Is the Childs's Voice Heard in Nursery and Reception Classrooms?

Is the Childs's Voice Heard in Nursery and Reception Classrooms?
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
Is the Childs's Voice Heard in Nursery and Reception Classrooms?
Early childhood is a critical moment for all individuals. Scientific findings agree that well-being and productivity are shaped during the first two to three years of life (Shonkoff et al., 2012 Fleming et al., 2018). The experiences and exposures of children during the period shape the development of biological and psychological structures and operations across the life course. Allen, Kelly & National Research Council (2015) argue that from a tender age, children are not passive observers, rather they are building explanatory systems that organize their knowledge of how the world works. Such a view of early childhood is the position of UNICEF in its new global report on early childhood. The report demonstrates that the period from conception to the start of school is instrumental in shaping the development of a child’s brain (Britto, 2017). During this period, brain connections form at an unrepeated speed, determining a child's cognitive, emotional, and social development. When the period is over, children have already formed conceptions of themselves and they will have made important decisions regarding their abilities and their worth (Allen & Kelly, 2015). With the appreciation of the importance of early childhood years, it is important to establish if the nursery and classrooms are hearing the child's voice in a meaningful manner.
Evangelou et al. (2009) provide a comprehensive view of children, which is instrumental in understanding the development of children. Firstly, Evangelou et al. (2009) indicate that children are born without a sense of self. As a result, they establish their sense of self through interactions with others and the culture around them. Brown (2009) emphasizes that in early childhood, children begin the lifelong journey of self-discovery. Evangelou et al. (2009) further demonstrate that children thrive in warm and positive relationships. Play, conversation, and narrative are important prime contexts for development (Evangelou et al., 2009). Here, children need to engage in play, engage in meaningful conversations to develop their thinking and emotions and be involved in a narrative to create a meaningful personal and social world. The curriculum needs to provide opportunities for children to engage in all these prime contexts. Darling-Hammond et al. (2020) emphasize that the learning process should be rich enough to enable all children to discover positive pathways to adulthood.
Over the years, there has been increased awareness regarding involving children in decision-making about important aspects invoking their lives. In 1989, world leaders made a historic commitment by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is an international agreement on childhood. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) outlines the human rights of individuals under the age of 18 years (UNICEF, 2023). The treaty has a profound idea that children are not just objects who belong to parents who decide for them. Instead, the treaty considers children as human beings with their rights. The period of childhood, which lasts until the age of 18 years, is a protected period, where children must be allowed to grow and develop with dignity (UNICEF, 2023). In this regard, Robinson (2014) outlines the need for governments and stakeholders to ensure that ways of listening to children’s voice matters in everyday activities. Learners in institutions need to reach their full potential. Robinson (2014) believes that if students are to attain their full potential, the institution's ethos must support pupils' learning. Sebba and Robinson (2010, 40) support the idea of school ethos reporting that it leads to the development of ‘positive rights-respecting relationships’ which then create a climate of conducive learning. Such an environment is critical in enabling learners to maximize their potential and make the best out of the educational processes.
One of the most important studies on the perception of children in the classroom context was conducted in Ireland, involving 1,149 primary school children aged six to twelve years, and explored the attitudes of children and their experiences during a science class (Murphy et al., 2012). The findings of the study demonstrate that students enjoyed hands-on science and preferred science lessons that entailed more experiments and less writing. Students also preferred working collaboratively with each other, rather than doing it all by themselves. Additionally, pupils expressed a preference for less teacher talking and allowing them to undertake the experiments (Murphy et al., 2012). Robinson (2014, 4) supports the same position as Murphy et al. (2012), demonstrating the importance of acknowledging the essence of “respectful teacher-pupil relationships in building a school ethos” that facilitates the learning process. The relationship between teachers and learners is the basis of the moral order of learning, which establishes an environment where teaching and learning occur. It is becoming more vivid from research that the view of a conducive environment is becoming widely recognized. For instance, Robinson & Fielding (2007) indicate that such an approach motivates learners to perform better in school. Motivated learners work more towards understanding the work, rather than completing large amounts of work. Despite evidence pointing to the importance of school ethos based on mutual understanding and respect in the classroom, Robinson (2014) laments that there is little evidence to indicate that students are regularly and significantly involved in sharing their learning experiences.
