חקר פרספקטיבות של ילדים וילדות בגן על היחסים החברתיים ביניהם

Recognizing the importance of integrating children's perspectives into early childhood research stems from post-modern educational approaches as well as -from the childhood sociology theory. Moreover, it reflects a democratic world view that emphasizes children's rights to express their ideas. Previous research on children's perspectives investigated their perceptions both of the teacher's role and of diverse experiences in kindergarten. The current study focuses on children's perspectives regarding social relationships in kindergarten. While previous research on this topic highlighted the importance of peer relationships for children's development and learning, it did not reflect children's subjective .social experiences from their own perspective In the current study, three small groups of children were videotaped during free play and were then interviewed in order to gain their interpretation of the play event. The main findings indicate that children seek to engage in play with others, and that during play they are sensitive to their own and other children's desires and difficulties. Owing to children's ability to describe the complexity and richness of their experiences, it is important to integrate their perspectives into research regarding multiple early childhood issues, and, additionally, to include .children's perspectives in the training of early childhood teachers