Vol.:(0123456789)
In e na ional Jou nal o Ea ly Childhood (2018) 50:259–277
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s13158-018-0228-6
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:
Wha Can We Lea n omChild en inB azil andFinland?
Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a1 · Ki s i Ka ila2 · Luciana Muniz3 ·
Paula Fa ia Ama al3 · Reijo Kupiainen4
Published online: 15 Oc obe 2018
© The Au ho (s) 2018
Abs ac
In his s udy, we in es iga ed child en’s pe cep ions o hei lea ning expe iences
in ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e using da a om wo di e en se ings: B azil
and Finland. We adop ed a quali a i e and c oss-na ional esea ch design. Pho o-
g aphs we e used o ga he child en’s ep esen a ions o hei lea ning places and
spaces and also la e o elici e lec ions du ing g oup in e iews. This p ocess o
using pho og aphs allowed us o elici child en’s pe cep ions abou hei lea ning.
The analysis consis ed o con en ca ego iza ion o he pho og aphs, con en analysis
o he in e iews, and jux aposi ion o ma e ials in a compa a i e amewo k. The
child en ep esen ed and concei ed hei lea ning expe ience in ou ca ego ies o
school spaces: objec s, ac ions, signi ican o he s, and cul u al p ac ices. By analyz-
ing each o hese ca ego ies, we iden i y i e co e elemen s o child en’s pe cep ions
abou hei lea ning: ele ance o pee in e ac ions; ecogni ion o lea ning h ough
play; child en’s acknowledgmen o hei own compe ence o lea ning; school
spaces as places o lea ning ac ions; and p esen ime as he ime ame o lea ning.
P ac ical implica ions o hese indings a e discussed, including he impo ance and
ele ance o conside ing child en’s pe cep ions.
Keywo ds Lea ning spaces· Child en’s pe cep ions· Cul u al p ac ices·
Mul icul u al esea ch
Résumé
Dans ce e é ude, nous a ons examiné les pe cep ions des en an s de leu s expé iences
d’app en issage dans les se ices d’éduca ion e de ga de de la pe i e en ance à l’aide
de données p o enan de deux milieux di é en s: le B ésil e la Finlande. Nous a ons
adop é un de is de eche che quali a i e plu ina ional. Des pho og aphies on se i
à ecueilli les ep ésen a ions des en an s de leu s espaces d’app en issage e égale-
men , à un s ade ul é ieu , à susci e des é lexions chez les en an s lo s d’en e iens
*Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a
juliene.madu ei a. e [email p o ec ed]
Ex ended au ho in o ma ion a ailable on he las page o he a icle
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de g oupe. Le p ocessus d’u ilisa ion de pho og aphies nous a pe mis d’ob eni les
pe cep ions des en an s de leu app en issage. L’analyse consis ai à ca égo ise les
pho og aphies, analyse le con enu des en e iens e jux apose le ma é iel dans un
cad e compa a i . Les en an s on ep ésen é leu expé ience d’app en issage dans
qua e ca égo ies d’espaces scolai es: les obje s, les ac ions, les pe sonnes signi ica-
i es e les p a iques cul u elles. En analysan ces ca égo ies, nous a ons iden i ié
cinq élémen s ondamen aux de la pe cep ion des en an s de leu app en issage: la
pe inence des in e ac ions en e pai s, la econnaissance de l’app en issage pa le
jeu, la econnaissance pa les en an s de leu p op e compé ence d’app en issage, les
espaces scolai es comme lieux d’ac ions d’app en issage, e le emps p ésen comme
cad e empo el d’app en issage. Les conséquences conc è es de ces ésul a s son
discu ées, no ammen l’impo ance e la pe inence des pe cep ions des en an s de
leu p op e app en issage.
