Researching young children’s voice in

interprofessional practiceJane Payler, University of Winchester &

Jan Georgeson, Plymouth UniversitySymposium: Methodological Challenges of Studying the

Perspectives of Very Young ChildrenISCAR conference, Sydney, Australia, 29th Sept-3rd Oct 2014

How do children experience and participate in aspects of interprofessional practice in early years settings?

Little research on children’s perspectives of interprofessional practice (e.g. Wong et al. 2012) and reluctance to ask them (Georgeson et al., 2014)

Wong, S., J.Sumsion and F.Press.(2012). Early childhood professional and inter-professional work in integrated early childhood services in Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37(1), 81-88.

Georgeson, J., Porter, J., Daniels, H. and Feiler, A. (2014) Consulting young children about barriers and supports to learning. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 22 (2)

Research question

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Nature of our research focus

Nuanced, bodily and vocal interaction, participation and expressions of experience in interprofessional early years care and education are the locus of our research

The challenges

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The challenges: Theoretical and methodological

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What are the theories of learning, development and early years

pedagogy from which our research focus is derived?

John Shotter’s ‘Conversational realities’

◦ spontaneous, unique events, enacted bodily (2008: iv).

◦ He argues that such unique events are shaped by social influences, but that each individual co-creates unique events by their ‘spontaneous, unthought out, living bodily responses’ (2008: vi).

◦ Shotter, J. (2008) Conversational Realities Revisited: Life, Language, Body and World. Ohio: Taos institute Publications.

Theoretical concepts

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Attention to Shared understandings developed in ongoing conversation

◦ over time; ‘talk-entwined’ (2008: vii) dialogic exchanges; bodily aspects also emphasised.

Spontaneous, expressive-responsivity: ◦‘the fluid back and forth flow of living, interdependent activity – activity that is always inseparably intertwined, as in an ecology, in with all the other activities occurring in its surroundings’ (2008: vi).

Contingent action guiding feelingsinteraction is based on ‘embodied feelings’ (2008:12) and should be the focus of research attention

Theoretical concepts

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Attention to Shared understandings developed in ongoing conversation

◦ over time; ‘talk-entwined’ (2008: vii) dialogic exchanges; bodily aspects also emphasised.

Spontaneous, expressive-responsivity: ◦‘the fluid back and forth flow of living, interdependent activity – activity that is always inseparably intertwined, as in an ecology, in with all the other activities occurring in its surroundings’ (2008: vi).

Contingent action guiding feelingsInteraction is based on ‘embodied feelings’ (2008:12) and should be the focus of research attention

Theoretical concepts

Leading to... Relationally-responsive form of

understanding:◦ ‘crucially contingent ‘replies’’ and subsequent

actions between people, ‘coming to a unique, never before encountered understanding within such an exchange’ (2008: vii).

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Dreier’s Trajectories of participation children’s participation across contexts,

with different constraints and opportunities, shape their learning and development

Dreier, O. 1999 Personal Trajectories of Participation across Contexts of Social Practice. Outlines 1: 5-32.

Dreier, O. 2002 Learning in Personal Trajectories of Participation. Proceedings of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology Conference. Canada.

Dreier, O. 2008 Psychotherapy in Everyday Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Theoretical concepts

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UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989)◦ Provision, protection and participation ◦ = child’s involvement in decision-making through

expression of own views

Key Articles:◦ freedom of expression (13)◦ education should help to ensure that children are aware of their

rights and able to exercise them (29)◦ applies equally to disabled and non-disabled children (2)◦ right for children to have their views respected (12)

UNCRC 1989 -> legislation in signatory countries -> more attention to seeking of children’s

views about decisions that will affect them (Bragg, 2010:11)

Challenges of inclusion and children’s right to a voice

“States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.” Article 12

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Article 12 difficult to interpret (Bae, 2010)◦ Often (mis)quoted in support of “pupil voice” (Lundy,

2007:928)◦ Balance between provision, protection and participation

Legal right as well as moral duty ◦ Attend to views of very young children (Alderson et al.,

(2005); Gray and Winter 2011)◦ Ethical issues with researching vulnerable children …

but with support their stories can be told; (Leeson 2013)

Children’s voice: research

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Are all children ‘capable of forming his or her own views?And - if we should give the views of the child ‘due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child’ – who decides whether they are old or mature enough?

Accessing and analysing …◦ children’s perspectives when they are very young and

verbal language is still emergent◦ the fine-grained, nuanced, bodily as well as vocal

nature of participation, experience and pedagogy How?

◦ Video analysis: children’s bodily and vocal participation with practitioners (co-construction)

◦ Children-in-families (Warin, 2007): using interviews with parents

◦ Situated discussions with practitioners

◦ Warin, J. (2007) Joined-Up Services for Young Children and Their Families: Papering Over the Cracks or Re-Constructing the Foundations? CHILDREN & SOCIETY VOLUME 21, (2007) pp. 87–97

Methodological challenges

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Challenges in Data collection Data analysis Representing findings

Payler, J. and Georgeson, J. (2013) Multiagency working in the early years: confidence, competence and context. Early Years: An International Research Journal, Special Edition 'Integrated Children's Services: Rethinking Research, Policy and Practice', 33:4, 380-397.

