Learning to apologize
Moral socialization as an interactional practice in preschool
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rcsi.37387Keywords:
apology, moral order, preschool, preschoolers, social interactionAbstract
This article explores the apology practices that occur among young children, aged 1-4 years, and their preschool teachers in a Swedish preschool. More specifically, it aims to analyse how apology events are framed and interactively accomplished, and how children reproduce apology in peer play. Earlier studies have shown that the apology practices of adults and children have different agendas, although children's apology practices echo those of adults. Approaching the participants' perspectives, the analyses show that the apology practices at preschool have a ritualized framework. This consists of (i) clarifying the source of the conflict, (ii) highlighting the moral order, and (iii) verbalizing and embodying the apology. The analyses show how the children transform the apology practices into their pretend play, whereby they display moral stances and get support for individual aims.
References
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Björk-Willén, P. & Cromdal, J. (2009). When education seeps into ‘free play’: How preschool children accomplish multilingual education. Journal of Pragmatics 41, 1493–1518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2007.06.006
Burdelski, M. (2013). ‘I’m sorry, flower’: Socializing apology, relationships and empathy in Japan, Pragmatics and Society, 4(1), 54–81. https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.4.1.03bur
Burdelski, M. (2015). Children instructing kin and peers in politeness routines in Japanese. In. B. Pizziconi & M. A. Locher (eds), Teaching and Learning (Im)Politeness, (pp. 211–242). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501501654-009
Cekaite, A. (2010). Shepherding the child: Embodied directive sequences in parent–child interactions. Text and Talk, 30(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1515/text.2010.001
Cekaite, A (2012). Tattling and dispute resolution: Moral order, emotions and embodiment in the teacher-mediated disputes of young second language learners. In S. Danby & M. Theobald (eds), Disputes in Everyday Life: Social and Moral Orders of Children and Young People (pp. 165–191). Bingley: Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-4661(2012)0000015011
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Corsaro, W. A. (2017). The Sociology of Childhood (5th edn). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Cromdal, J. & Tholander, M. (2012). Editorial morality in professional practice. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 9(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v9i2.25734
Danby, S. & Baker, C. (1989). ‘What’s the problem?’ Restoring social order in the preschool classroom. In I. Hutchby & J. Moran-Ellis (eds), Children and Social Competence: Arenas of Action (pp.157–186). London: Falmer Press.
Garfinkel, H. (1967). Studies in Ethnomethodology. London: Polity Press.
Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in Public. New York: Basic Books.
Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of Talk. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
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Kampf, Z. & Blum-Kulka, S. (2007). Do children apologize to each other? Apology events in young Israeli peer discourse. Journal of Politeness Research, 3, 11–37. https://doi.org/10.1515/PR.2007.002
Karlsson, M., Hjörne, E. & Evaldsson, A.-C. (2017). Preschool girls as role breakers: Negotiating moral orders of justice and fairness. Childhood, 24(3), 396–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568216678292
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Schieffelin, B. & Ochs, E. (1986). Language socialization. Annual Review of Anthropology, 15, 163–191. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.an.15.100186.001115
Schleien, S., Ross, H. & Ross, M. (2009). Young children’s apologies to their siblings. Social Development, 19(1), 170–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00526.x
Theobald, M. & Danby, S. (in press). ‘Well now I’m upset’: Moral and social orders in play ground. In J. Cromdal & M. Tholander (eds), Morality in Practice: Exploring Childhood Parenthood and Schooling in Everyday Life. New York: Equinox.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x
Björk-Willén, P. (2012). Being doggy: Disputes embedded in preschooler’s family role-play. In S. Danby & M. Theobald (eds), Disputes in Everyday Life: Social and Moral Orders of Children and Young People (pp. 119–140). Bingley: Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-4661(2012)0000015009
Björk-Willén, P. & Cromdal, J. (2009). When education seeps into ‘free play’: How preschool children accomplish multilingual education. Journal of Pragmatics 41, 1493–1518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2007.06.006
