Child–educator disagreements in Finnish early childhood education and care: young children’s possibilities for influence

Abstract

This study explores young children’s possibilities for influence in situations of child–educator disagreement in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC). Data were gathered from observations conducted in four ECEC groups of under three year-olds. A total of 112 child–educator disagreements were analysed qualitatively using reflexive thematic analysis. Children’s influence was rather limited in most disagreements, as these involved the established institutional order as manifested in the rules and norms of daily activities and educators’ control over children’s bodies and material resources. However, disagreements over social rules and the ongoing social situation often allowed children to negotiate and contribute to the outcomes. By identifying the difficulties young children may face in resisting the institutional order, the study highlights the importance of developing practices that enable discussion of the settled rules of ECEC and thus regard young children’s right to have their views heard and considered in matters affecting them.