Learning journey: a conceptual framework for analyzing children’s learning in educational transitions

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch about transitions in early childhood education has had an upsurge especially in the last 15 years. Much attention has been directed to what constitutes and builds up positive transitions. Although, as learning is one of the main tasks in educational settings, there is a need for more explicit research discussions in the transition research field about children’s learning in transition. The aims of this article are to discuss and unravel the theoretical concept ‘learning journey’ and to propose a conceptual framework for analyzing children’s learning in early educational transitions. The article gives a review of the concept learning journey and related terms: learning, continuity/discontinuity, change, collaboration and time. A conceptual framework of learning journey is proposed and a model presented. The model is discussed in relation to the PPCT-model of Urie Bronfenbrenner and a final discussion set the proposed conceptual framework of learning journey in the context of application to early childhood education.