Presentations of children in research articles framed within the theory of pedagogical content knowledge

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge about children is a part of teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). With this in mind, the purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about how children are presented in PCK research. This is carried out by examining both the existence and the nature of descriptions related to presentations of children in selected PCK research articles. The method used in this qualitative study is inspired by document analysis and the analysis is a combination of content analysis and thematic analysis. In the analysis, articles presenting results from studies conducted in primary schools and in preschools were used. The focus of the analysis is on whether or not children are presented in the texts as active participants in teaching situations. The findings were divided into three themes: Presentations of children through the construct of PCK, Presentations of children’s thinking and motivation, and Presentations of children in play-based situations. The results show children as active participants with materials and in informal learning spaces, and that children can influence teaching situations through the teachers’ knowledge of children. One theme stands out in the analysis of the texts where children are presented as active participants: Presentations of children in play-based situations where children are described as being in control of their play, to which the teachers then adapt their teaching. It is in these presentations that children’s active participation and agency is most clearly defined.

Keywords

• children
• pck
• teaching
• agency
• document analysis