Inquiring Minds: Theorizing Children's Interests

Autor/inn/en	Hedges, Helen; Cooper, Maria
Titel	Inquiring Minds: Theorizing Children's Interests
Quelle	In: Journal of Curriculum Studies, 48 (2016) 3, S.303-322 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-0272
DOI	10.1080/00220272.2015.1109711
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Childhood Interests; Cultural Background; Cultural Capital; Family Characteristics; Early Childhood Education; Qualitative Research; Learning Theories; Inquiry; Research Methodology; Case Studies; Self Concept; Identification (Psychology); Interpersonal Competence; Well Being; Creativity; Child Development; New Zealand + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Qualitative Forschung; Learning theory; Lerntheorie; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Selbstkonzept; Interpersonale Kompetenz; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Kreativität; Kindesentwicklung; Neuseeland
Abstract	Children's interests are a common foundation for early childhood curricula. Yet, little research is available about the fundamental nature of children's interests and analytical ways to recognize and engage with these. Early work on children's interests adopted a psychological perspective and associated interests with activity choices. Recent work has taken a sociocultural perspective, arguing that more analytical interpretations of children's interests can occur through a deeper understanding of children's funds of knowledge from their lives in their families and communities, and their inquiries that result. This paper draws on a qualitative, interpretivist study in two early childhood centres in Aotearoa New Zealand to extend this work and argue that children's "real questions" are the fundamental source of their interests. The interpretations presented of children's questions also challenge earlier psychological research that suggested children cannot imagine their future selves until late in the early childhood period. A revised continuum of children's interests and examples of interpretations of children's real questions are proffered for further consideration in other early childhood contexts. Further, the paper argues that interests-based curriculum is justifiable in the early years through likely leading to a range of long-term outcomes valued by societies. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01