Abstract
In an era where the image of the child embraces infants, toddlers and young children as capable and competent members of society, this research aims to explore infant agency during mealtimes in early childhood education settings, asking the question: ‘How do infants perform multimodal agentic actions when strapped into a highchair?’
The importance of infant-led feeding (Brown & Arnott, 2014) and infant development of taste, including acknowledging their communication of pleasurable eating experiences (Wiggins & Keevallik, 2020; Wiggins, 2023) are being explored. Here we will look at footage recorded during one week in April this year (2023) in an early childhood setting in Mid-Wales. We will focus on an exploration of how the highchair ‘space’ is broadened through throwing food outside of the immediate locality, and how reaching for food on a neighbour’s highchair actively extends the restricted highchair space. Discusion possibilities include how agency is performed in multimodal expressions, as well as considering how present teachers ‘notice, recognise and respond’ to infant actions in ways that support agency.
Brown, A., & Arnott, B. (2014). Breastfeeding duration and early parenting behaviour: The importance of an infant-led, responsive style. PloS one, 9(2), e83893.
Wiggins, S.(2023). How infant food likes become established as knowledge: Parental food
assessments during infant mealtimes in the home. Appetite. 184, 106489.
The importance of infant-led feeding (Brown & Arnott, 2014) and infant development of taste, including acknowledging their communication of pleasurable eating experiences (Wiggins & Keevallik, 2020; Wiggins, 2023) are being explored. Here we will look at footage recorded during one week in April this year (2023) in an early childhood setting in Mid-Wales. We will focus on an exploration of how the highchair ‘space’ is broadened through throwing food outside of the immediate locality, and how reaching for food on a neighbour’s highchair actively extends the restricted highchair space. Discusion possibilities include how agency is performed in multimodal expressions, as well as considering how present teachers ‘notice, recognise and respond’ to infant actions in ways that support agency.
Brown, A., & Arnott, B. (2014). Breastfeeding duration and early parenting behaviour: The importance of an infant-led, responsive style. PloS one, 9(2), e83893.
Wiggins, S.(2023). How infant food likes become established as knowledge: Parental food
assessments during infant mealtimes in the home. Appetite. 184, 106489.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | UCLA Co-op Lab |
| Publication status | Published (VoR) - 18 Oct 2023 |
| Event | University of California Los Angeles co-operative action laboratory - UCLA online, LA, United States Duration: 18 Oct 2023 → … https://colab.anthro.ucla.edu/ |
Seminar
| Seminar | University of California Los Angeles co-operative action laboratory |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | UCLA Co-op Lab |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | LA |
| Period | 18/10/23 → … |
| Internet address |