Resumen
Es e es udio in es igó las pe cepciones de niños sob e sus expe iencias de ap endi-
zaje en los p ime os años de educación en la escuela y cen os de cuidado in an-
il, u ilizando da os p oducidos en dos con ex os di e en es: B asil y Finlandia. Se
adop ó un diseño cuali a i o y c uzado a ni el nacional. Se u iliza on o og a ías
pa a ecolec a las ep esen aciones de los niños de sus espacios de ap endizaje, y así
mismo, pa a cap a sus e lexiones du an e en e is as en g upo. El uso de o og a ías
pe mi ió a los in es igado es cap a las pe cepciones de los niños sob e su ap endi-
zaje. El análisis consis ió en ca ego izaciones de o og a ías, análisis del con enido
de las en e is as, y yux aposición de ma e iales en un ma co compa a i o. Los niños
ep esen a on sus expe iencias de ap endizaje en cua o ca ego ías de espacios en
la escuela: obje os, acciones, pe sonas especiales y p ác icas cul u ales. El análisis
de es as ca ego ías pe mi ió la iden i icación de cinco elemen os p incipales en las
pe cepciones de los niños sob e su ap endizaje: impo ancia de sus in e acciones con
compañe os; econocimien o del ap endizaje a a és del juego; econocimien o de
los niños de sus p opias compe encias pa a el ap endizaje; espacios escola es como
si ios de ap endizaje; y el aho a como ma co empo al de ap endizaje. Es e es udio
ambién analiza las implicancias p ác icas de es os hallazgos, incluyendo la impo -
ancia y ele ancia de las pe cepciones de los niños ace ca de su ap endizaje.
In oduc ion
S udies ocused on explo ing child en’s pe spec i es ha e gained p ominence since
he la e 1990s. In gene al, such s udies ha e iden i ied child en as impo an con ib-
u o s o he in es iga ion o hei own eali y. Lis ening o child en’s oices enables
esea che s o unde s and social phenomena wi h g ea e cla i y (San ’Ana 2010)
and o access an en i ely new wo ld o meanings abou he li es o child en (T au-
wein and Goncal es 2010; Pálmadó i and Eina sdó i 2016). Colli e and Flee
(2016) a gued ha unde s anding young child en’s pe spec i es can p o ide educa-
o s wi h conc e e in o ma ion o e ec i ely guide hei p ac ices owa d imp o ing
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Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:…
child en’s lea ning ou comes, as expec ed by con empo a y cu iculum amewo ks
ac oss he globe.
Ne e heless, when i comes o de ining lea ning and e lec ing on i s p ocesses,
younge child en ha e been his o ically le ou o his con e sa ion. A subs an ial
body o esea ch a gues ha young child en a e incapable o unde s anding wha
lea ning is and e lec ing on hei own lea ning p ocess. Me acogni ion is conside ed
o be an abili y ha does no de elop in child en who a e less han 4yea s o age
(La kin 2010; Powell e al. 2011). Addi ionally, cu en s udies in he ield o ea ly
childhood educa ion and ca e (ECEC) p e e o in es iga e lea ning by ocusing on
i s ou comes, which a e pa icula ly linked o he e ec i eness o educa ional p o-
g ams o p ac ices aimed a he acquisi ion o speci ic knowledge o skills (Bu ge
2015; Good ich e al. 2017; Helal and Weil-Ba ais 2015; Land y e al. 2017). Fo
such easons, he ocus on child en’s pe spec i es o hei lea ning expe iences is no
a opic ha has been ex ensi ely explo ed.
We conside i impo an o unde s and lea ning p ocesses om he pe spec i e
o child en. Simila o he signi ican ad ances ha ha e been made o o e come he
me hodological challenges in child en’s pa icipa ion in esea ch (Cla k 2005), we
belie e ha e o s should be made o educe he concep ual gaps be ween adul s’
acknowledgmen o child en’s compe ence and unde s and child en’s pe spec i es
abou lea ning.
In his s udy, we add ess lea ning om he pe spec i e o expe ience, which is
de ined by La osa (2002) as some hing ha happens and ans o ms us. The lea n-
ing expe ience is a p ocess by which si ua ions a e able o in luence he way we
a e cons i u ed in a ce ain ime (momen o li e) and space. The e o e, a pa icula
ocus is gi en o how he con ex ual elemen s play a ole in de ining he lea ning
expe ience. As lea ning can happen in di e en social con ex s, ime, and space, in
his s udy, we cla i y ha we a e in e es ed in he lea ning expe iences in ECEC
con ex and in he school as a lea ning space.
