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Spatial Perspective on Everyday Transitions Within a Toddler Group Care Setting

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Studying Babies and Toddlers

Abstract

This chapter builds on spatial approaches to study everyday life, and in particular to consider Henri Lefebvre’s (1901–1991) theory on the social production of space. Lefebvre’s ideas on the social production of space are based on a dynamic “spatial triad” of conceived (representations of space), perceived (socio-spatial practices), and lived space (representational space). The aim of this chapter is to discuss, by building on Lefebvre’s approach, the spatial dynamics involved within the small-scale (horizontal) transitions for children in toddler group care. The discussion is based on a study where one Finnish day care group for 1- to 3-year-olds was investigated by applying a spatial, relational perspective to toddlers’ everyday lives. Various data, such as video-elicited interviews and audio recordings from the practitioners’ meetings and observations and video recordings about practices, will be used to bring empirical evidence on how these three moments, or layers, of conceived, perceived, and lived space in social production of space are interlinked within the transitory events.

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Acknowledgments

The data collection for this work was supported by the Academy of Finland, project (In)visible Toddlerhood? Global and Local Constructions of Toddlers’ Places in Institutions. I would like to thank Gloria Quiñones, Liang Li, and Avis Ridgway for their helpful comments and recommendations on earlier drafts of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Niina Rutanen

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  1. Niina Rutanen
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Correspondence to Niina Rutanen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia

    Liang Li

  2. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia

    Gloria Quiñones

  3. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia

    Avis Ridgway

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Rutanen, N. (2017). Spatial Perspective on Everyday Transitions Within a Toddler Group Care Setting. In: Li, L., Quiñones, G., Ridgway, A. (eds) Studying Babies and Toddlers. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 20. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3197-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3197-7_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3195-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3197-7

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