Predstave o detetu u čitankama za treći i četvrti razred osnovne škole

Abstract

Notions of the child as inherently human creations and cultural and historical artefacts represent a multidimensional phenomenon that needs to be approached interdisciplinary. This paper presents results of a study which aimed to identify and interpret notions of the child in the third and fourth grade basal readers and their compatibility with modern notions of childhood and child. The notion of the child was co-constructed by means of induction and operationalised through six components: a) nature of the child; b) needs of the child; c) children's way of solving problems; d) peer relations; e) relationship of adults toward the child; and f) parenting methods and actions of the adult. The sample comprised eight basal readers for the third and fourth grade within which we managed to identify 32 pieces of literary prose suitable for analysis and interpretation of the notion of the child. By using a descriptive method and the technique of content analysis, we determined the existence of different notions of the child with regard to all components analysed, as well as a certain compatibility with modern notions of children and childhood. According to the results obtained, pedagogical recommendations are placed in the context of continuous review of notions of the child, which are related to systemic solutions and direct teaching practices, as well as harmonization of notions of the child from different actors' perspectives in order to reduce discontinuity between family, school, social and cultural environment.