We in es iga e child en’s pe cep ions o hei lea ning expe iences in he con ex s
o ea ly childhood educa ion (i.e., dayca e cen e s o schools) by add essing he ol-
lowing esea ch ques ions:
1. How do child en pe cei e hei lea ning expe iences in ECEC se ings? Wha
ideas do child en use o exp ess wha hey unde s and o hei own lea ning
expe iences?
2. Wha associa ions do child en es ablish be ween hei lea ning and he spaces in
which hey lea n in ECEC con ex s?
3. To wha ex en do cul u al di e ences in luence how child en pe cei e hei lea n-
ing expe iences in ECEC?
School asaLea ning Space
To e lec on he idea o lea ning spaces in ECEC, we d aw on Soja’s (1996) con-
cep s o Fi s space, Secondspace, and Thi dspace, which o e a mo e mul idi-
mensional and ela ional idea o space and poin o an in eg a ion o human and
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en i onmen al cons i uen s. Acco ding o Soja (1996), space is no iden i ied o
de ined solely by i s ma e ial elemen s o geog aphical posi ion; space has di e en
dimensions, all di ec ly ela ed o cul u e, ideology, social ules, alues, and human
ac i i y. Soja’s in e connec ed dimensions o Fi s space (i.e., physical s uc u es ha
compose he en i onmen ), Secondspace (i.e., pe sonal meanings abou he physi-
cal en i onmen ), and Thi dspace (i.e., cul u al and social aspec s ha in luence
indi idual in e p e a ions o space) a e p imal and connec ed o he indi idual. This
unde s anding o space highligh s how human ac ion c ea es and de ines space; a
he same ime, space p o ides a o dances o ce ain ac ions in a dialec ic p ocess o
cons i u ion.
When we ely on hese concep s o space o e lec on he lea ning expe iences
o child en in ECEC, we ecognize ha child en a e a pa o he cons uc ion o
ECEC spaces and ice e sa. P e ious s udies add essing child en’s pe spec i es o
school space ha e ocused on he use o physical space (Eina sdo i 2005), chil-
d en’s pa icipa ion in he p ocess o space cons uc ion (Vuo isalo e al. 2015), and
child en’s agency in ce ain spaces o lea ning en i onmen s (Emilson and Folkes-
son 2004). Such s udies ha e shown how adul s and child en ela e o space join ly,
and how child en play an impo an ole in de ining he use o ma e ials and physical
spaces. The indings call o inc eased pa icipa ion o child en in he decisions ha
a ec hei school ou ine and he impo ance o conside ing pee ela ions in he
con ex o ECEC. Howe e , hey do no add ess ques ions on how child en li e and
unde s and hei lea ning in he school space. The e o e, ins ead o examining he
physical space, ou aim is o ocus speci ically on he p ocess o meaning making by
which he expe iences o lea ning a e signi ied while in he school space. We aim o
unde s and hese expe iences as he elemen ha ans o ms he school in a lea ning
space.
In line wi h he no ion o Thi dspace, i is possible o ocus on indi idual lea ning
expe iences and explo e possibili ies ha a ce ain en i onmen (in his case, ECEC)
in di e en cul u al se ings o e s o lea ning p ocesses. In his sense, child en’s
ep esen a ions and pe cep ions o he school space e eal elemen s o hei subjec-
i e and social li e and expe ience, and hese elemen s a e pa o how his expe i-
ence is p oduced and nego ia ed in a sha ed p ocess.
Me hods
S udy Con ex s: B azil andFinland
In B azil, as in Finland, ECEC is ecognized as a uni e sal igh o all child en since
bi h. Ru anen e al. (2014) ha e highligh ed simila i ies be ween he wo coun ies
ega ding he cen al alue o human digni y, he unde s anding o he child’s igh
o li e and ull de elopmen , and he upholding o he child’s igh o dayca e se -
ices be o e compulso y schooling.
In B azil, ECEC is go e ned by he Child and Adolescen S a u e (ECA, Minis y
o Educa ion o B azil 1990) and he Law o Gene al Guidelines o Educa ion n.
