A Boy Who Frequently Plays Bodily: Values of Children's Bodily Interaction in Peer Culture

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Social Relationships and Peer Culture: Multimodal Play

Abstract

As a part of a critical ethnographic study investigating unique and diverse social roles, traits, and abilities exhibited by young children perceived as socially incompetent, this paper focuses on the values of the children’s bodily interactions in peer culture with a case of one boy, who frequently plays interacting bodily. This paper provides findings as followed: two key values of bodily interaction, (a) an enjoyable means of peer interaction, (b) a nonverbal, but effective and successful way of dealing with conflicts with peers; and two discussion issues, (a) disciplining of children’s body in school socialization, (b) the meaning of humor in children’s peer culture. I call for the heightened appreciation of children’s peer culture when considering children’s social competence.

Authors

• Moonyoung Eom, Seoul National University

• Eun-Ae Son, Daegu National University of Education