Small voices, big impact: Children’s experiences in integral child centres in the Netherlands And a plea for the utilization of children’s agency in the classroom

Abstract

Children’s agency has historically been underutilized in the school environment. The school curriculum and space are generally rigid and stable. The way school children experience the school environment and curriculum has been studied increasingly in recent times. The way a school operates could be more tailored to the children’s wants and needs, once there is a clearer overview of their experiences. This could have a positive impact on their well-being and academic performance. The theories of Bronfenbrenner, Piaget and Vygotsky provided better understanding of young children’s wishes and needs and formed the basis for subdividing the resulting themes into socioemotional and environmental experiences. This current study uses qualitative data from the Actief Fundament project, where data was gathered at integral child centres (IKC’s) in the Netherlands. The participants consisted of young children ages 2-7, as their voices specifically are not often heard or appreciated. The ‘mosaic-method’ was used as a research method: not only interviews, but also drawings, photographs and observations were obtained to create a comprehensive overview of how children experience the IKC. This data was then coded using software for qualitative data analysis to find recurring themes in the data. The following themes were found: self-recognition, prosocial behavior, rule internalization and externalization, diverse environment, activities matching capabilities and free play over prefabricated play. These themes were derived from the data both implicitly and explicitly, which leads to a possible issue described in the discussion: there is a risk of over-interpretation when analyzing the data. Lastly, policy advice is given regarding the way children’s agency can be utilized in the future in schools. Suggestions are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and include utilizing diverse materials, including children in decision-making and making sure activities match the children’s capabilities.