Burdelski, M. (2013). ‘I’m sorry, flower’: Socializing apology, relationships and empathy in Japan, Pragmatics and Society, 4(1), 54–81. https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.4.1.03bur
Burdelski, M. (2015). Children instructing kin and peers in politeness routines in Japanese. In. B. Pizziconi & M. A. Locher (eds), Teaching and Learning (Im)Politeness, (pp. 211–242). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501501654-009
Cekaite, A. (2010). Shepherding the child: Embodied directive sequences in parent–child interactions. Text and Talk, 30(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1515/text.2010.001
Cekaite, A (2012). Tattling and dispute resolution: Moral order, emotions and embodiment in the teacher-mediated disputes of young second language learners. In S. Danby & M. Theobald (eds), Disputes in Everyday Life: Social and Moral Orders of Children and Young People (pp. 165–191). Bingley: Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-4661(2012)0000015011
Corsaro, W. A. (1985). Friendship and Peer Culture in the Early Years. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
Corsaro, W. A. (2017). The Sociology of Childhood (5th edn). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Cromdal, J. & Tholander, M. (2012). Editorial morality in professional practice. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 9(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v9i2.25734
Danby, S. & Baker, C. (1989). ‘What’s the problem?’ Restoring social order in the preschool classroom. In I. Hutchby & J. Moran-Ellis (eds), Children and Social Competence: Arenas of Action (pp.157–186). London: Falmer Press.
Garfinkel, H. (1967). Studies in Ethnomethodology. London: Polity Press.
Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in Public. New York: Basic Books.
Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of Talk. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Goodwin, C. (2000). Action and embodiment within situated human interaction. Journal of Pragmatics, 32, 1489–1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00096-X
Goodwin, C. (2003). The semiotic body in its environment. In J. Coupland & R. Gwyn (eds), Discourses of Body (pp. 19–42). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403918543_2
Goodwin, C. (2007). Participation, stance and affect in the organization of activities. Discourse & Society, 18(1), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926507069457
Heritage, J. (1984). Garfinkel and ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Holm Kvist, M. (2018). Children’s crying in play conflicts: A locus for moral and emotional socialization. Research on Children and Social Interaction, 2(2).
Jefferson, G. (2004). Glossary of transcript symbols with an Introduction. In G. H. Lerner (ed.), Conversation Analysis: Studies from the First Generation (pp. 13–23). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.125.02jef
Kampf, Z. & Blum-Kulka, S. (2007). Do children apologize to each other? Apology events in young Israeli peer discourse. Journal of Politeness Research, 3, 11–37. https://doi.org/10.1515/PR.2007.002
Karlsson, M., Hjörne, E. & Evaldsson, A.-C. (2017). Preschool girls as role breakers: Negotiating moral orders of justice and fairness. Childhood, 24(3), 396–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568216678292
Sacks, H. (1984). Notes on methodology. In J. M. Atkins & J. Heritage (eds), Structures of Social Actions: Studies in Conversational Analysis (pp. 21–27). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schegloff, E. A. (1999). Discourse, pragmatics, conversation analysis. Discourse Studies, 1, 405–435. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445699001004002
Schegloff, E. A. (2007). Sequence Organization in Interaction: A Primer in Conversation Analysis (vol. 1). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511791208
Schieffelin, B. & Ochs, E. (1986). Language socialization. Annual Review of Anthropology, 15, 163–191. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.an.15.100186.001115
Schleien, S., Ross, H. & Ross, M. (2009). Young children’s apologies to their siblings. Social Development, 19(1), 170–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00526.x
Theobald, M. & Danby, S. (in press). ‘Well now I’m upset’: Moral and social orders in play ground. In J. Cromdal & M. Tholander (eds), Morality in Practice: Exploring Childhood Parenthood and Schooling in Everyday Life. New York: Equinox.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x
Published
2018-12-03
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Björk-Willén, P. (2018). Learning to apologize: Moral socialization as an interactional practice in preschool. Research on Children and Social Interaction, 2(2), 177-194. https://doi.org/10.1558/rcsi.37387
