El espacio escolar como ambiente de vida, relación y aprendizaje. Una etnografía participativa con niños y niñas de tres años en tiempos de COVID-19

Abstract

The Doctoral Thesis covers the study of the school space from a pedagogical standpoint. Many of the Spanish schools that currently house school spaces lack connection with the educational community, reflecting a decontextualised approach and anchored in past decades. The need to focus on education in favour of a childcentred approach is highlighted, encouraging spontaneity, diversity and attention to the interests and needs of the pupils. Early Childhood Education professionals seem to find themselves in a terrain of constant uncertainties arising from socio-cultural, economic and legislative challenges. Moreover, in recent years, from the challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting daily against prototypical thinking with the aim of finding pedagogical significance in their experiences. It is argued that school spaces speak of the methodology that is developed in them, of the communication that takes place among their protagonists, of the interests of teachers and of the conceptions of childhood, school and learning. They are also capable of expressing a symbolic, aesthetic language of resources, times and relationships, as the connection that pupils establish with the space allows them to create different environments of sensations and learning. The purpose of this research is to analyse, describe and interpret the pedagogical possibilities and use of spaces by the management and teaching staff of a state-run nursery school in the province of Huelva - Spain - and, more specifically, of the three-year-old class group during the 20/21 school year. This is a qualitative, ethnographically based research work based on a case study. The research techniques are participant and media observation, semistructured interview, photo elicitation, photo-voice —in the case of the participation of three-year-olds— document analysis, group conversations and drawings made by the children. The results reveal an image of childhood that is conceived through an ethic of superiority, with a top-down relationship and a teacher-centred approach that sees the child as a project for the future. The school is conceptualised as a planned organisation that reproduces a single culture, with a functionalist tendency that relegates the personal. The school space is taken from the idea of place and physical structure and, therefore, from a functional and instrumental perspective under a curricular character when distributed by educational areas. It is a false strategy of corners which, instead of being considered as educational experiences —that is to say, germane to a pedagogical strategy— are used to complement and support the directed activities. Space means nothing more than a place in which to position oneself in front of a space as an activator of learning and an enabler of experience, i.e., a space of situations. The above results contrast with the perception of space by three-year-olds. Children have a more holistic and personal image, related to their own experiences and experiences. The importance of rethinking school organisation and methodology is emphasised, proposing sensory, open and interrelated spaces that enable ownership, a sense of belonging and participation of children, even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research addresses the need to design school spaces in line with 21st century demands, considering the active participation of schoolchildren as co-researchers. A reconfiguration of spaces towards more responsive and connected environments is proposed, recognising the importance of rethinking teaching and learning as a vital experience of childhood.