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The positions adults take in the teaching and learning relationship with young children: a psychosocial perspective

Gilson, CJ; (2016) The positions adults take in the teaching and learning relationship with young children: a psychosocial perspective. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

Early years education in the UK is characterised by diversity of provision and a workforce that includes people with different skills, qualifications and responsibilities. The role of the early years practitioner is thus often complex and challenging. This study aims to explore the roles that the adult takes in the teaching and learning relationship with young children aged between 3-5 years old in England. Both the methodology and analysis were informed by psychoanalytic perspectives on education, in particular the work of Klein and Winnicott. A stratified sample was used to get a broad range of perspectives including parents and practitioners from a variety of settings. Two interviews were conducted with each participant over a period of four months, a conventional semi-structured interview followed by an interview using film elicitation as a prompt for discussion. The eighteen interviews yielded findings which suggested that adults, particularly practitioners, invested in certain aspects of the relationship, such as the expression of rational thought through verbal interaction, and avoided other aspects, notably the emotional dimension of the relationship, especially difficult emotions such as frustration and loss. The study suggests that the privileging of certain aspects of the pedagogic relationship and the exclusion of others results in an unstable and fragmented view of the practitioner’s role which does not take into account the complexity of the job and the emotionality of the pedagogic relationship for all adults involved, practitioners as well as parents. These findings have implications for the training and ongoing professional development of early years practitioners.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Title: The positions adults take in the teaching and learning relationship with young children: a psychosocial perspective
Event: UCL
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Keywords: Early childhood education, Pedagogic relationship, Emotional aspects of teaching and learning, Psychosocial
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1516195
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