Learning, play, and the shifting expectations of childhood

Insights from young children in Australian schools

Bibliographic Data

ID22415220
AuthorsAmelia Ruscoe (0000-0002-8315-5803, Edith Cowan University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume53
Issue4
Publication date2026-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Australian Educational Researcher (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0311-6999 • E-ISSN: 2210-5328
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s13384-026-00996-9
OpenAlexW7169502059
LanguageEN
References cited48

The experience of childhood is not static. It is subject to changing social, cultural, and economic demands. In 2009, the Australian Government heeded the advice of internationally acclaimed economists and ‘reconceptualised’ childhood as a critical period for investment to secure a stronger economic future. In response, a revised school-based childhood emerged, echoing neoliberal ideology through a national curriculum that heightened focus on the “well-being” and “well-becoming” of young children. Alteration to the expectations of school-based childhood in Australia beckons researchers to examine the undiluted perspectives of young children. Using a qualitative approach, visual-dialogic methodology supported by children’s drawn and embodied expressions were used to capture and understand the views of 17 public school children aged 5 and 6 years old in Western Australia. The children explained their experience of childhood and then their understanding of how children learn. They celebrated play as what children do . Schoolwork was considered important, but for an undetermined future rather than for now . An underlying disconnect between children’s own ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ as they transition to a school-based childhood was revealed, suggesting immediate application of learning to what children do in childhood may augment learner engagement. The study adds to evidence that children’s contributions are relevant to ongoing processes of pedagogical decision-making and policy development in early childhood.

Childhood studies · Curriculum · Early childhood · Early childhood education · Ideology · Children's Rights and Participation · Early Childhood Education and Development · Innovative Education and Learning Practices

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