Inequitable interventions and paradoxical pedagogies: how mothers are ‘taught’ to support their children's literacy development in early childhood

Smith, Helen Victoria

Abstract

At a time when neo-liberal policy agenda are resulting in many public services being taken away from families with young children, this paper draws on Basil Bernstein’s concepts of visible and invisible pedagogies to reveal how mothers receive ‘support’ for their young (under five years old) children’s literacy development in a small town in the East Midlands (England). It draws on findings from an ethnographic study which show that mothers are 'taught' to support their young children differently depending on the way English education policy is interpreted and enacted in the places they visit. It is argued that dominant policy discourses around ‘good’ parenting can lead to inequitable interventions, paradoxical pedagogies and the disempowerment of some parents. The paper therefore contributes to the wider debate about more equitable ways of working with families that will be applicable across other contexts.

Citation

Smith, H. V. (2019). Inequitable interventions and paradoxical pedagogies: how mothers are ‘taught’ to support their children's literacy development in early childhood. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27(5), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2019.1651971

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 17, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Aug 19, 2019
• Publication Date: Aug 19, 2019
• Deposit Date: Aug 19, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 20, 2021
• Journal: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
• Print ISSN: 1350-293X
• Electronic ISSN: 1752-1807
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1-13
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2019.1651971
• Keywords: Education; Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2446542
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1651971
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Early Childhood Education Research Journal on 19 August 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1350293x.2019.1651971.
• Contract Date: Aug 19, 2019