Exploring transition through collective biographical memory work: Considerations for parents and teachers in early childhood education

Abstract

This paper describes our exploration of the concept of transition using the methodology of collective biographical memory work (CBMW). Through analysis of a collective group of memories across the life span, we reconceptualise transition as a discursively constructed concept that is experienced as deeply confronting. Using this methodological platform, we argue for a broader view of transition that embraces a multilayered, multifaceted and complex construction which is located in the embodied and subjectified experience of the learner and those around them. As such, transition is re-viewed as a process of uncertainty/certainty, powerlessness/powerfulness and loss/gain characterised by shifting identities rather than as a type of societal initiation ritual or rite of passage. By considering this view in the context of early childhood education discourse, we suggest that emotional/embodied aspects of transition from the perspective of the child warrant further attention. The extent to which transition plays a role in learning lies, therefore, in its constructed worth to the learner rather than to those who dictate the learning agenda.