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Children's perspective research inpre-service early childhood studenteducationYael Dayan a b & Margalit Ziv c da Early Childhood Department , David Yellin Teachers' College ,Jerusalem , Israelb Shwartz Early Childhood Program , Hebrew University ofJerusalem , Jerusalem , Israelc Early Childhood Department , AlQasemi Academic College , Baqaal-Gharbiyye , Israeld School of Education , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , IsraelPublished online: 14 Sep 2012.

To cite this article: Yael Dayan & Margalit Ziv (2012) Children's perspective research in pre-serviceearly childhood student education, International Journal of Early Years Education, 20:3, 280-289,DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2012.718114

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Children’s perspective research in pre-service early childhoodstudent education

Yael Dayana,b* and Margalit Zivc,d

aEarly Childhood Department, David Yellin Teachers’ College, Jerusalem, Israel; bShwartzEarly Childhood Program, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; cEarlyChildhood Department, AlQasemi Academic College, Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel; dSchool ofEducation, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

(Received 1 May 2012; accepted 25 June 2012)

An important component in the role of an early childhood teacher is the ability torespect children, interact with them and respond to each child’s ideas, thoughtsand desires. Therefore, early childhood teacher education should emphasise thesignificance of relating to children as independent and thoughtful human beings.We suggest that children’s perspective research is a suitable approach foreducating students to relate to children in a profound and holistic way and tointegrate inquiry of children’s perspective into their practice. Hence, we presentan implementation of the rationale and methodology of children’s perspectiveresearch as a central component in pre-service early childhood student education.We first describe educational views regarding teachers’ roles in child-centrededucational approaches, which are rooted in democratic values. We then focus onthe democratic stance, present the rationale of integrating children’s perspectiveresearch into early childhood student education and portray three examples ofimplementing this approach in Israel. Students’ reflections reveal that the processof studying about and experiencing rich engagement and conversations withchildren deepened their understanding regarding both children’s world and theirown professional role.

Keywords: children’s perspective research; early childhood; pre-service teachereducation

Early childhood teachers’ role � child-centred approaches

Most researchers and educators agree about the importance of a child-centredapproach, according to which teachers address children’s individual interests anddevelopmental needs. However, the general child-centred framework can beinterpreted and applied in different manners which produce varied characterisationsof the teacher’s role (Tzuo 2007). Vygotsky’s theory (1978) emphasises teachers’centrality in fostering children’s development through mediation that is adapted tothe zone of proximal development; Educational practice based on Piaget’s theory(1964) emphasises the importance of providing children with opportunities toexplore and construct their own knowledge. In analysing educational practicesinfluenced by the theories of Dewey and Montessori, Hatch (2010) emphasisesthe importance that these theories assign to meaningful experiences, based on

*Corresponding author. Email: yael.dayan@huji.ac.il

International Journal of Early Years Education

Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2012, 280�289

ISSN 0966-9760 print/ISSN 1469-8463 online

# 2012 Taylor & Francis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2012.718114

http://www.tandfonline.com

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freedom and choice; Integrating all the aforementioned theories, DevelopmentallyAppropriate Practice postulates that the teacher’s role is to facilitate children’ssocial, physical, emotional and cognitive development while deliberately attendingto their individual characteristics (Bredekamp and Copple 1997). Finally, the ReggioEmilia’s view emphasises the cooperative role of the teacher; children constructknowledge and make meaning of the world together with her (Dahlberg, Moss andPence 2007).

Child-centred approaches can also be interpreted, however, in ways that allow abehaviouristic approach and manifest high teacher control over children, ratherthan provide children with experiences of freedom (Burman 1994; Tzuo 2007).Discourse like ‘teaching to enhance development and learning’ (Bredekamp andCopple 1997, 17), or ‘to ensure all children are well-prepared for successfulacademic futures’ (Goldstein 2008, 259), run the risk of emphasising the teacher’scentrality and reducing interactions in which teachers truly listen to, respect andsupport children (Cannella 1997).

Thus, in order to fully acknowledge children’s centrality in the educationalpractice, there is a need to deepen educators’ appreciation of children’s ability toparticipate in, and contribute to, the educational discourse. An important responsi-bility of teachers is to establish in preschools a culture of respect and dialogue, asproposed by the democratic educational view.

