Participation and responsiveness: children’s rights in play from the perspective of play-responsive early childhood education and care and the UNCRC

This study investigates how children’s rights to express themselves and be heard are exercised during play in kindergarten. The study is based on the Lundy Model of Participation (2007), which identifies four key elements for understanding Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: space, voice, audience and influence. The study analyses how these elements are expressed in a play situation in kindergarten. The research question is: How are key principles for children’s right to express themselves, as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, actualised and responded to in play that children and employees in kindergarten participate in?

The study shows that children in play are given space to express their ideas and actively participate in the development of narratives. The response from adults to the children’s actions is crucial for the children to perceive their contributions as meaningful and for their development of ‘agency’, their ability to influence and shape their surroundings. In addition, the study reveals that kindergarten teachers’ involvement can promote children’s right to be heard, but must be balanced so that children’s autonomy in play is maintained. The kindergarten teachers’ response affects both the dynamics of play and the children’s experience of participation.

The larger project consisted of over 100 video observations from kindergartens, but the study focuses on a play sequence with three participants who have received pseudonyms: A kindergarten teacher referred to as ‘GUNN’, and two children – Siri (5 years) and Sam (3 years). A colleague of GUNN filmed the video material. The method focuses on how participants respond to each other’s actions and statements in a play sequence. The children and kindergarten teachers established a play narrative together, and the data were analysed using an Interaction Analysis (IA) and according to how the children’s contributions were recognised and answered.

Lagerlöf, P., Wallerstedt, C., & Pramling, N. (2023). Participation and responsiveness: children’s rights in play from the perspective of play-responsive early childhood education and care and the UNCRC. Oxford Review of Education, 49(5), 698–712.

Online year: 2022

Issue year: 2023

Review year: 2022