9.394 96 (Minis y o Educa ion o B azil 1996), and his se ice is o be p o ided
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Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:…
by dayca e cen e s (0–3yea s old) o p e-p ima y schools (4–5yea s old) unde he
pedagogical esponsibili y and budge a y adminis a ion o he municipali ies (Min-
is y o Educa ion o B azil 2006). Acco ding o he B azilian Na ional Cu iculum
Guidelines o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion, ECEC should p o ide he condi ions o
ensu e ecogni ion, app ecia ion, espec , and in e ac ion among child en, p omo ing
hei in eg al de elopmen and espec ing hei indi idual needs (Minis y o Educa-
ion o B azil 2010). Like in B azil, Finnish ECEC is egula ed a he na ional le el,
bu municipali ies a e esponsible o i s o ganiza ion and p o ision (Ac on Ea ly
Childhood Educa ion and Ca e 2018/540). In Finland, ECEC is based on an in e-
g a ed app oach o educa ion and ca e, he so-called “educa e” model. Finnish legis-
la ion de ines ECEC as a planned and goal-o ien ed en i y o educa ion, nu u e, and
ca e, wi h an emphasis on pedagogy.
Howe e , despi e a simila unde s anding o he ole o ECEC in he child’s
de elopmen and ecognizing i as a uni e sal igh o all child en, B azil and Fin-
land ha e ma e ialized his se ice in e y dis inc ways. While in Finland he pa -
icipa ion a e in he ai ly equal and homogenous ECEC sys em is a ound 75%
among he 3–5-yea -olds, in B azil his igu e is s ill below 50% (INEP 2016), us-
a ing he expec a ions in he Na ional Plan o Educa ion (Minis y o Educa ion
o B azil 2016). Addi ionally, in B azil, he en i e educa ional sys em is plagued by
social inequali y and inequi y, which esul s in di e en ECEC se ices acco ding o
locali y, income, and ace. Albei i is e iden ha bo h na ions ace di e en p ob-
lems, i is also ue ha hey aim o enhance child en’s pa icipa ion (San os 2010;
Ca alho e al. 2009) and sha e he conce n o ind inno a i e ways o p omo e
signi ican lea ning while a oiding “schooli ica ion” o ECEC. The e is a signi i-
can in es men on e iewing in e nal policies and p ac ices (Hie amäki e al. 2017;
Simões and Lima 2016), which by cul u ally con ex ualizing in e na ional deba es
on ECEC, B azil and Finland ha e e idenced hei commi men o diminish social
inequali ies by in es ing in quali y educa ion. The e o e, he a ionale o choosing
hese coun ies is ha we ecognize and alue he dis inc cul u al cha ac e is ics o
B azil and Finland, in e p e ing hem as an elemen ha can en ich he in es iga ion
o a complex phenomenon such as he lea ning expe iences o child en.
Me hodological App oach
This s udy adop ed an abduc i e p ocess o easoning (Okasha 2002) in which sci-
en i ic hinking p io i izes in o ma ion ha comes om da a a he han seeking
o con i m a speci ic heo e ical hypo hesis. Fu he mo e, we base he analy ical
p ocess on he p inciples o quali a i e me hodology p esen ed by González-Rey
(2009). These p inciples ocus on he s udy o subjec i i y by conside ing he con-
s uc i e–in e p e a i e and singula cha ac e o he p oduc ion o scien i ic knowl-
edge and by unde s anding esea ch as a dialogical p ocess. The cons uc i e–in e -
p e a i e me hodology allows a nonlinea ela ion wi h he ield o esea ch and i s
pa icipan s. Da a a e no aken om he pa icipan s, bu a he p oduced and in e -
p e ed conside ing e lec ions, dialogs, and an en i e communica ion sys em ha

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g an s cen ali y o hose in ol ed in he esea ch (González-Rey 2014). Thus, we
allow o he non-s anda dized in he con ex o esea ch, emphasizing he quali y o
he in o ma ion p oduced and placing he esea che in he mids o in e p e a ions.
