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Abstract
The study focuses on teachers’ and children’s shared moments of joy in early childhood education settings and contributes new knowledge in educational research by exploring joy as a relational rather than an individual phenomenon. The theoretical and methodological framework draws on a narrative approach and Martin Buber’s dialogical philosophy. Data were gathered through video observations and diary notes in open ECE groups in Finland, with children from 2 to 6 years. The scenes of everyday life in ECE appeared to radiate an overall positive atmosphere. However, the relationship between shared joy and dialogue was multifaceted. On one hand, joyful moments between teachers and children provided opportunities for dialogical encounters. On the other hand, there were variations in how children could participate in joyful moments. The study challenges educators to reflect on the significance of joy in pedagogical practices. The study revealed that dialogical, joyful encounters do not occur due to purposeful planning. Instead, they require that teachers value the daily, bursting-forth moments as important spaces to create reciprocal, respectful relationships with children.
Highlights
This study focuses on teachers’ and children’s shared moments of joy in the Finnish context of institutional early childhood education (ECE)
As Cekaite and Andrén (2019, p. 2) noted, ‘little research, and especially research that attends in detail to the social characteristics of laughter and emotion sharing, is available on children’s laughter in contexts other than homes, an increasing group of children worldwide spend a large part of their everyday life in early childhood education institutions’
The research question guiding this study is: How do shared moments of joy between teachers and children appear in everyday life in ECE settings?
Summary
This study focuses on teachers’ and children’s shared moments of joy in the Finnish context of institutional early childhood education (ECE). An increasing body of the literature discusses positive emotions, including joy, as prerequisites for children’s learning and comprehensive well-being (Hinton et al 2008). 2) noted, ‘little research, and especially research that attends in detail to the social characteristics of laughter and emotion sharing, is available on children’s laughter in contexts other than homes, an increasing group of children worldwide spend a large part of their everyday life in early childhood education institutions’. The research question guiding this study is: How do shared moments of joy between teachers and children appear in everyday life in ECE settings?
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