You fail. What do you do?

1 = The child tells a strategy that doesn’t change the failure-context 2 = The child talks about changing the failure-context 3 = Can’t classify the answer

 

·        I’ll erase it 2

• I’ll make a new one 2
• I do something else 1
• I’ll change paper. I turn it around 2
• No. I would break my work 1
• I go away and play 1
• I’ll go away 1
• I put it there (fix it) 2
• I’ll carve it with my own knifeand make a new one 2
• I tell the teacher that we do it 2
• I could start anew 2
• No. I don’t know 3
• I’ll do nothing 3
• It will be what it will be. I’ll do anything 1
• I’ll try again 2
• I stop working, put it in the drawer 1
• I start from the beginning 2
• (No answer) 3
• I’ll make a new one 2
• I’ll do another work 2
• I throw it in the waste-basket 1
• Mother can fix it. In school I don’t spoil it 3
• I’ll do a new work 2
• Then I make another 2
• I go and get food, listen to the music 1
• I don’t know 3
• I start a new one 2
• I could take a new one 2
• I’ll take another paper and do it there 2
• I don’t know 3
• It’s Jamie’s birthday? 3
• Then I start to play 2
• I take a new one I do it again 2
• I don’t know 3
• I’ll chase the disturber away.I’ll do a new one 2
• I say ” don’t disturb” 2
• Then I go elsewere and think 1
• You can do another one 2
• I start to cry 1
• I run away 1
• (No answer) 3
• I don’t know 3
• I’ll do something easier 2
• I don’t know 3
• I’ll tell the teachers 2
• Then I make a new one 2
• I’ll go home 1
• Then I fix it 2
• I’ll erase it 2
• I take it home 1
• I’ll take it anew 2
• I’ll redo it 2
• I put it in the drawer, I erase it 2
• I erase it and draw it again of course 2
• If somebody teases the work fails. I start anew 2
• I’ll do it again 2
• I’ll make a new one 2
• I would make a new one 2
• I’ll do a new one 2
• I’ll get eraser, in jigsaw puzzle I switch the piece 2
• I’ll take eraser and erase 2
• I’ll do it anew 2
• I’ll do a new one 2
• I’m annoyd. I don’t remember 3
• I play sock-game. I play something else 1
• I’ll work on something else. I go and play 1
• Something new to me when I fail! 1

 

Mann-Whitney test: Answers that adapt to the failure versus answers that change the failure context

 

The child that talks about changing the given failure situation:

• Tells more context changing strategies also in other situations (p=.000)
• Has a near contact more often to a child that also sees the failure-context as changeable more often(p=.001)
• Tells less not kvalified or uncertain answers (p=.017)
• Has a near contact more often to a child that doesn’t fit in the classification of the observation (p=.032)
• Is evaluated by teachers as more socially skillful (p=.049)
• Is older (p=.014)

Partial correlations controlling for age, sex and kindergarten

 

The child that talks about changing the given failure-situation:

• Gives more context changing answers in general (.558, p=.000)
• Has parents that think less that their child seeks for familiar situations (.301, p=.032)
• Has more often contact to a child that tells more changing answers (.300, p=.023)
• Changes less his own situation in observation (.295, p=.025)
• Is evaluated by teachers as more socially skillful (.291, p=.021)

• Tells less not kvalified or uncertain answers (p=.017)

Discriminant analysis

 

The model with variables “tandency to tell context-changing strategies” and teacher’s evaluation of child’s social skills classifies 78.8% of original grouped cases correctly.

 

Discussion

 

Almost four out of five of the children’s answers could be predicted by knowing child’s general tendency to answer in different situations and the teachers evaluation of child’s social skills. Children’s way of talking about the situations and acting in the situations are related.

 

Children’s talk about their action tells not only about their development or understanding but show us how the world is changing. Narration not only reflects, it changes the reflection.

 

In children’s narration child shows his/her perception of how the world is shaping. Learning must be seen in a new light. When things change they can’t be learnt before they are created. You can’t learn new things before you change them.

 

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