In he ollowing sec ions, we ou line he way in which we unde ook his me hodo-
logical pa h.
Pa icipan s
The pa icipan s consis ed o o y 3–6-yea -old child en om one ECEC school
in each coun y. Pa icipan s we e andomly selec ed om a o al o 225 and 52
child en in he B azilian school and he Finnish dayca e cen e , espec i ely. Chil-
d en we e only included i hey mani es ed a wish o pa icipa e in he s udy and i
hei pa en s consen ed o hei pa icipa ion. I is impo an o add ha bo h ECEC
schools had child en om di e en social backg ounds, which esul ed in a he e o-
geneous g oup o child en. In he B azilian con ex , cul u al di e si y is a cha ac-
e is ic ea u e o he socie y, and he di e en socioeconomic backg ounds o he
child en added o his he e ogenei y. In he Finnish con ex , di e se economic back-
g ounds con ibu ed o he he e ogenei y, in his case, because he e has been a sig-
ni ican inc ease o o eigne s in he educa ional sys em. Thus, he sampled g oups
included child en om di e en classes: middle, low-income, and uppe -middle.
E hical Conside a ions
The e hical commi ee o he Fede al Uni e si y o Ube lândia (CAAE
43646815.2.0000.5152) and municipal au ho i ies app o ed his s udy. In line wi h
he guidelines o esponsible and e hical esea ch wi h human beings, da a con ain-
ing he eal names o he child en o he school we e kep con iden ial. Child en’s
names we e eplaced by ic i ious ones, and pic u es con aining images o people
(e.g., o he child en, eache s, o s a membe s) we e al e ed o p e en iden i ica-
ion. To ensu e ha he pa en s o all child en in ol ed we e awa e and suppo i e o
he esea ch, o mal w i en consen ag eemen s we e ob ained. Addi ionally, chil-
d en we e consul ed and ook pa o he s udy only i in e es ed. They we e also
able o lea e he s udy whene e hey wan ed.
Da a Collec ion
Pa icipan s we e di ided in o h ee g oups o six o se en child en acco ding o hei
age (3–4-yea -olds; 4–5-yea -olds; and 5–6-yea -olds) o he discussion g oups.
Da a we e hen collec ed by a wo-s ep p ocess, which was applied in bo h se ings
simila ly. The i s s ep explo ed child en’s ep esen a ion o he connec ions hey
c ea ed be ween lea ning and he spaces ha hey used, cons uc ed, and li ed in he
school. This p ocedu e consis ed o a g oup session in which child en we e in i ed
o alk abou wha i mean o lea n in school, and immedia ely a e o walk a ound
he school and pho og aph he spaces, objec s, people, o si ua ions ha hey hough
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Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:…
we e ela ed o lea ning. Pho og aphs ha e been used in sociological (Allen 2012),
psychological (Blackbea d and Lindegge 2007), and educa ional s udies (Ha cou
and Mazzoni 2012; Loughlin 2013). They a e a powe ul ool o cap u e indi id-
ual ep esen a ion, enabling, o example, child en o p esen hei iews h ough a
means o o he han jus language (Cla k 2005; Cook and Hess 2007; Eina sdo i
2005). Du ing he walk a ound he school, in pai s, child en could au onomously use
he came a (p o ided by he esea che s) and we e pe mi ed o ake as many pic-
u es as hey liked (67 in he B azilian g oups and 250 in he Finnish g oups). La e ,
he esea che s o ganized hese pho og aphs and excluded he ones ha had exac ly
he same con en . Thus, each g oup om each coun y had abou 10–30 pic u es.
In he second s ep, child en’s e lec ions abou he lea ning p ocesses and he
con en s in hose pa icula spaces pho og aphed by hem we e sough . In his case,
pho og aphy was used as a ool o es ablish a dialog wi h he child en, con ex ual-
izing he con en o hei pe cep ions, and allowing hei oices o be exp essed. Fo
his s ep, esea che s conduc ed a g oup in e iew session and used he chosen pic-
u es o each g oup o ini ia e he discussion. They guided he e lec ions wi h using
ques ions such as: Why did you choose his pic u e? Whe e a e you? Wha happens
when you a e in his place? Wha can you do in hese places? Do you hink you a e
lea ning some hing when you a e he e? Wha would ha be? Who a e you wi h
when you a e lea ning?
