x241231671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x241231671","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports on an investigation into the potential effects of the Symbol Literacy Approach (SLA) on the metaphorical reasoning of 25 five-year-old children attending a Maltese Catholic School. This was implemented via six pedagogical activities comprising the ‘St. Michael Project’, which sought to prompt the children’s symbolic engagement with the Judeo-Christian myth concerning the triumph of Archangel Michael against Lucifer. In the final activity, the children’s observation, role-play and conversation were prompted in relation to a 17th-century Flemish painting depicting St. Michael, after which the children were invited to draw pictures of anything the activity had made them think about. The research data comprised video recordings of conversations held with the children during the drawing process as well as photographs of the finalised pictures. Thematic analysis subsequently revealed that the SLA had supported most of the children to engage in metaphorical reasoning, while illuminating various facets of this pivotal cognitive process.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139838003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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