The democratic educational view

A democratic educational view regards the child as a social agent who is capableof participating in constructing and influencing her own life (Einarsdottir2010; Harcourt and Conroy 2011; Smith 2011). This view emphasises teachers’‘professional skill of listening attentively and at length to children, seeking tounderstand their point of view, their interests, their questions and their intentions’(Oberhuemer 2005, 13). The democratic view suggests that the teacher, together withchildren, produce meanings that enrich all participants’ thinking and understanding(Dahlberg, Moss and Pence 2007); The reciprocal teacher�child interaction and jointparticipation of equal partners in accomplishing educational goals and values is atthe heart of education.

According to the democratic view, interactions with children are not just for thepurpose of enhancing development and learning of children (Hatch 2010), andlistening to children is not solely aimed at gaining insights into their experience ofearly childhood (Sumsion 2005). Rather, teachers should consult children on issuesconcerning their own interests and dilemmas. Teacher�children interactions provideopportunities for both children and teachers to learn from and with each other, asFreire wrote: ‘The teacher is no longer merely the one-who-teaches, but one who ishimself taught in dialogue with the students, who, in turn, while being taught, alsoteach’ (Freire 1970, 61).

In order to incorporate a democratic view in early childhood education, it isimportant to educate pre-service students to trust and respect children as competentsocial actors, capable of reporting on and engaging in discussions about theirexperiences and perspectives. We propose that children’s perspective research canassist in achieving the goal of educating a democratic early childhood student whobelieves in the agency of children (Waller and Bitou 2011) and in learning togetherwith them.

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Children’s perspective research and pre-service early childhood studenteducation

Children’s perspective research is based on democratic values, demonstratingresearchers’ intention to work in partnership with children (Harcourt and Conroy2011). Integrating children’s perspective research philosophy in early childhood pre-service student education proposes a new manner of conducting this kind of research,integrating between research structure and process, students’ learning process andeducational practice. Together, these elements have the potential of providingstudents with experiences in which all participants � students and children alike �construct knowledge and meaning through their daily experiences and interactions.Consequently, students will deepen their appreciation of the democratic values thatunderlie both children’s perspective research and democratic educational practiceand will gain experience in combining both in their professional work as teachers.Importantly, rather than splitting the roles of researcher, student and practitioner, wesuggest creating a professional experience that links between these roles and createsnew, integrated discourse and practice.

Specifically, involving students in children’s perspective research in a frameworkof an academic programme, accompanied by supervised practicum in preschools, canachieve four goals of a democratically oriented programme: first, it fosters an inquirystance towards working with young children that develops students’ ability toidentify complex issues in their work and raise challenging questions (Phelps 2006).These questions stem from students’ everyday dilemmas and might, at times, raisedoubts regarding common assumptions and conceptions. They can serve at the sametime as important and authentic research questions and as guiding questions forimproving practice. Second, in addressing the research questions and seeking forways of coping with educational dilemmas, students will consult children andrecognise that they can provide indispensable information and serve as helpfulresearch informants. Third, students will develop sensitivity towards children andimprove their ability to conduct conversations with children and engage them inmultiple activities that assist in expressing their ideas (e.g. drawing and photo-graphs), thus implementing various children’s perspective research methods. Finally,as a result of the process, students will deepen their knowledge and understanding ofchildren’s world, ideas, perspectives and wisdom. The new knowledge that will beconstructed will also serve as the research results, and deepen students’ and otherresearchers’ and professionals’ insights on children and educational practice.

The Israeli context

The Israeli population consists of a majority of Jewish citizens and an Israeli�Palestinian minority consisting approximately 20% of the general Israeli population.While Israel is defined as a democratic Jewish country, Israeli�Palestinian childrengrow up in a sociocultural context that reflects both traditional Islamic values andWestern influences (Dwairy 2004). The society is generally characterised ascollectivist and patriarchal, often resulting in authoritative and behaviouristeducational practices (Abu-Asbah and Avishai 2007; Feldman and Masalha 2010).Although the dominant language in Israel is Hebrew, the mother tongue of Israeli�Palestinian children is Arabic. Educational settings are separate for Jewish andIsraeli�Palestinian children; however, identical early childhood curricular guidelines

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are provided by the Ministry of Education for teachers in both settings, based on coreprogrammes regarding literacy, mathematics, science, physical development andsocial skills (Israel Ministry of Education 2012). Teacher education can be separateor joint. There are several Arabic speaking teacher colleges in which all students areIsraeli�Palestinian. There are also programmes in colleges and universities in whichJewish and Palestinian students study together.