The in e iews wi h he child en we e audio aped and ansc ibed o he con en
analysis. All da a collec ion p ocedu es we e adminis e ed o each g oup o child en
sepa a ely; and i is impo an o no e ha he same esea ch p o ocols and ins uc-
ions we e used in bo h coun ies.
Analysis
The da a collec ion gene a ed wo di e en se s o ma e ial o analysis: child en’s
pic u es and he ansc ip s o child en’s e lec i e na a i es. We ocused only on
he mos ob ious meaning o he pic u es, wi hou applying any echnical o a is-
ic measu emen s (Thinke 2013). Th ough his p ocess, we c ea ed a map o chil-
d en’s ep esen a ions in each age g oup acco ding o he ollowing ca ego ies ha
eme ged om he analysis p ocess o he con en o he pic u es: (a) inside/ou side
and (b) objec , pe son, place, and scene (i.e., place wi h people doing some hing).
Nex , con en analysis was used o examine he in e iew ansc ip s o all he
g oups. Though he s udy used an abduc i e app oach, ques ions we e used as (p e)
s uc u ed opics o guide he in e iew. The dimensions o he analysis we e as
ollows: (a) Whe e I lea n; (b) Wha I lea n; (c) When I lea n, and (d) Who I lea n
om/wi h. Thus, he coding p ocess in ol ed iden i ying elemen s ha we e di ec ly
ela ed o hese hemes. The esul s we e g ouped in o ou ca ego ies ha eme ged
om he con en analysis, e ealing how child en pe cei e hei lea ning expe ience
in hose pa icula school spaces: objec s, ac ion, signi ican o he s, and cul u al
p ac ices.
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To ensu e ho oughness in coding, bo h ma e ials we e analyzed i s in he coun-
y o o igin (B azilian da a analyzed in B azil and Finnish da a in Finland), and
subsequen ly, by he pa ne coun y. Howe e , o jux aposi ion o he da a and
c oss-cul u al unde s anding o he phenomenon, we added ano he phase in which
he whole co pus was discussed by a mul icul u al g oup o esea che s. In his p o-
cess, we analyzed di e gen esul s and inco po a ed ansla ions o cul u al ele-
men s ha we e essen ial o con ex ualize and unde s and each da ase . While c oss-
cul u al compa ison only shows di e ences and simila i ies, jux aposi ion allows
hei in eg a ion, e ealing he co e elemen s o he phenomenon.
Resul s
The i s s eps o he da a analysis esul ed in a map o child en’s ep esen a ions
(see Table1). This map shows how he child en in each age g oup in each coun-
y ep esen ed he ela ions be ween he lea ning expe ience and school space wi h
hei pic u es.
B azilian child en ep esen ed hei lea ning expe iences wi h pic u es ha
chie ly ocused on objec s o places. Pic u es o objec s included swings in he play-
g ound, s ai s, aps in he oile , books om he lib a y, plan s om he g eenhouse,
and deco a ions in he class oom. The places egis e ed by he child en co e ed no
only hei class oom, playg ound, and ya d bu also he ca e e ia and he g een a ea
ha su ounded he school, which he child en e e ed o as he “magic o es .” This
a ie y o images sugges s ha he child en unde s and hei lea ning p ocesses as
some hing ha also happens ou side o he adi ional class oom en i onmen ; he
p ocesses do no ela e exclusi ely o academic ac i i ies s uc u ed by he eache .
