Research in a Children’s Cultural Centre in Rio de Janeiro An ethnographic study on the transition process of children in a Brazilian favela

Abstract

Every day children are switching between their homes and the school or daycare environment. These transitions influence their well being and development and can be difficult depending on the contrast between the settings. This ethnographic study is focused on the transition process of children attending the Children’s Cultural Centre, located in the favela Morro dos Macacos in Rio de Janeiro, where the children are growing up. How do they switch between the environments of their homes, the community and the Centre, and how do they react to this transition? Using observations in the Centre and the community, interviews with parents, educators of the Centre and children, and the analysis of policy documents, the various aspects of the children’s transition process are described. The findings point to differences between the environments which imply a relatively difficult transition for the children. However, the findings also show contact between the environments, suggesting approximation of the settings and facilitation of the transition process. Furthermore the results show different coping strategies of the children: switching between different behaviour patterns for the environments and transferring behaviour from one environment to another, integrating the environments to a certain degree.