Transitional practice: Teachers and children in-between classrooms in one early childhood centre

Abstract

Transitions from one classroom to the next as children reach a certain age or achieve certain milestones seem inevitable; however, this taken-for-granted practice in early childhood centers has not been looked at closely in research. This article considers what happens when we look more in depth at these day-to-day experiences of teachers and children, examining teachers’ experiences and perspectives during children’s transitions to new classrooms within an early childhood center. Framed within a postdevelopmental perspective on teacher research, thematic narrative analysis of teachers’ journals and field notes generated connecting themes regarding teachers’ personal experiences during classroom transitions and their perceptions of the children’s transition processes. Findings reveal much complexity around the transition process, specifically in regard to the teachers’ emotional involvement and their perceptions of children’s shifting identities, opening spaces for new perspectives on children’s transitions between classrooms. Implications for practice and further research are also considered.