A triangle of curiosity

Infants, researchers, and the video camera

Bibliographic Data

ID21685702
AuthorsVanessa Ferraz Almeida Neves (0000-0003-4094-3639, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, corresponding author), Elenice De Brito Teixeira Silva (0000-0001-8145-6664, Universidade do Estado da Bahia), Virgínia Souza Oliveira (0000-0002-2686-7396, Prefeitura de Sabará)
Year2026
Volume34
Issue2
Pages258-273
Publication date2026-03-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Early Childhood Education Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-293X • E-ISSN: 1752-1807
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1350293x.2025.2514022
OpenAlexW4411523936
LanguageEN
References cited24

Based on the concept we refer to as the ‘triangle of curiosity,’ this paper highlights how infants and toddlers were affectively and cognitively engaged by the cultural artefacts used by researchers during a longitudinal ethnographic study conducted in a Brazilian Early Childhood Education Centre (2017–2019). The focus is on the children’s curiosity about the film-recording artefacts and the researchers’ curiosity regarding the cultural development of these children. Grounded in Cultural-Historical Psychology and Ethnography in Education, we observed that the meanings constructed by the participants were shaped by the dialectical transformations of the children’s actions in relation to cultural artefacts, particularly the camera. This leads us to affirm the social role of research involving young children, focusing on their well-being, comfort, expanded opportunities for exploration and discovery, and, consequently, their cultural development. Thus, we argue that the researchers not only documented the children’s cultural development but also prompted it

Curiosity · Early childhood education · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Preschool education · Children's Rights and Participation · Early Childhood Education and Development · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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