Examples of using children’s perspective research as a strategy for earlychildhood student education

Three examples demonstrate various manners to incorporate children’s perspectiveresearch into the education of early childhood pre-service students. The commongoal in all three examples was to provide students with personal experiences thatinvolve listening to children and learning from them about issues that are importantfor students to consider during their work with children. The first example describesa conversation with a group of children, initiated by a student, following her dilemmaregarding how to handle a child who avoids competitive games. The second exampleinvolved a one-semester academic course about children’s perspective research intwo teacher colleges, accompanied by students interviewing children on their likesand dislikes in preschool. The third example describes research conducted inpreschools, initiated by the students’ practicum supervisor, in which children wereconsulted regarding students’ education.

Example 1 � children’s participation in student supervision

This example demonstrates the implementation of a children’s perspective researchapproach in consulting children regarding a dilemma that a student encountered inher routine work. During a visit of the practicum supervisor (the first author of thecurrent paper) in a preschool, the student sought for her guidance in coping with achild who avoided playing with other children. The child stood near his peers,refused to join them and made insulting remarks to children who played. Inattempting to understand the reason for this behaviour, the student suggested that ‘heis afraid of losing’. She expressed a desire to help the child and framed a generalquestion for discussion: ‘What shall I do with a child who withdraws fromcompetitive games because he is afraid of losing?’

The supervisor used this opportunity to engage the student in formulating aresearch question � what are the ways of handling children who withdraw fromcompetitive games because of the threat of losing? To collect data, a conversationwas held with a group of 10 children, as a group interview. This method has beenshown to encourage children to talk and assist each other (Graue and Walsh 1998).The interviewer implemented the guidelines of interviews with adults, which arerecognised as suitable for children’s perspective research. These include establishingrapport, using clear and understandable questions, adopting terms that are familiar toand used by informants and attentive listening (Arksy and Knight 1999). Theseguidelines are also relevant for establishing positive relationships with children inpreschool daily life (Dunphy and Farrell 2011). The children, the student, the teacherand the practicum supervisor participated.

The goal of the conversation was to learn about children’s ideas regarding theissue and to enrich the student’s repertoire of solutions. In addition, the interview

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presented a model of working with children, emphasising the importance of listeningto children and involving them in a problem-solving process. The children were toldthat they were invited to help the student become a better teacher. The conversationwas audiotaped. The opening question was: What should a teacher do when a child

doesn’t want to play because he/she is afraid of losing?

Children suggested solutions, displaying an empathetic attitude towards childrenwho have difficulty losing games. For example, one girl suggested to reframethe rules of competitive games so that there is no loser: ‘if someone wins, the secondis second winner, then third winner and forth winner’. Another solution was toprovide a consolation prize, thus transforming the negative experience to a pleasantone: ‘If someone loses, maybe we can make a cream cake. All the losers will eatthe cake’.

Following the conversation with the children, the practicum supervisorinterviewed the student in order to understand the impact of the process on her.The student described her experience as powerful and significant:

It is the first time in three years of my studies that I encountered this tool of askingchildren, really asking them and involving them. It is a very important tool . . . they haveamazing ideas . . . I was never in a conversation with children, asking them about adilemma in the preschool and the children are those who provide solutions . . . I thinkevery teacher needs it. As a teacher you must listen to children, listen to what they love,listen to their needs . . .They reveal to us a lot of things that we didn’t think about. Untilyou experience it, it is difficult to understand. When I will be a teacher I am sure I willuse it . . . It was a very powerful conversation.

The student was surprised by how much she learned about children. She emphasisedtheir seriousness in responding to the question and deepened her understanding of thedifficulty children experience when losing in games:

I felt the children’s engagement in solving the problem. It surprised me very much. . . . Irealized that it is a meaningful experience in the life of children, those games. and itgave me another point of view of the issue of involving children and consultingthem . . .Everyone answers according to his inner world and his way to overcome aloss . . . It helps to know the children better.

Finally, the student benefited from the solutions that children suggested to theproblem:

It was very difficult for me to find a solution. The conversation with the children helpedme to see things differently and to see the solution from their point of view. Most of thechildren experienced it, so they have solutions (Dayan 2008b).

