With authority and empathy: the dual voice of kindergarten teachers in homogenizing ethnic and class differences in early childhood integration in Hungary.
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| Title: | With authority and empathy: the dual voice of kindergarten teachers in homogenizing ethnic and class differences in early childhood integration in Hungary. |
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| Authors: | ÁRENDÁS, Zsuzsanna1 Arendas.zsuzsanna@tk.hu, MESSING, Vera2 messing.vera@tk.hu, KENDE, Ágnes3 kende.agnes@tk.hu |
| Source: | Journal of Educational Sciences / Revista de Științe ale Educației. 2025, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p131-150. 20p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Kindergarten teachers, *Early childhood education, Class differences, Hungarian history, Romanies, Race relations, Social marginality, Public officers |
| Geographic Terms: | Hungary |
| Abstract: | The present article examines institutional discourses on preschool "integration" in Hungary through qualitative interviews with kindergarten teachers in three ethnically mixed communities. The research investigates boundary-making processes in everyday parenting practices related to the institutional context of early childhood education. In the paper, we focus on how boundaries are (re)constructed in and by the institution of the kindergarten. Our analysis draws on two theoretical frameworks to situate the empirical data: Bourdeau’s concept of symbolic violence, which elucidates the hierarchical relationship between families and kindergarten professionals, and theories of street-level bureaucracy, which shed light on the dual identity of kindergarten teachers as both authoritative figures and empathetic caregivers. Findings from our research suggest that kindergartens, the first compulsory institutional settings for children in Hungary, play a key role in transmitting and enforcing community norms and thus serve as a key instrument for fostering social cohesion. However, the integration mission of teachers and institutions is framed around middle - class norms, positioning them as exclusive standards to which all children and parents need to conform. The key (unintended) consequence of this integration mission is the erasure of cultural and ethnic differences, often accompanied by racializing discourses about the Roma. This study critically examines the integration approach widely shared in early education pedagogy, revealing both its social costs and purported benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Educational Sciences / Revista de Științe ale Educației is the property of West University of Timisoara, Faculty of Sociology & Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192019808 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: With authority and empathy: the dual voice of kindergarten teachers in homogenizing ethnic and class differences in early childhood integration in Hungary. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22ÁRENDÁS%2C+Zsuzsanna%22">ÁRENDÁS, Zsuzsanna</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> Arendas.zsuzsanna@tk.hu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22MESSING%2C+Vera%22">MESSING, Vera</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><i> messing.vera@tk.hu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22KENDE%2C+Ágnes%22">KENDE, Ágnes</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo><i> kende.agnes@tk.hu</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Educational+Sciences+%2F+Revista+de+Științe+ale+Educației%22">Journal of Educational Sciences / Revista de Științe ale Educației</searchLink>. 2025, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p131-150. 20p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kindergarten+teachers%22">Kindergarten teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Class+differences%22">Class differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hungarian+history%22">Hungarian history</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Romanies%22">Romanies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Race+relations%22">Race relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+marginality%22">Social marginality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+officers%22">Public officers</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hungary%22">Hungary</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The present article examines institutional discourses on preschool "integration" in Hungary through qualitative interviews with kindergarten teachers in three ethnically mixed communities. The research investigates boundary-making processes in everyday parenting practices related to the institutional context of early childhood education. In the paper, we focus on how boundaries are (re)constructed in and by the institution of the kindergarten. Our analysis draws on two theoretical frameworks to situate the empirical data: Bourdeau’s concept of symbolic violence, which elucidates the hierarchical relationship between families and kindergarten professionals, and theories of street-level bureaucracy, which shed light on the dual identity of kindergarten teachers as both authoritative figures and empathetic caregivers. Findings from our research suggest that kindergartens, the first compulsory institutional settings for children in Hungary, play a key role in transmitting and enforcing community norms and thus serve as a key instrument for fostering social cohesion. However, the integration mission of teachers and institutions is framed around middle - class norms, positioning them as exclusive standards to which all children and parents need to conform. The key (unintended) consequence of this integration mission is the erasure of cultural and ethnic differences, often accompanied by racializing discourses about the Roma. This study critically examines the integration approach widely shared in early education pedagogy, revealing both its social costs and purported benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Educational Sciences / Revista de Științe ale Educației is the property of West University of Timisoara, Faculty of Sociology & Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=192019808 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.35923/JES.2025.2.08 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 131 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Kindergarten teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Early childhood education Type: general – SubjectFull: Class differences Type: general – SubjectFull: Hungarian history Type: general – SubjectFull: Romanies Type: general – SubjectFull: Race relations Type: general – SubjectFull: Social marginality Type: general – SubjectFull: Public officers Type: general – SubjectFull: Hungary Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: With authority and empathy: the dual voice of kindergarten teachers in homogenizing ethnic and class differences in early childhood integration in Hungary. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: ÁRENDÁS, Zsuzsanna – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: MESSING, Vera – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: KENDE, Ágnes IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: 2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14547678 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 26 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Educational Sciences / Revista de Științe ale Educației Type: main |
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