"What is the thinking child doing and what is the doing child thinking?" Exploring teacher perspectives on schema learning to identify children's working theories within current teaching practices

Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood education has a long and proud history of innovative curriculum and contemporary pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning. The Aotearoa, New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996, 2017) values children’s learning dispositions and working theories for building a foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes, critical for formal and lifelong learning.
This research focused on the perspectives of teacher participants in identifying and responding to children’s learning through a particular lens. The current empirical literature that was reviewed at the outset of the study demonstrated that early childhood teachers in Aotearoa, New Zealand have struggled to identify children's thinking as ‘working theories’ in their existing teaching practices (Hedges & Jones, 2012; Lovett, 2014). Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate teachers’ perspectives on how they identify children’s thinking (as working theories) with the addition of ‘schema learning theory’ (Athey, 2007) alongside their current approaches. A qualitative and interpretive research project was adopted to explore teachers’ perspectives on schema learning theory to identify and explore children’s working theories.
This study drew on a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework (Mead, 1934; Blumer, 1969) to ensure participants were able to make personal, professional and collaborative meaning as they explored the possibilities in the project. The methodological framework of symbolic interactionism created opportunities for probing the participants perspectives, insights, and inquiries to enable their exploration of schema learning theory alongside their understandings of children’s working theories. Semi-structured interviews, group and individual reflections and journaling were the preferred methods that shaped the data collection and analysis. Four key theoretical propositions were generated as the basis of the findings of this study. The findings make a significant contribution for consideration in the broader context of early childhood in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In summary, it can be concluded that through exploring schema learning theory, the participants became more confident to explore children’s thinking as working theories in increasingly complex ways. Concurrently they revealed and critiqued deep complexities inherent in their own role as teachers, through re-thinking and re-positioning their existing pedagogical approaches when considering what motivates children’s behaviours. Their processes of engagement and reflection, and the concurrent professional enlightenment, strengthened their relationships with children in transformative ways. These key concepts formed the basis of a set of recommendations for the profession, for initial teacher education and Aotearoa, New Zealand’s educational policy.

This work © 2025, Meredith Kelly