Full Access
Five-year-olds' Perceptions of Why We Go to School
Ann Sherman,
Corresponding Author
Ann Sherman
University of Nottingham
Rutland Hall, University Park, Nottinghmam, UK NG7 2QZSearch for more papers by this authorAnn Sherman,
Corresponding Author
Ann Sherman
University of Nottingham
Rutland Hall, University Park, Nottinghmam, UK NG7 2QZSearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
Drawing on a recent study intended to reflect the five-olds' perspective of school this article addresses the question of ‘why we go to school’. Fifty children from five county council reception/year one classrooms were observed and then interviewed over a ten-week period. There occurs a socialisation of these children to the view that schooling is essential for their preparation for the future. According to the children this takes place during activities identified as ‘work’ not ‘play’ and is emphasised by the compulsory nature of schooling.
References
- Anning, A (1991) The First Years at School, C. Day ed. Open University Press.
- Brierly, J (1987) Give Me a Child Until He is Seven. Falmer Press.
-
Bronfenbrenner, U (1979) The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by nature and design.
Cambridge
,
MA
: Harvard University Press.
10.4159/9780674028845 Google Scholar
- Bruce, T (1994) ‘ Play, the universe and everything’, in J Moyles ed. The Excellence of Play. Open University Press.
- Bruner, JS (1974) Beyond the Information Given. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
-
Bruner, JS (1986) Actual minds, Possible Worlds.
Cambridge
,
MA
: Harvard University Press.
10.4159/9780674029019 Google Scholar
- Cohen, A (1988) Early education: the parent's role, London : Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.
- Corsaro, WA (1985) Friendship and Peer Culture in the Early Years. New Jersey : Ablex Pub. Corp.
-
Corsaro, WA (1988) ‘Peer culture in the pre-school’, Theory into Practice, XXVII, 1, 19–24.
10.1080/00405848809543326 Google Scholar
- Corsaro, WA and Schwarz, K. Peer play and socialization in two cultures: implications for research and practice’, in B. Scales others (1991) Play and the Social Context of Development in Early Care and Education. New York : Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Cullingford, C (1991) The Inner World of The School. Cassell.
-
Dahl, KL (1995) Challenges in Understanding the Learner's Perspective, Theory into Practice, XXXIV, 2, 124–130.
10.1080/00405849509543669 Google Scholar
- Dreeben, R (1968) On What is Learned in School. Reading , Massachusetts : Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
- Elkind, D (1985) ‘Formal education and early childhood education: and essential difference’, Phi Delta Kappan, 67, 631–636.
- Goodman, P. (1962). Compulsory Mis-education, Middlesex , U.K. : Penguin Books.
- Gramsci, A (1978) Selections from Political Writings, 1, London : Lawrence and Wishart.
- Greenberg, P (1990) ‘Parents as partners’, Young Children, 44(4), 61–74.
- Grumet, M (1988) Bitter Milk: Women and Teaching. Amherst , USA : University of Massachusetts.
-
Johnston, PH and
Nicholls, JG (1995) ‘Voices We Want to Hear and Voices We Don't’, Theory into Practice, XXXIV, 2, 94–100.
10.1080/00405849509543665 Google Scholar
- King, RA (1989) The Best of Primary Education?: A Sociological Study of Junior Middle Schools. London : The Falmer Press.
- King, EW, Chipman M and Cruz-Janzen, M (1994) Educating Young Children in a Diverse Society. London : Allyn and Bacon.
-
Lincoln, YS (1995) ‘In Search of Student's Voices’, Theory into Practice, XXXIV, 2, 88–93.
10.1080/00405849509543664 Google Scholar
- Martin, JR (1992) The Schoolhome: Rethinking School for Changing Families. Cambridge , Mass. : Harvard University Press.
- Moyles, JR (1992) Just Playing: The role and status of play in early childhood education, Milton Keynes : Open University Press.
- Newson, J. and Newson, E. with Peter Barnes (1977). Perspectives on school at seven years old, London : George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
- DJ Pepler and KH Rubin eds (1982) The Play of Children: Current Theory and Research. Basel : S. Karger.
- Pollard, A (1985) The Social World of the Primary School. London : Cassell Educational Ltd.
- Ramsey, P (1991) Making Friends in School. New York : Teachers College Press.
-
Reifel, S (1988) ‘Children's Thinking About Their Early Education Experiences’, Theory into Practice, 27, 1, 62–66.
10.1080/00405848809543331 Google Scholar
- Rogers, CS and Sawyers, JK (1988) Play in the Lives of Children. Washington : NAEYC.
-
Rubin, Z (1980) Children's Friendships,
London
: Fontana.
10.4159/harvard.9780674422766 Google Scholar
- Rubin, Z (1983) ‘ The Skills of Friendships’, Early childhood Development and Education. Oxford : Basil Blackwell Publishing.
- Shipman, MD (1972). Childhood: A Sociological Perspective. Windsor : NFER Publishing Company Ltd.
- Sutton-Smith, B (1968) Novel Responses to Toys. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 14, 151–158.
- Sutton-Smith, B (1987) Child Psychology, New York : Appleton-Century-Crofts Publishing.
- Tizard, B and Hughes, M The intellectual search of young children’, in A Pollard ed. (1987) Children and their Primary Schools. Falmer Press.
- Vandeburg, B (1986) ‘ Mere child's play’, in K Blanchard ed. (1986) The Many Faces of Play. The Association of the Anthropological Study of Play, Vol. 9. Champaign , Illinois : Human Kinetics.
