Practitioners' views on involving young children in decision making: Challenges for the children's rights agenda

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS THE key findings and discussion from a research project and subsequent report: Involving young children in decision making: An exploration of practitioners' views. This research explored early childhood practitioners'—childcare workers, kindergarten, preprimary and grade 1–2 teachers—views on decision making for young children (aged six years and under). The key findings raise some important observations and challenges for the children's rights agenda and its efficacy in childcare and educational settings. Practitioners' views highlighted inconsistencies and tensions from theory to practice where involving young children in decision making is not always straightforward. It is argued that, if decision making is to be an authentic vehicle for children's rights, there needs to be a comprehensive dialogue on what decision making is in age-relevant terms and its practical importance to children's rights in early education and childcare environments. Importantly, this dialogue needs to address some of the practical inhibitors to participative decision making such as practitioners' views on children's capacity to make decisions, the practitioner–child relationship, parameters of discipline and behavioural control, curriculum requirements and practitioners' time and resources.