A Grounded Theory of Young Children’s Theory Development in Jewish Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The idea of children’s theories is central to the approach of the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This idea of theories, which can be understood as mental models or a person’s understanding of the processes and relationships at work in the world, is explored in a literature review which also includes an explication of the various processes that advance children’s theory development. Applying the idea of children’s theories to American Jewish early childhood classrooms where the Reggio Emilia Approach is utilized, the author investigates children’s theories about Judaism. Methods include semi-structured interviews and pedagogical documentation, a process of collecting traces of children’s ideas and expressions and interpreting them. Analysis involves open coding toward the development of a grounded theory positing that children hold theories that impact the Jewish education they experience. These theories are encapsulated in three sentence fragments, from the perspective of the child: The world is mine to make sense of; together with you; using my whole self. When the Jewish learning experience aligns with these inherent theories, children develop a new mental model: I can make my mark on Judaism. In dialogue with scholars of Jewish education, the author argues that Jewish education is less about transmitting Judaism to the next generation and more about a vibrant co-construction of Judaism, Jewishness, and Jewish identity.