Looking Beyond the Dichotomies: Acknowledging Complexity in Kindergarten Research

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Session Submission Type: Poster Session

Abstract

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to construct a framework for researching contemporary kindergarten education based on an elaboration of Schwab’s (1973) four commonplaces and on the integration of more recent research into subject matter, teacher, milieu, and learner. Specifically, the conceptual framework provides a lens based on the intersection of these commonplaces as reconceptualised through complexity thinking to move kindergarten research and discourse beyond the dichotomous academic versus developmental logics addressed in the extant research concerning contemporary kindergarten classrooms. By suggesting that knowledge about the current state of kindergarten is spread across the commonplaces within a classroom collective this paper proposes a framework that will contribute to creating a rich understanding of kindergarten classroom life and learning.

Sub Unit

• Division B - Curriculum Studies / Section 3: Challenging Methodological Boundaries in Curriculum Inquiry

Papers

• Looking Beyond the Dichotomies: Acknowledging Complexity in Kindergarten Research - Angela Pyle, Queen's University