Body practices: negotiations of ‘risk’ in Norwegian and French preschools

Author
Garnier, P., Greve, A., Ulvik, O. S., Chantseva, V., Rayna, S., Fallang, B., Gulbrandsen, L. M., Øien, I.
Year
2020

Purpose

The study investigates how ‘risk’ in everyday kindergarten life is understood, practiced and negotiated in relation to the body and bodily practices in Norwegian and French kindergartens. The researchers investigate how these risk practices regulate pedagogical practices in kindergartens and how they can be understood in light of material, institutional, cultural and political contexts.

Result

Six different risk-related topics were identified: 1) risk of disease, 2) risk of injury, 3) limitations of children’s bodily practices and 4) children’s inability to cope, 5) risk associated with kindergarten teachers and 6) pedagogy. The results showed that there are different perceptions of what is defined as being risky in the two countries. Norwegian kindergarten teachers took it for granted that children should spend a lot of time outdoors, and that outdoor play and activities were risk-reducing for the children’s health. French kindergarten teachers, on the other hand, associated outdoor activities with the risk of illness and injury, both due to weather conditions and equipment. While the kindergarten teachers in the French kindergartens saw preparing the children for school as being important, the kindergarten teachers in Norway emphasised that the children should learn to look after themselves through exploration and trial and error, without receiving instructions from an adult. The researchers believe these different practices reflect different cultural, material and structural conditions in the two countries.

Design

Five kindergartens, two in Norway and three in France, participated in the study. The researchers filmed everyday life in each kindergarten for a week. From between ten and twelve hours of footage, the researchers selected four episodes of around 20 minutes each in which bodily practices were in focus (e.g. meals, play outside and inside, and adult-led activities). These videos were then shown to the kindergarten staff in each of the kindergartens. Afterwards, employees discussed and reflected on their own and others’ practices. The reactions of the employees, and the subsequent reflection on their own and others’ practices, were video recorded, transcribed and translated. The sample consisted of a total of 26 kindergarten employees.

References

Garnier, P., Greve, A., Ulvik, O. S., Chantseva, V., Rayna, S., Fallang, B., Gulbrandsen, L. M. & Øien, I. (2020). «Body practices: negotiations of ‘risk’ in Norwegian and French preschools”. International Journal of Early Years Education.

Financed by

The Erasmus programme, EU