Discourses of happiness in infant-toddler pedagogy

Abstract

In a recent investigation of teachers’ pedagogy with infants and toddlers in New Zealand early childhood care and education centres, the theme of happiness was identified as a pedagogical aspiration. This theme is a component of a two-year qualitative multiple case study research project in which five researchers worked with twelve infant-toddler teachers in five early childhood centres in two cities in New Zealand. The research project examined ways in which the teachers understood the infant and toddler as ‘learner’ and considered multiple pathways of early learning. The desire for children’s happiness is often mentioned by teachers and parents as an important goal but left unexplored and un-theorised in regard to infant-toddler pedagogy. This article focuses on selected data from one early childhood centre.