Teachers’ beliefs about child participation in Grade R

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to examine teachers’ beliefs about child participation in Grade R. Five Grade R teachers working with children between the ages of five and six participated in this study. Participants were interviewed about their epistemological beliefs on teaching and learning in Grade R and specifically the role of child participation in development at this grade level. Data were analysed deductively using typologies by Perry and Rokeach. The findings of this study showed that these teachers’ beliefs concerning child participation were complex, ‘messy’, context-bound and did not fall neatly into one category. Teachers’ views were multidimensional: primitive, dualistic, derived, multiplistic or relative. Teachers drew from different sources of experience and their own knowing to shape their thinking about children’s participatory roles in the Grade R experience and implementation of child participation. The findings show how teachers’ beliefs were influenced by issues of background, tradition, power and voice.