Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice
IntroductionInclusive education and participatory research (PR) are both premised upon engaging with local unique needs, social justice, and empowerment. PR is limited through the lack of empirical exploration into the research approach itself, particularly its use in inclusive education. This paper...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1474975/full |
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| author | Kate Carr-Fanning Tanya Rihtman |
| author_facet | Kate Carr-Fanning Tanya Rihtman |
| author_sort | Kate Carr-Fanning |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionInclusive education and participatory research (PR) are both premised upon engaging with local unique needs, social justice, and empowerment. PR is limited through the lack of empirical exploration into the research approach itself, particularly its use in inclusive education. This paper explores findings from the co-construction process within a PR research project, which co-constructed a programme of inclusion for children with ADHD-type behaviours in kindergartens in countries in eastern/central Europe with local stakeholders.MethodsThis paper will draw on findings from methods used at particular phases of the project, including two researcher constructed questionnaires: a pre-post teacher training questionnaire and an open-ended qualitative survey of participants on the process of empowerment within co-creation. The qualitative data was subject to Thematic Analysis and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests was used to analyse the results from the pre-post teacher training questionnaire.ResultsFindings support the use of participatory practices within inclusive education, especially teacher training, and the need for culturally and contextually relevant responses to including children with ADHD-type behaviours in early childhood education. Findings also emphasise particular experiences within and external to, but as a result of, the co-creation process, which were empowering, including collaborative dialogue, positioning within ones community, and finally the role of insider experts, and the emotional experience of being identified as an expert. Partners need to embrace this expert role, but they may be uncomfortable with or reject it. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0aa06136689a4faa8760a0c63cb12a55 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-0aa06136689a4faa8760a0c63cb12a552025-02-07T06:49:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2025-02-011010.3389/feduc.2025.14749751474975Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practiceKate Carr-Fanning0Tanya Rihtman1School of Education, University of Bristol, Bristol, United KingdomSchool of Sport, Nutrition and Allied Health Professions, Oxford Brooks University, Oxford, United KingdomIntroductionInclusive education and participatory research (PR) are both premised upon engaging with local unique needs, social justice, and empowerment. PR is limited through the lack of empirical exploration into the research approach itself, particularly its use in inclusive education. This paper explores findings from the co-construction process within a PR research project, which co-constructed a programme of inclusion for children with ADHD-type behaviours in kindergartens in countries in eastern/central Europe with local stakeholders.MethodsThis paper will draw on findings from methods used at particular phases of the project, including two researcher constructed questionnaires: a pre-post teacher training questionnaire and an open-ended qualitative survey of participants on the process of empowerment within co-creation. The qualitative data was subject to Thematic Analysis and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests was used to analyse the results from the pre-post teacher training questionnaire.ResultsFindings support the use of participatory practices within inclusive education, especially teacher training, and the need for culturally and contextually relevant responses to including children with ADHD-type behaviours in early childhood education. Findings also emphasise particular experiences within and external to, but as a result of, the co-creation process, which were empowering, including collaborative dialogue, positioning within ones community, and finally the role of insider experts, and the emotional experience of being identified as an expert. Partners need to embrace this expert role, but they may be uncomfortable with or reject it.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1474975/fullattention deficit hyperactivity disorderco-constructionearly childhood educationempowermentinclusionparticipatory research |
| spellingShingle | Kate Carr-Fanning Tanya Rihtman Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice Frontiers in Education attention deficit hyperactivity disorder co-construction early childhood education empowerment inclusion participatory research |
| title | Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| title_full | Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| title_fullStr | Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| title_short | Inclusive early childhood education: exploring co-creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| title_sort | inclusive early childhood education exploring co creation and the process of empowerment within participatory research and practice |
| topic | attention deficit hyperactivity disorder co-construction early childhood education empowerment inclusion participatory research |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1474975/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katecarrfanning inclusiveearlychildhoodeducationexploringcocreationandtheprocessofempowermentwithinparticipatoryresearchandpractice AT tanyarihtman inclusiveearlychildhoodeducationexploringcocreationandtheprocessofempowermentwithinparticipatoryresearchandpractice |