Children’s drawings speak a thousand words in their transition to school

Abstract

Children’s views have often been supplementary to those of adults in research on children’s lives. With growing awareness of the Rights of the Child, children are being engaged as experts in their own lives, that is, young people who have valid perspectives on the things that matter and are important to them. In this study, a draw–write–tell activity was used to capture children’s understandings of transition to school. A Vygotskian view of drawing was adopted, with drawing used as a mediating tool for children to make meaning of experiences and thoughts and express these to others. Children’s drawings and explanatory narratives were thematically analysed in a social constructivist paradigm. Children shared their friendships and feelings about aspects of school and home, and their growing awareness of school life. Drawings were supported as a useful tool for understanding children’s views of transition to school and capturing changes in their feelings, knowledge and independence at this important time.