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Explores how traditional calendar festivals in families and preschools impact child identity formation and socialization. Action research methods are used to conduct a study involving parents and children.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF TRADITIONS FOR INCLUSIVE PRACTICE IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION: CREATION OF EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILD’S IDENTITY FORMATION Raimonda Brunevičiūtė, Ramunė Masaitytė Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Nijolė Petronėlė Večkienė Vytautas Magnus University Kristina Stasikonienė Kaunas College ECER 2015, Budapest
In late modern culture, the issue of identity in the society is one of the most problematic questions of a modern person’s life. (Giddens, 2000). The individual feels abandoned and alone in the world where she/he lacks psychological support and the sense of security guaranteed by the former cultural environment where the sense of belonging was prevalent. Contemporary culture is marked in the variety inspired by the discussed tendency towards individualism. (Veckiene, Veckys, 2003). One of the essential identity components is culture, the fundamental of which is ethno-culture transmitted from one generation to another one. Three models of culture transmission: • the vertical one – from one generation to another one within a family, • the horizontal one – among representatives of the same generation, • the indirect one – knowledge on culture traditions and their experience at education institutions. (Canalli-Sforza and Felman: cit. Stonkuvienė, 2001). Inculturization vs Aculturation
Preschool education has the important purpose – in collaborating with a family to create educational environment beneficial for child development in two directions: in general – holistic education that determines active participation in cultural and social life, as well as in special – readiness for formal learning. The research being presented is aimed to search for particular possibilities to implement the above-mentioned aim. The research object is the experience of traditional calendar festivals in a family and a preschool education institution. The research aim is to disclose possibilities of educational environment determining identity formation by organizing traditional calendar corporate celebration of a preschool education institution and family in order to enrich the experience of child socialization. The research methods – action research by applying methods of project, focus group and observation. The research participants – parents and children at one of Lithuanian towns (X preschool group, which 16 children attend at X kindergarten).The parents of 15 group children took part in the research. Also 16 children of the preschool group as experts participated in the research.
Action research Action research method relates learning and action. Action research as applied research with practical aspect is based on the actions, which is sought to manage and / or change the situation. A researcher is both an experimenter and implementer of intended actions. Action research strategy is oriented to analysis and development of individual’s (who becomes a researcher) professional / social activity. The main features of action research are as follows: • action research is the social process, during which a researcher and respondents interact, share knowledge and experience, learn together and pursue for social schanges; • the research is performed by taking part in research activities, often action research is carried out by a practitioner; • the research is practical and performed by collaborating when a real, particular activity is analysed in particular places when one seeks for the changes ‘here and now’. (Kemmis, McTaggart, 2005) When performing action research, empirical material is differently collected: focus group, interview, surveys or analysis of documents, observations. The way a reasearcher understands ‘action’ influences the choice of data collecting, analysis in performing the action research.
Action research is the dialectic relationship between practice and theory, which is realized by following the spiral research performance principle. The following stages are characteristic for action research: • it is planned what changes are pursued; • it is acted - suggestions are practically implemented; • activity process and outcomes are observed; • activity process and outcomes are contemplated; • desirable changes are altered; • the action takes place again and activity process and changes are observed; • activity process and outcomes are again contemplated and so on. (Kemmis, McTaggart 2005) Action research team: Teachers promoters Teacher researcher Supervising researches (culture, profession, and socialization fields)
Research planning The research was performed at the kindergarten by implementing the educational project feast ‘Children Easter’. The project aims to more acquaint the focus group – family – with folk customs, traditions and small folklore, to provide children with Easter customs and traditions by encouraging more positive emotions to consolidate new knowledge; to stimulate communication of children, parents and the educational institution in forming child’s identity. During the project the educational environment to develop children general competences is created: social competence communication competence cognition competence art competence health care competence know-how to learncompetence (by: D. Urbonavičienė.Etninės kultūros ugdymo metodinės rekomadacijos ikimokyklinio ir priešmokyklinio ugdymo pedagogams, 2012)
Forms of pedagogical activity of actors in the educational project Children Conversation (children – teachers promoters) Games (children– teachers promoters) Action (children – parents – teachers promoters) Discussion (children -teachers researchers – parents) Parents Interview (parents - teacher researcher) Action ( parents – children – teachers promoters) Teachers / researchers Observation (children – teacher researcher) Reflection (teachers promoters – teacher researcher) Scientific interpretation (teacher researcher – researchers supervisors Research question Is a preschool education institution appropriate education environment to form family child identity in the context of inculturization / aculturation?
