Children's and teachers' perceptions and lived experiences of carpet time in early years classrooms: An auto/biographical ethnographic study

‘Carpet time’ is a colloquial term used in most English early years classrooms to describe the times when the whole class gathers together on the carpet with their teacher. Carpet times are used for organisational and teaching purposes and typically take place several times a day. Despite taking up a substantial proportion of the school day, little is known about the effects of carpet time practices on children’s learning, development or well-being. The small amount of research in this area is mainly limited to studies of Circle Time, an educational programme for supporting children’s social and emotional development, with very few of these studies incorporating children’s perspectives. This auto/biographical ethnographic study explores children’s and teachers’ perceptions and lived experiences of carpet time. The study is situated within a children’s rights and empowerment framework (Pascal and Bertram, 2009) and incorporates socio-cultural pedagogy as a theoretical approach. The methodological approach included children as research participants and key informants (Clark and Moss, 2011). A range of ethnographic methods; classroom observations, interviews, and ‘child-chats’ were used. Thematic analysis of the data suggested that the children’s and teachers’ lived experiences of carpet time were complex, nuanced and influenced by many different factors. I found that carpet time can be a contested area of practice in which children and teachers may experience emotional, physical and pedagogical challenges. However, carpet time can also provide rich opportunities for developing teacher-child relationships that support children’s self-esteem and developing sense of identity. As a context for teaching, carpet time can support academic outcomes, but also, children’s social and emotional development. An attuned teacher can capitalise on the many opportunities that carpet time offers to support children’s holistic learning, well-being and development. Carpet time can be a valuable resource for children and teachers and maybe its potential has not yet been fully recognised. Closer attention needs to be given to seeking to understand this overlooked area of practice.