Through the Voices of Pre-Kindergarteners: The Construction of Pre-K Identity in a Traditional Elementary School

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Child-Centered Methods

Abstract

The topic of early childhood education has garnered political support across all levels of government. While states across the country have implemented programming in diverse ways, much of the research has focused on the establishment of early childhood policies. The objective of this paper is to create space for specific actors within early childhood policy, students. Calling upon the power of actants within new materialism, this paper situates children’s experiences and the way they construct their identities as students within a pre-K classroom located in a traditional elementary school. Using qualitative methods, students’ voices and actions illustrate the ways in which children maneuver the spaces and structures of early childhood education.

Author

• Kaitlyn G Taylor, University of Georgia