Pedagogical relations and interactions during tidying up the pre-school classroom. A case study with the exploitation of Basil Bernstein's theory
Abstract
This study examines the pedagogical relations and interactions developed in a pre-school classroom during morning rituals when the teacher addresses the helpers and other children and/or when the helpers address the teacher and the children while the latter tidy up the activity centres. (All children are chosen to act has helpers in the classroom for a time – they may be responsible for tidying, assigning classroom tasks etc.) The study draws on Bernstein’s theory of codes and adopts a qualitative approach to its empirical data. Data was collected during five sessions via observation using a camera in a pre-school classroom with 22 children aged 4-6 years old; data was further completed with input from semi-structured interviews with the preschool teacher. The findings showed that relations between the teacher and the helper and the other children are strong, asymmetrical, and hierarchical. The relations of the helper with the rest of the children are weak. The teacher has total control over legitimate communication and interaction, offering guidance when the helper and the children have yet to acquire the necessary skills. The teacher also has more power with regard to knowledge compared to the helpers and the other children. The study also showed that apart from regulative and instructional rules, mainly of criteria and secondarily of pacing, the teacher’s pedagogical practices included messages about the acceptable behaviours of the students. The study further showed that there are firm boundaries in the communication practices and what is and what is not acceptable between the teacher and the helper and/or the children. Finally, the boundaries in the helper’s relations with the children are weak when the teacher has explicitly noted what is unacceptable behaviour.
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Moumoulidou, M. (2022). Pedagogical relations and interactions during tidying up the pre-school classroom. A case study with the exploitation of Basil Bernstein’s theory. Preschool and Primary Education, 10(2), 196–220. https://doi.org/10.12681/ppej.27615
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