Action Stages of the educational project Plan preparation Collecting primary information (parents’ interview) Organization of the feast ‘Children Easter’ (preparation of the feast’s plan, foreseeing activities and results) Action Conversations with children(observation) Celebration of the feast (united activity of children – teachers,children –parents – teachers) Reflection (conversations of children – parents, children – teachers; the diary of the teacher researcher) Scientific interpretation Discussion and scientific insights (interdisciplinary team of teacher researcher and supervisingresearches)
Collecting primary information • Parents understand the importance of ethno-culture for children development; • Parents understand that an educational institution also has to take part in dissemination of ethno-culture together with the family; • Folk games are almost not played in families; no conversations about national customs or traditions take place.
Parents’ contribution to children’s ethno-culture development is low: only main Lithuanian calendar feasts are celebrated in families; • Though families celebrate Easter, however, only main traditions of this feast, which gradually become only entertainment (i.e. it loses its archaic symbolic meaning) are followed.
Implementation of the educational project Knowledge of preschool children about Easter feast. Observation Before the project After the project
Summing-up of the observation Till the educational project ‘Children Easter’, the Easter feast, in fact, associated with Easter eggs and Easter Grandma, and rabbits for the children of preschool age. After the project’s implementation the Easter becameadditionally associated with the Jesus Resurrection and rebirth of all nature. During Easter chocolate eggs become one of important attributes of the feast – this shows how great the influence of prevailing ‘consumption culture’ is. Due to disappearing traditional customs Easter feast becomes for children the usual feast in their families: during it ‘we clean up’, ‘guests come to us and we go to the grandmother’. In fact, Easter differs from other feasts only in that Easter eggs are painted. Getting presents is one of the reasons of the feast’s popularity among children. Parents and grandparents do not tell children how they celebrated Easter. Till the project only one preschool child could answer what colours of Easter eggs meant. Traditional techniques for painting Easter eggs are changed by modern painting techniques: the transfer, polish. The children mention that during Easter they play games; however, traditional Easter games are only rolling of Easter eggs or choosing the strongest Easter egg. During Easter children play ‘such interesting computer games’, ‘hide-and-(go-) seek’, ‘with Barbies’. There is no tradition to swing in families. The children of preschool age did not mention the Sunday after Easter as the feast celebrated in the family.
Children’s activities in the Easter week and expected results
Reflection. The diary of a teacher researcher The project is carried out for six days – it involves main days of the Easter week till the Sunday after Easter The first day. Maundy Thursday: The visual report on Easter traditions. The children acquired new knowledge. The tradition of cleaning, tiding. Magic power of water, symbolism of watering. The children experienced the joy by being able to play up; self-control competence is developed. Easter eggs’ painting, the magic of patterns, meanings of colours. The Easter tree decorated. The children learnt to paint in traditional national patterns and ornaments. The second day. The Good Friday: Christian Symbolism of Easter (the lamb – the symbol of the rebirth; Easter Grandma and a rabbit traditions of presents). The children expressed their fantasy and creativeness in their pictures. The symbolism of Easter as spring and nature rebirth; customs of Easter related to the coming year, magic. The children acquired the experience to combine traditional folk and Christian customs; the holistic approach to culture is developed. The third day. The second day of Easter: The childrenshare their impressions on the Easter feast at their home; they bring Easter eggs from their homes. One learns to communicate, to express one’s thoughts, to listen to interlocutors. Easter games; acquaintance with rules. Positive emotions are experienced. Social competence is developed.
