Listening to children: the roots of belonging

Abstract

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in children’s voice and participation, largely fuelled by the understanding that agency and voice are important factors in student engagement and academic success. This study, rooted in poststructuralist, feminist and critical theories, challenges the current perception that children can be treated as a homogeneous group with a defined voice and seeks to disrupt these ways of knowing. It opens the beginnings of a dialogue about what is possible by inviting children from three kindergartens to share their thoughts about belonging in the place of (be)coming together that is the kindergarten. This study is an exploration of the particular: of the children who welcomed me, of their place, and of what emerged while we were being there. I take the role of a (re)searcher by letting go of my assumptions and notions of ‘normality.’ I do not only stand with the children, but we step into the landscape together so I am part of their rituals, welcomed by their laughter as well as their silences. By opening myself to the children I start noticing how they know their place and how they recognise themselves as of-this-place; in this thesis I attempt to crystallise my understandings of the children’s thinking. The methodology addresses the complex ways in which children use all their senses to relate to the world. This methodology draws on aesthetic relationships (as in open to the senses) and aesthetic listening, so an arts-based, multimodal approach was designed, inspired by the mosaic approach, bricolage and the Reggio Emilia philosophy. It will be seen that the children choose varied ways to make their ideas visible, including photography, painting, collage and music. The arts offer ways to reflect the richness and complexity of the children’s voices and help to turn this study into a border-crossing adventure. The reflective process of narrative inquiry adds another layer of reflection and meaning-making. Together, these processes helped us (re)cognise and be transformed by the Other – the ongoing quest for democratic living.