Beyond the rules, behind a smile: children’s oppositional actions in nurseries

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study investigates the wide range of oppositional actions one- to three-year-old children employ in response to staff in two Romanian and two Danish nurseries. The nurseries have similarly structured days, and most oppositional expressions occur during mealtime and on the playground. Generational structure is used as the analytic frame and illustrates how children adjust, undermine or transform adults’ requirements and rules, individually or in groups. According to the observational data, the staff in Romanian nurseries mainly focus on a dyadic structure (child-staff), with a strong preoccupation for children’s safety, while staff in Danish nurseries place an emphasis on both adult-children and peer interactions. This difference is reflected by children’s oppositional reactions in the two socio-cultural contexts. The article highlights the need to conduct further empirical research on child – adult interactions and the materiality of nurseries and reflect on young children’s oppositional actions as a learning opportunity for children and staff.