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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

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181617

The emergence of institutional educational spaces for young children

in pursuit of more controllability of education and development as part of the long-term growth of educational space in history

Pauline R. Schreuder Jeroen J. H. Dekker

pp. 61-77

Abstract

Pauline Schreuder and Jeroen Dekker deal with "The Emergence of Institutional Educational Spaces for Young Children: In Pursuit of More Controllability of Education and Development as Part of the Long-Term Growth of Educational Space in History' (Chap. 5). They address both long-term developments and current manifestations of the continuous reshaping and growth of educational spaces, particularly in the Netherlands. From the nineteenth century onwards, those spaces developed together with the growth of educational ambitions as the notion of "the child's best interest' became ever more prominent in policy, in laws and in childrearing theories. But there was no fixed understanding of what constitutes "the best interest of the child'. Theories can be said to define mental space, that is, allowing for the dominance of certain understandings of the best interest of the child, resulting in the shaping of educational practices within the space that is allocated by laws. During this process, the boundaries between the private and the public, between the autonomy of the family and the jurisdiction of the state, fluctuate. Over time, the state has gained dominance over a larger educational space, while the autonomy of the family has decreased when it comes to deciding how to raise and educate children and how to decide on their best interest. The case of the Electronic Child Dossier is discussed as an example. New educational spaces in the Netherlands, developing within this long-term and gradual process of increasing influence of the public on the private educational space, became dominated by the notion of controllability. That notion can be found in the emphasis on procedures and systematic educational methods and on asking parents to monitor their children's development. It is concluded that thus the parents' mental space to understand and shape the upbringing of their children is narrowed and has become an object for public scrutiny by professionals. As a result, public educational ambitions shape the everyday life of young children and their parents.

Publication details

Published in:

Smeyers Paul, Depaepe Marc, Keiner Edwin (2013) Educational research: the importance and effects of institutional spaces. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 61-77

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-6247-3_5

Full citation:

Schreuder Pauline R., Dekker Jeroen J H (2013) „The emergence of institutional educational spaces for young children: in pursuit of more controllability of education and development as part of the long-term growth of educational space in history“, In: P. Smeyers, M. Depaepe & E. Keiner (eds.), Educational research, Dordrecht, Springer, 61–77.