Factors enabling and preventing children’s participation in pre-primary education

Authors

• Taina Kyrönlampi Oulun yliopisto
• Minna Uitto Oulun yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.95401

Keywords:

phenomenology, children, participation, pre-primary education

Abstract

The article focuses on factors enabling and preventing children’s participation in pre-primary education. The research material was generated in one pre-primary school group and 13 children participated in the research. The material consists of four group discussions, in which photographs taken by the children were discussed. The research question is: Which factors enable and prevent children’s participation in pre-primary education? We approach the phenomenon in the framework of childhood studies basing our work on Giorgi’s phenomenological methodology. The research findings show that play with peers is significant for children’s participation. Children’s participation appears as a phenomenon with tensions, in which both compulsion and voluntariness are present at the same time. The findings show that the educators’ role is meaningful as they participate themselves and enable the use of space and materials for the children’s play and activities. The article discusses how the research findings could be employed in education as well as in training educators.