Finnish child en also ep esen ed hei lea ning expe iences by mainly ocusing
on objec s and places. Indoo places egis e ed by he child en included en ance
halls, oile s, co ido s, and ooms o a ious ac i i ies, such as sleeping, gymnas-
ics, handc a s, and mo ning ci cles. Ou doo places ep esen ed in he pic u es
consis ed o he playg ound and he ya d. Among he pic u es o objec s we e chai s,
Table 1 Summa y on he con en ocus o child en’s pho og aphs
Th ee g oups o six o se en child en pa icipa ed in he s udy om each coun y and we e g ouped
wi hin he esea ch o he discussions acco ding o hei age (3–4-yea -olds; 4–5-yea -olds and 5–6-yea -
olds)
Age g oup Inside spaces Ou side spaces Objec s Pe sons Places Scenes
G1—B azil 2 12 5 1 7 1
G2—B azil 4 6 2 0 5 3
G3—B azil 8 6 3 0 6 5
G1—Finland 29 2 6 3 20 2
G2—Finland 26 3 7 0 21 1
G3—Finland 18 7 9 0 14 2
267
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Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:…
ables, beds, sma boa ds, books, ma e ials o handc a s and mo ning ci cle ac i i-
ies, le e s and w i en ules on he wall, shoes, and coa acks. In addi ion, objec s
used in physical exe cises such as ou doo slides and indoo ladde s we e cap u ed.
Pic u es aken by he 3-yea -old child en, o ep esen hei lea ning expe ience, also
ea u ed o he people (child en aking pho os wi h an iPad). In con as , he pic u es
aken by 6-yea -old child en mo e equen ly ea u ed a ious pedagogical objec s
such as le e s and sma boa ds. This a ie y o elemen s pho og aphed con eys ha
he child en unde s and hei lea ning as some hing ha can happen e e ywhe e in
he dayca e cen e , in he ma e ial spaces a ailable o hem.
Fu he , he analysis o he in e iew ansc ip s yielded ou esponse ca ego ies
ha summa ized how child en pe cei ed hei lea ning expe ience. We ep esen
hese ca ego ies in Fig.1, and in he ollowing sec ion, we use hem o exempli y
child en’s pe cep ions along wi h exce p s om he o iginal da ase s.
Ca ego y 1: Objec s
Objec s o en appea ed in he child en’s pic u es, and hei na a i es e ealed he
connec ion be ween he lea ning expe iences and he objec s in school, bo h indoo s
and ou doo s: “This way… hmm, like we a e going o slide and hen o swing and
… wi h one oo go bouncing all he way o he loo .” (Anna, 5yea s old, e e ing
o he pic u es wi h he slides). Addi ionally, child en e e ed o hei lea ning expe-
iences when using he a ious ools designed o c ea e a child- iendly pedagogi-
cal en i onmen , such as slides, sma boa ds, o speci ic elemen s om he school
in as uc u e, such as s ai s and wa e aps in he oile : “Climb o he ladde and …
jump o i and hen I don’ know … S ill… Oh well… I’m going o do such balanc-
ing hings, I do no emembe wha hey a e called.” (Te hi, 4yea s old, e e ing o
he pic u e o he ladde ).
These na a i es showed how he objec s ha compose di e en places o he
school en i onmen a e pa o he whole, and when in con ac wi h hese objec s,
Fig. 1 The ou ca ego ies ha
eme ged om he da a, which
e ealed how child en pe cei e
hei lea ning expe iences
274
J.M.Fe ei a e al.
1 3
he e e ence poin o di e en ac i i ies. Pee cul u e is mainly cons uc ed by
he sha ing o meanings and he (co)cons uc ion o play epe oi e be ween chil-
d en (Co sa o 2003, 2005). In his s udy, he child en no only e e ed o pee s
as a e e ence poin bu also sough hei olun a y and in en ional assis ance o
lea ning how o do some hing. Hence, when e lec ing on hei lea ning expe i-
ences, he child en e ealed an in en ionali y ha is a ely ecognized by adul s in
pee -lea ning si ua ions.
Ou analysis e ealed how he child en’s na a i es o lea ning we e pa ly in lu-
enced by he cul u al manusc ip o he school. By cul u al manusc ip s (Tan 2015;
Gu ie ez e al. 1995), we e e o he cul u al alues, assump ions, belie s, and hei
mani es a ion in he daily p ac ices o he schools. The na ional-le el egula ion and
s ee ing documen s, as well as b oade cul u al belie s, pa ly in luence he cul u es
o schools. Howe e , each school’s cul u e is cons uc ed by he e e yday ac i i-
ies ha in ol e eache s, child en, and o he s a membe s. Thus, gi en ha all
he desc ibed si ua ions and na a i es occu ed and we e cons uc ed in he ac ual
school en i onmen , i is possible o conclude ha he school is a space o lea n-
ing allows he child en o cons uc hemsel es and o he child en signi ican ly in
he lea ning p ocess. The school cul u e does no en o ce lea ning om a u u e-
o ien ed pe spec i e bu allows hem o lea n in he he e and now. In addi ion, he
child en a e allowed o use bo h ou doo and indoo spaces as lea ning spaces.
