Implicating teachers in infant–peer relationships: Teacher answerability through alteric acts

Abstract

While academic attention is now being paid to infant–peer relationships in early childhood education and care settings and the role of teachers in these interactions, research is inclined to emphasise the importance of shared understanding as a feature in infant–peer relationships. As such, little research attention has been given to the alteric potential of the teacher when she or he engages in infant–peer relationships. This article draws on a dialogic analysis of infants in a New Zealand early childhood education and care setting to argue that infant relationships with their peers can be radically altered by the presence and participation of teachers. The results highlight the pivotal role of the teacher as a connecting figure within and between infant–peer experiences – one that has the potential to significantly impact on the nature of relationships between infants and peers. The study highlights the alteric potential for teachers within infant–peer dialogues, and the significance of these engagements accordingly, and concludes by suggesting that teachers are fully implicated in infant–peer relationships, since the dialogic space posits that there is no alibi!