%0 Journal Article
%T PROMOTING CHILDRENĄ¯S AGENCY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
%A Angela MASHFORD-SCOTT
%A Amelia CHURCH
%J Novitas-ROYAL
%D 2011
%I Novitas-ROYAL
%X Using conversation analysis (CA), this study identifies features of teacher-child interactions that enable opportunities for childrenĄ¯s active participation in early learning environments, specifically, how teachers promote childrenĄ¯s agency in the resolution of their peer disputes. The analysis focuses on two particular episodes of teacher intervention selected from a total of 28 hours of video-recorded observations in two early childhood education settings with three- to five-year-old children. The first demonstrates how a teacher can facilitate the collaborative resolution of a dispute; the second demonstrates how a teacher can respond to a childĄ¯s report of conflict by positioning herself as a non-participant. While different strategies were utilized in each of these episodes, redirecting responsibility to the children themselves was found to be the key practice in facilitating childrenĄ¯s agency in these interventions. Knowledge and insights gained through conversation analysis contribute to our understanding of how teachers and children collaboratively achieve opportunities for agency.
%K early childhood education
%K Conversation Analysis
%K child agency
%K teacher intervention
%U http://www.novitasroyal.org/Vol_5_1/mashford-scott_church.pdf