Payler, J.K. & Georgeson, J. (2013) ‘Personal action potency: early years practitioners participating in interprofessional practice in early years settings’ in International Journal of Early Years Education, Volume 21, Issue 1, 39-55

Case study design: child in context of early years setting, early years team and parents

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◦ Video child-practitioner interactions over 8 days (510 mins)

◦ Interviews ◦ 5 practitioners, ◦ 6 graduate leaders and ◦ 5 parents (435 mins)

◦ Documents Children’s IEPs; information on settings

Data collection challenge

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Conceptual framework guided analysis Selection of ‘critical moments’ (Byrne-Armstrong et al., 2001)

◦ Children’s participation in routine and ‘intervention’ activities, often intertwined

◦ Bodily and vocal participation; emotional responses

Influenced by/a nod towards Laban Movement Analysis (see e.g. Penfield, 2005)

Body Effort Shape Space

Data analysis challenge

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Spontaneous expressive responsivity

Vocal / bodily

Jenny

` I think that A wasn’t the key person choice on paper when we started...She used to come in and ask for her and now we’ve just shuffled it so that A does have her one of the times she’s here. (Jenny’s mother)

Findings and challenges of representation

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Spontaneous expressive responsivity

Vocal / bodily

Jenny

` I think that A wasn’t the key person choice on paper when we started...She used to come in and ask for her and now we’ve just shuffled it so that A does have her one of the times she’s here. (Jenny’s mother)

Body: movement initiation Effort: direct, strong, sustained Space: directional

Findings and challenges of representation

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Shared understandings developed over time in ongoing conversation:

Bodily / Vocal, moving towards... Bodily / Vocal

Daniel

Findings and challenges of representation

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Episode 3: Daniel communicating with practitioner; key person interpreting his intentions for practitioner

 

Practitioner off screen at snack table asks Daniel ‘Daniel, do you want a drink of water?’ This is repeated.

 

 

Daniel responds by waving and saying ‘Bye’ in an urgent voice. Key person watches from nearby, monitoring the interaction and his responses.

Body: orientation; gesture

 

 

Key person joins him at the computer and talks to him about it

 

Practitioner asks if he would like a biscuit. He responds in a tone of urgency by waving and again saying, ‘Bye bye biscuit’. Off screen, practitioner consults with key person about leaving snack out for him. Key person explains that waving ‘bye bye’ was a very big step and a measure of Daniel’s progress.

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Contingent action guiding feelings

Bodily (vocal)

Andrew

Findings and challenges of representation

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He vocalises and points with outstretched arm to the box of construction on the table that he would prefer to do. She says, ‘Crayon first. Yes, crayon first’. Space: spatial intentionEffort: sudden, direct

He continues to turn away from the crayons until she decides to remove the paper and offer him the box of construction. He settles to animatedly sorting through the box. Body: movement sequenceEffort: sustained

She takes some items out, then removes the box. Andrew ends the one to one session by taking himself under the table. Body: movement initiationEffort: sudden, strong 21

Making children’s contributions and perspectives visible allows for a more contingent approach to IP, with practitioners acting as the advocates and co-constructors with young children, mediating their participation.

The challenge is to find ways to theorise, analyse and represent children’s experiences and to give adequate weight to these in policy and practice developments.

Conclusions

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Alderson, P., Hawthorne, J. and Killen, M. (2005) The Participation Rights of Premature Babies, International Journal Of Children’s Rights, 13, 31-50

Aubery, C., & Dahl, S. (2006). Children’s voices: The views of vulnerable children on their service providers and the relevance of services they receive, British Journal of Social Work, 23, 21–39.

Bae, B. (2010) Realizing children’s right to participation in early childhood settings: some critical issues in a Norwegian context. Early Years 30: (3) 205–218

Bragg, S. (2010) Consulting Young People: A literature review. 2nd ed. Newcastle: Creativity, Culture and Education.

Byrne-Armstrong, H., Higgs, J., Horsfall, D., (Eds) (2001) Critical moments in qualitative research, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann

Dreier, O. 1999 Personal Trajectories of Participation across Contexts of Social Practice. Outlines 1: 5-32.

Dreier, O. 2002 Learning in Personal Trajectories of Participation. Proceedings of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology Conference. Canada.

Dreier, O. 2008 Psychotherapy in Everyday Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Georgeson, J., Porter, J., Daniels, H. and Feiler, A. (2014) "Consulting young children about barriers

and supports to learning “ European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. Volume 22 Issue 3 (provisional)

References

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Gray, C. and Winter, E. (2011) Hearing voices: participatory research with preschool children with and without disabilities. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 19 3 309-320

Lundy, L., (2007) 33(6) ‘Voice is not enough’: Conceptualising Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’, British Education Research Journal,  927-942

Payler, J. and Georgeson, J. (2013) Multiagency working in the early years: confidence, competence and context. Early Years: An International Research Journal, Special Edition 'Integrated Children's Services: Rethinking Research, Policy and Practice', 33:4, 380-397.

Payler, J.K. & Georgeson, J. (2013) ‘Personal action potency: early years practitioners participating in interprofessional practice in early years settings’ in International Journal of Early Years Education, Volume 21, Issue 1, 39-55

Penfield, K. (2005) Application of Laban Movement Analysis to a movement for actors training program : excerpts from a teaching collaboration. Laban Movement Analysis for Actors: A Teaching Collaboration between Kedzie Penfield and Judith Steel . pp. 1-30. Available online at http://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/72/. Accessed 25.8.13.

Shotter, J. (2008) Conversational Realities Revisited: Life, Language, Body and World. Ohio: Taos institute Publications.

Warin, J. (2007) Joined-Up Services for Young Children and Their Families: Papering Over the Cracks or Re-Constructing the Foundations? CHILDREN & SOCIETY. 21, (2007) pp. 87–97

Wong, S., J.Sumsion and F.Press.(2012). Early childhood professional and inter-professional work in integrated early childhood services in Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37(1), 81-88.

References

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