Conclusion
The child en’s na a i es showed how lea ning implies ac ion, doing some hing o
be expe ienced in he “he e and now,” con ex ualized in hei immedia e in e es .
This is a i al aspec o how he child en in his s udy ep esen ed and cons uc ed
he meaning o hei lea ning expe iences as independen wo k, o as wo k ha is
di e en om an adul ’s eaching–lea ning in en ion. Child en a e agen s o lea ning
as well as p oduce s o hei own lea ning en i onmen wi hin he ECEC se ings
(Vuo isalo e al. 2015). When we unde s and lea ning as in e wined wi h ma e ial
objec s, ac ions, signi ican o he s, and cul u al p ac ices in social spaces—as ela-
ional and cons uc ed in indi idual expe iences—we can also see he lea ning en i-
onmen as subjec o econs uc ion. This means ha lea ning is embedded in he
immedia e ela ionships o su ounding ma e iali y, eache s and pee s as well as
shaped by cul u al p ac ices, communi ies, and expe iences o indi iduals (Combe
2016).
The implica ions o hese inding ela e o he possibili y open o child en o be
in i ed o imagine, design, and make ma e ial changes in hei lea ning en i on-
men s in ECEC se ings, as hey ecognized hei own compe ence o lea ning,
explo a ion o places, manipula ion o objec s, and ans o ma ion o hei su ound-
ings o po en ia e new expe iences. The s udy suppo s he a gumen ha child en
mus be ea u ed as p o agonis s in hei lea ning p ocesses. This s udy u ilized
he oppo uni y o lis en o child en’s oices in wo di e en coun ies, and gi en
he esul s, we expec ha eache s, expe s in educa ion, and o he p o essionals

275
1 3
Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:…
in ol ed in de eloping al e na i es o po en ia e lea ning may glean ideas o e lec
upon hei unde s anding o child en’s lea ning, as well as he ole o pee s and he
a ious spaces wi hin ha lea ning.
Acknowledgemen s The s udy was conduc ed wi h he inancial and in as uc u e suppo om he Fed-
e al Uni e si y o Ube lândia and Tampe e Uni e si y.
Compliance wi h E hical S anda ds
Con lic o in e es We he e s a e ha h oughou he de elopmen and inaliza ion o his wo k he e we e
no si ua ions in ol ing inancial and pe sonal ela ionships ha could inapp op ia ely in luence (bias) his
wo k. The e o e, we decla e no con lic o in e es .
Open Access This a icle is dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na-
ional License (h p://c ea i eco mmons .o g/licen ses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion,
and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he
sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons license, and indica e i changes we e made.
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A ilia ions
Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a1 · Ki s i Ka ila2 · Luciana Muniz3 ·
Paula Fa ia Ama al3 · Reijo Kupiainen4
Ki s i Ka ila
ki s i.ka ila@u a. i
Luciana Muniz
[email p o ec ed]
Paula Fa ia Ama al
paula. a [email p o ec ed]
Reijo Kupiainen
ei[email p o ec ed]
1 Facul y o Educa ion andCul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Åke lundinka u 5, O ice 509 - VIRTA
Building, 33014Tampe e, Finland
2 Facul y o Educa ion andCul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Åke lundinka u 5, O ice 303 - VIRTA
Building, 33014Tampe e, Finland
3 Depa men o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion, Teache T aining School, Fede al Uni e si y
o Ube lândia, Rua Adu o a São Ped o 41, Ube lândia, MGCEP:38400-785, B azil
4 No wegian Uni e si y o Science andTechnology, T ondheim, No way