The fourth day. The second Easter day is continued, the feast ‘Children Easter’ is organized in the kindergarten: Children from other groups are invited to the feast; children make invitations, draw pictures on Easter topic. Children’s artistry, creativity and imagination are developed. The fifth day. The third Easter day, the custom of swinging: Children learn more Easter games; the symbolism of swinging is explained for children; they learn swinging songs. Children in groups make decorative swing. Abilities to communicate and collaborate are developed. The health is strengthened. Positive emotions are experienced. The sixth day. The first Sunday after Easter – the Sunday after Easter: The Sunday of Easter meaning, customs, traditions. Common feast of parents and children ‘Children Easter, during which children tell what they have found out about Easter. Parents tell about the Easter they celebrated in their childhood. Parents and children together play Easter games. The knowledge acquired by children is consolidated, cognition competence is developed. Common activity of the family and educational institution, positive emotions are experienced. Sociality is developed, cultural identity is formed.
Reflection. Insights As step by step traditions of Lithuanian old calendar feasts disappear in families, educational institutions have to understand their important role in acquainting children with them and developing children’s love to Lithuanian ethno-culture. It is necessary to spare enough time for children to play Easter games (to roll Easter eggs and to choose the strongest Easter egg) by explaining their rules and meaning. Traditional swinging when the process is followed by swing songs allows not only to intercept traditions but also to experience emotional joy and get engaged in active physical activity. It is advisable to acquaint children with man techniques of Easter eggs’ painting by paying particular attention to old traditional techniques: painting with wax and cutting, as well as by explaining the symbolic meaning of Easter eggs’ colours and patterns in order that the archaic symbol of life and rebirth would become for children not only a beautiful colourful element of the décor but also would become ‘the book written in mysterious symbols’ patterns’. It is necessary to introduce traditions of the Holy Week and the Sunday after Easterbecause in modern families they are more forgotten than customs and traditions of the Easter feast.
Scientific interpretation I Traditional calendar festivals distinguish in their complexity from ethno-culture forms, which rather successfully and individually integrated into important Christian festivals (such as Christmas and Easter) due to historical circumstances in Lithuania. In order to ensure the succession of ethno-culture transferring, it is particularly important to start this process in early childhood. A preschool education institution and family are distinguished as the most important institutes influencing child’s socialization. Involvement of family festivals’ traditions into child’s formal education creates favourable conditions for identity formation and child’s socialization. The aim of preschool education – is to prepare not only a child but also parents for the further stage of formal education. In this age phase child’s adaptation takes place through a game and satisfaction. Child’s interest in the most traditional calendar festivals, his / her wish to take part in them and understand their importance meets the need of this age phase children to communicate. The experience of common festival of all participants helps a child to find oneself as equivalent member of the society, inspires intuitive responsibility for one’s actions, acts, and fostering of traditional culture.
Scientific interpretation II • Duringtheresearchtensionsbetweenthepractician-researcherandacademicsupervisor-workleaderhavebeendisclosed: • complicatedprocessof a practitioner’slearning to become a researcher; • thejumpfromthepracticalactivityintoscientificinterpretation; • foranacademicsupervisoriswaseasier to makeoneselfunderstoodbytheteamofsupervisingresearchers. • Action research – isthecomplexresearchmethod: • largevarietyofinteractiveelements; • a lotofempiricalmaterial; • a teacher-researcherfacesparticularlycomplicatedmanagementoftheprocess. • Theresearchhasshownthatthepreschooleducationinstitutionistheeducationalenvironment, inwhich ‘thevertical’ and ‘thehorizontal’ modelsofculturetransmissioncan be naturalised. • Interdisciplinaryteamofresearcherswithspecialtraininghas to performsuchresearch.
