Doing time in nursery : navigating the rules and establishing a 'life'
This is a study of a privately owned, publically funded nursery for children before they start school. It was instigated by a desire to acquire a detailed understanding of the nursery, in terms of the actions of adults and children, at a time of rapid expansion in childcare provision to support working mothers and disadvantaged children in the UK. Field notes collected primarily through observation over a two year period, in an ethnographic manner, form the core of the material contained in this thesis. They are presented to illustrate the âeverydayâ actions of adults and children. A range of theoretical ideas, associated with a social constructionist perspective, are used to offer a possible interpretation of the meaning or significance of these commonly occurring patterns of behaviour. Initial analysis highlighted the controlling actions of adults. As the study progressed, it became evident, as others have noted in similar contexts, that young children were able to develop and define a relatively distinct life for themselves in the confined and constrained environment. Later stages of this study revealed the way in which individuals created, as was intended, relatively unique but, possibly, limiting
Marlow, Jane
Doing time in nursery : navigating the rules and establishing a 'life'. This is a study of a privately owned, publically funded nursery for children before they start school. It was instigated by a desire to acquire a detailed understanding of the nursery, in terms of the actions of adults and children, at a time of rapid expansion in childcare provision to support working mothers and disadvantaged children in the UK. Field notes collected primarily through observation over a two year period, in an ethnographic manner, form the core of the material contained in this thesis. They are presented to illustrate the âeverydayâ actions of adults and children. A range of theoretical ideas, associated with a social constructionist perspective, are used to offer a possible interpretation of the meaning or significance of these commonly occurring patterns of behaviour. Initial analysis highlighted the controlling actions of adults. As the study progressed, it became evident, as others have noted in similar contexts, that young children were able to develop and define a relatively distinct life for themselves in the confined and constrained environment. Later stages of this study revealed the way in which individuals created, as was intended, relatively unique but, possibly, limiting
time nursery rule establish life study privately own fund nursery child start school desire acquire detailed nursery term action adult_child time rapid_expansion provision support work mother disadvantage child field_note collect primarily observation period ethnographic manner form_core material contain thesis present illustrate everyday action adult_child range theoretical idea associate social perspective use offer possible interpretation meaning_significance commonly occur pattern_behaviour initial analysis highlight control action adult study progress become_evident others note similar context young_child able_develop define relatively distinct life confine environment later stage study reveal way individual create intend relatively unique possibly limit