Can You Tell Me That Story Again? The Need for a Counter Story of the Teacher-Child Relationship
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Abstract
This paper explores the pedagogical relationship as conveyed by a particular body of literature: the teacher-child relationship in the early years, particularly in early childhood education (ECE) settings (from preschool to elementary classrooms with children up to 8 years old). I critique this body of literature by asking two simple questions: What is the role of children and teachers in informing this body of research? and how does this body of literature refer to the role of children and teachers in the enhancement of positive relationships? I draw on the concept of performativity used by Stephen Ball (2003) to develop this analysis of a review of the teacher-child relationship literature that includes studies published from 1992 to 2015 mostly, but not solely, in North American journals. I analyze how this body of literature works as a vehicle of dominant discourses in which I highlight mainly two narratives: the child as voiceless and the teacher as a hero. This paper argues that the study of the teacher-child relationship in ECE research reinforces the discourse of performativity embedded in a neoliberal governance model and reforms not only teachers' practices but also their identities. A critical examination of the research literature encourages researchers and teachers to interrupt narratives that promote a superficial engagement between educators and young children and that overlook important considerations regarding the role of the wider socio-political context of schools in children and teachers’ lives. The purpose of this paper is twofold: 1) to contribute to the debate on the role of academia in reinforcing or contesting dominant discourses in educational policy and teaching practices in ECE by 2) initiating a dialogue on why a counter-story of the relationship between teachers and children is needed.
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