The need to involve students in the classroom has triggered research into the essence of the 'child's voice.' Listening to a child’s voice in the classroom takes several approaches, depending on the context and purpose of the listening. Teachers have different ways of listening to children's voices. Firstly, teachers can engage in active listening, where they listen to a child's voice to understand their perspective. Active listening can establish rapport between the pupil and the teacher and assist the latter in tailoring instruction to the needs of the former. Secondly, teachers can encourage learners where they value the opinions of pupils. Encouragement can boost learners' confidence and encourage them to speak more in the classroom. Lastly, instructors offer emotional support to students. Here, listening to a child's voice can reveal leaders struggling emotionally and allow teachers to provide the necessary support and guidance. James & Prout (1997) challenged the myth surrounding childhood, and especially the way adults perceive childhood wrongly. Over the years, social changes have led to conceptual shifts in the way society should view children. Children should no longer be seen as ‘becomings' but instead, they should be considered as 'beings' James & Prout, 1997). Viewing children as ‘beings’ who have thoughts and choices allows adults to appreciate them as having concerns in areas of their interests. Adults working with children have started appreciating the limitations of their insights into the issues affecting children.
Some schools believe that since they consult learners in the classroom, this amounts to listening to the pupils. For instance, Morgan (2011) underscores the importance of consultation in the classroom. Here, Morgan (2011) discusses the implementation of a policy that entailed consulting learners regarding their classroom experiences in a particular school. The policy involved getting feedback from the learners on how to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. The study demonstrates the importance of student consultation like increased student engagement, and improved relations between teachers and students. Overall, Morgan (2011) suggests that consultation can be a valuable tool in improving teaching and learning in educational centers. However, earlier research by Clark, McQuail & Moss (2003) challenges consultation and instead emphasizes participation. Participation goes beyond the periodical consultation of one’s views and instead allows for active involvement in decision-making and some ownership of the decision-making process (Clark, McQuail & Moss, 2003). Participation requires all the parties involved to listen to each other. Listening, Clark, McQuail & Moss (2003) suggest, is an active process involving hearing and constructing meanings. In the educational setting, listening is critical in the learning process and suggests collaborating with students in a more democratic way, where pupils can voice their concerns. Haynes (2009) is concerned that despite the adoption of the UN charter on the rights of children, it is still challenging to gauge its impact on the lives of children in some nations. The author wonders the extent to which adults consider Article 12 of the charter in their professional and personal lives, and if they know that such a charter exists. Without knowledge of the importance of upholding children's rights, any effort would be futile (Haynes, 2009)). When teachers fail to appreciate the need to practice the UN charter on the rights of children, it becomes challenging to implement measures aimed at ensuring that the voice of the child is heard.
In establishing if the child's voice is heard in nursery and reception classrooms, it is essential to outline the key concepts involved. Defining the concept of “listening to children’s voices” is not an easy task. Sometimes, listening is understood as a passive process where a massager delivers a message and the listener ‘listens’ to the message in a passive way. Pascal & Bertram (2009) offers a definition that demonstrates what listening should be. Listening entails the active process of receiving, interpreting, and responding to communications (Pascal & Bertram, 2009). In such a setting, people exchange meaning and ideas. Clark, McQuail & Moss (2003, 159) further emphasize that listening to children's voices is “contextual and interactional.” In this regard, listening is not a passive activity, but rather one that requires the receiver to actively engage with the message, understand it, and give appropriate meaning. James (2007) cautions that the current approach toward giving children a voice in the classroom is flawed and poses a threat to the future of childhood research. Such research masks critical conceptual issues. In particular, these issues include authenticity, diversity of children’s experiences, and children's participation in research (James, 2007). With a limited understanding of what active listening to the voice of children in the classroom entails, instructors have been more passive towards issues affecting children in nursery and reception classrooms.
Listening to children's voices implies developing knowledge of their experiences. However, getting the experience of children can be challenging, given that children are incapable of conducting research as their adult counterparts. Tangen (2008) demonstrates that a misleading view of children in the educational process emerges from educational research that is majorly based on insider epistemology, where it is believed that only teachers can understand what it entails to be a teacher. However, such an approach is misleading since it denies children the opportunity to participate in something important that affects their lives. However, Tangen (2008) supports new approaches with participatory methodologies where children are co-researchers. When researchers work together with children, they are better positioned to develop knowledge of children's experiences and perspectives. Tangen (2008) suggests the need for further studies that broaden the range of young voices being heard, which touches more on the experiences of children, even those with special needs.
However, despite the importance of listening to children's voices, Gallagher and others (2017) are concerned that listening is impoverished by mainstream educa...