I'm Going to See Works of Art: Listening to Children's Narrative Voices

Abstract

This study was an exploration of children's agency and autonomy supported through use of clay and museums as learning environments. It was conducted with 48-60-months-old children (M = 52.2) in museum and classroom environments, and focused on a ceramic artist's life story. Using multimodal narration, our research revealed children's agency manifested in stages: before, during, and after museum visits. This study underscored the role of clay in fostering self-directed learning by emphasizing its tactile and open-ended nature. Integrating clay into an immersive museum experience empowers children to make independent decisions and exercise choice, revealing its impact on agency and autonomy.