The student’s reflection on her experience reveals the benefits of integratingchildren’s perspective research into the practice of student education. Sharing ideaswith children indeed provides new perspectives and offers students alternative waysof seeing, understanding and acting in a problematic situation. Encouraging studentsto consult children conveys the message that children should be listened to becausethey have deep emotions that adults should be sensitive to, interesting perspectivesand original and helpful ideas. Insights obtained by discussing issues with childrenenrich and deepen students’ understanding of children, and ‘involves deep reflectionon pedagogy’ (Dunphy and Farrell 2011, 139)

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Example 2 � academic course on children’s perspective research accompanied by

students interviewing children

In addition to spontaneous, yet thoughtful, implementation of children’s perspectiveresearch principles during individual supervised practicum, in order to establish thefoundation required for regular implementation of this approach in students’ presentand future professional routine, there is a need for in-depth study of the topic. Thus,an academic course on children’s perspective research was incorporated into theearly childhood education programme in two teachers’ colleges. Children’sperspective research principles were then implemented in the students’ interactionswith children. One college was located in Jerusalem and 12 Jewish female studentsparticipated in the course. The other college was located in Baka-el-Garbiya, an Arabtown in central Israel, and 30 Israeli�Palestinian female students participated.

Both courses introduced the rationale of children’s perspective research,emphasising children’s rights and democratic values of acknowledging andrespecting children as competent individuals (Dunphy and Farrell 2011). Thestudents from both colleges then participated in all stages of the research: selecting aresearch question, planning the study, collecting the data and analysing the data. Theresearch question and data collection methods were selected in class discussions inwhich students suggested varied topics, and multiple methods were considered.Students from Jerusalem decided to focus on the following question: ‘what dochildren like and dislike in preschools?’ To collect the data, the students decided toinvite children to take photographs of favourite and unattractive locations andactivities in their preschool. Photographs followed by interviews were selected inorder to allow a realistic portrayal of children’s preferences and dislikes (Clark 2004;Dockett and Perry 2005; Einarsdottir 2010; Rogers and Evans 2008; Waller andBitou 2011). The students from Baka-el-Garbiya, enthusiastic about the parallelprocesses taking place in the two colleges, then decided to select the same researchquestion and methodologies.

In both colleges, each student selected two to four children to whom sheseparately introduced a digital camera and explained how to use it. She then askedeach child in turn to first take a picture, or more than one, of what she liked best atpreschool and then a picture or pictures of what she did not like. A week later thestudent returned to the preschool with the printed photographs and asked eachphotographer to tell her about the photos. After completion of the data collection, aclass discussion was held in each of the colleges to determine the main topics thatemerged from children’s photographs and accompanying explanations.

As expected, children portrayed a rich array of likes and dislikes. For example,many children in Baka-el-Garbiya selected their favourite places, locations wherethey enjoy playing with friends: ‘I like playing with blocks with my friends- Isa,Yasin, bashar . . .’. Some children explained that they like places and activities inwhich they can act freely, without the supervision of an adult. In describing placesand activities that they did not like, children again referred to social experiences andrelationships, e.g. ‘I also like cooking in the kitchen. But, it is always crowded, allthe girls are here and many times they fight with each other’. In addition, childrenexpressed emotions, such as fear of doctors: ‘I don’t like the doctor corner becauseI don’t like going to the doctor, he gives injections and bitter medicine’. Othersmentioned objects at preschool that are associated with personal negative

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experiences, e.g. ‘I don’t like this picture [of a sea] because my uncle drowned inthe sea’.

Students from both colleges wrote reflections on their experience. They wereimpressed by the children’s ability to handle a camera and explain their photos. Formost students it was the first time that they had the opportunity to listen to childrentalk about their likes and dislikes. The Jerusalem group wrote an article that waspublished in a Hebrew early childhood education journal in which they summarisedthe experience:

We found that photography is an excellent means to hear the voice of children and todeepen the acquaintance with them. Our conversations with them exposed us toperspectives that we are not exposed to in daily routine. We learned to listen to them,to pay attention to their interests and to better understand their world. The childrentaught us about our role as teachers. We learned that children have preferences for thedesign of preschool environment and we should take it in our considerations.

Students from Baka-el-Garbiya described similar insights, and in addition mentionedthat their experience was different from what is customary in their culture. Forexample, one of the students explained that:

many adults in our culture tell children what to do and do not have conversations withthem. I want to be different; I realize that children should be listened to and that eachchild has his own preferences, desires and needs.

