Abstract
There have been very few studies that apply the work of Mikhail Bakhtin and Norbert Elias to understand the underlying learning processes of young children. This article will explore the methodological similarities between Bakhtin’s ideas about the carnivalesque and Norbert Elias’s theory of established-outsider relations to explain how young children can undermine the authoritative discourses of teachers in preschool classrooms. It will focus on the playful mockery that young children display within their peer-groups to challenge teaching authority. I will argue that many of the humorous events produced by young children should be viewed as an attempt to violate their teachers’ expectations. Drawing attention to the utility of using humour as a special type of qualitative research tool illuminates the different ways that young children in different cultures can resist adult authority.
DOI
10.1177/1745499916679559
Publication Date
2016-12-01
Publication Title
Research in Comparative and International Education
Volume
11
Issue
4
Publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
1745-4999
Embargo Period
2024-11-19
First Page
369
Last Page
379
Recommended Citation
Gabriel, N. (2016) 'Learning to mock - Challenging the teaching establishment', Research in Comparative and International Education, 11(4), pp. 369-379. SAGE Publications: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499916679559