Example 3 � children’s perspective on early childhood teacher education

The third example describes a conversation with children about students’ education.Interestingly, although the main goal of students’ education is to ensure the best forchildren, they are seldom, if ever, asked about their views on the process (Dayan2008a). Children observe their teacher’s work daily, and thus can be expected tohave their own impressions, reflections, and interpretations, as well as the ability todescribe and enunciate on issues of teacher education.

The study, conducted by the first author of this paper (Dayan 2008a) who servedas the Jerusalem students’ practicum supervisor, addressed two research questions:‘what should an early childhood teacher know’? And ‘how can she know this’? Ineach preschool, the preschool teacher interviewed a group of 2 to 4 children, relyingon the rapport and trust she had already established with the children. The practicumsupervisor and student were present as well. The opening question was: ‘What does

(name of student) need to learn so she can be a teacher?’ Children suggested thatstudents should learn how to do certain things, what to say and what and how toteach children. For example, children said that students should learn how to helpchildren who are in dispute with each other and also ‘how to play with children’ and‘how to do circle time’. Children further suggested that students should learn how toteach children to behave kindly and ‘she must learn to laugh with children’.

The second question was: ‘How should she learn it?’ The children’s answerswere impressively comprehensive, for example: ‘she must practice and watch whatteachers do and also try to do what the teacher does’. Children conveyed a sense ofresponsibility to the learning process of the student. For example, one of the girlssaid: ‘We will teach her. She will observe us and see what we are doing, and then shewill know how to behave with children’.

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The presence of the student and the practicum supervisor was important becauseit assisted the children in relating to an authentic question that the student andsupervisor showed real interest in. The teacher explained that ‘Yael wants to knowhow to better prepare Anat for her future role as teacher’. For the students, it was aunique opportunity to be involved in a conversation in which their professionaldevelopment is respectfully discussed with children. Students reported that theygained insights regarding the importance of consulting children in the process ofplanning, reflecting and evaluating their own practice and that they learned a lotabout children’s perception of the teacher’s role. They realised that childrenattentively observe their behaviour and responses to children’s conduct and thatthey can provide a comprehensive portray of important components of earlychildhood students’ education.

Summary and conclusion

Previous research suggested ways for teachers to engage children in decision-makingprocesses (Sheridan and Pramling Samuelsson 2001). In order to educate studentswho understand the importance of involving children in thinking about central issuesin preschool and are capable of creating a democratic environment, we proposedimplementing children’s perspective research in the education of pre-service earlychildhood students. In all three examples children were active participants in studenteducation. Students gained important knowledge and insights about children’s worldand capabilities, as well as about issues that concerned their own work with childrenand professional development. Importantly, this approach benefits the children aswell. They construct their understanding regarding multiple issues concerning theirown lives, as well as the lives of adults, and do so in partnership with students andteachers, in line with Smith’s statement: ‘The greater the richness of the activitiesand communications that children participate in, the greater will be theircompetence’ (Smith 2011, 15).

The examples demonstrate that incorporating children’s perspective research intostudents’ education creates meaningful and powerful experiences that promotestudents’ appreciation of a democratic educational approach. In these experiences,the familiar power relations between the teacher-educator and the students, as well asbetween students and children, decrease in favour of relationships that are based onparticipation and collaboration, thus fostering a democratic personality anddemocratic values (Biesta 2007; Oberhuemer 2005).

Students’ understanding and experiencing of the significance of collaborativerelationships with children during their education was strengthened by discussionswith their lecturers and practicum supervisors. The enthusiasm of the students,including Israeli�Palestinian students who belong to a traditionally collectivist andauthoritative society which tends to apply behaviourist educational practices (Abu-Asbah and Avishai 2007; Dayan 2005) is encouraging. It suggests that students’engagement in a meaningful dialogue with children, based on children’s perspectiveresearch principles, has the potential of deepening their appreciation of democraticvalues that lead to a democratic educational approach.

However, instilling a permanent change in students’ approach requires expandingthe recognition of children as partners in planning and implementing dialogicalenvironment and educational practices among more teacher educators and preschoolteachers. Hopefully, some students will indeed involve children in decision-making

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and problem solving in their daily routine, thus serving as change agents for whomtrue dialogue with children is a second nature.

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