Rachel Berman is a Professor and a former Graduate Program Director in Early Childhood Studies at TMU. She earned a Ph.D. in Family Studies at the University of Guelph, in Guelph Ontario, Canada in 2000 and joined the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in Toronto, Ontario that same year. She’s published in the areas of methods of inquiry, mothering, and perspectives of children and youth, and is the editor of Corridor Talk: Canadian Feminist Scholars Share Stories of Research Partnerships published by Inanna Publications in 2014. She is currently a PI on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grant--"Can we talk about race? Confronting Colourblindness in early learning settings." She teaches courses on social research with children, theoretical frameworks for early childhood studies, and the history and philosophy of early childhood education.
Psychological research on Canadian children and race has
shown that young White and racialized ch... more Psychological research on Canadian children and race has shown that young White and racialized children generally have a pro-White bias. While scholars have utilized developmental or social psychological explanations for this finding, none have used an antiracism lens to interpret children’s racial attitudes or to develop an antiracism pedagogy. To address this research gap, this article uses antiracism theory as an analytical tool to explore the social-historical processes that have affected how children evaluate racial differences and White identity. It also briefly proposes antiracism teaching practices specific to early childhood education settings.
International Critical Childhood Policy Studies, 2017
In the current qualitative study, we take a discursive approach, and draw on critical race theory... more In the current qualitative study, we take a discursive approach, and draw on critical race theory (CRT) (Gillborn & Ladson-Billings, 2010) and ideas from the theory of colorblind racism (Bonilla-Silva, 2009), as we examine how ‘racial incidents’ and the (non-)reporting of racial incidents in child care programs are framed in the interview responses of 11 early childhood educators in Toronto, Canada. In a discursive approach to data analysis, “[t]exts are analysed for the way in which the discourses within them construct people and situations, for arguments used to legitimate particular viewpoints, and for the way in which those viewpoints and arguments are expressed. Analyses are informed by theory” (Bazeley, 2013, p. 219).
This article explores how multicultural policy approaches, which mandate the inclusion of cultura... more This article explores how multicultural policy approaches, which mandate the inclusion of culturally and ethnically ‘diverse’ play materials in early childhood classrooms influence the pedagogical practice of educators and, in turn, children’s play and social interactions. Using data collected through participant observation of children’s play in a preschool/ kindergarten classroom, interviews with early childhood professionals, and document analysis of a particular early years policy, we highlight the shortcomings of the focus on physical materials as the primary strategy for addressing ‘race’ and other forms of difference in early childhood education. Assumptions about children’s play are examined and critiqued, with examples of children’s play episodes provided to emphasize how play reproduces systems of power and oppression present in the broader social context. A number of recommendations are offered for both professional practice and the reconceptualization of early childhood policy. EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE, 2017 VOL. 187, NOS. 5–6, 827–839 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1223065
This paper focuses on 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators who ... more This paper focuses on 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators who responded to a question about reporting racial incidents as a ‘Serious Occurrence’ under the guidelines mandated by the City of Toronto Children’s Services Division. We draw on critical race theory and color blind theory in a discursive analysis of participant’s narratives. Results of this analysis suggest that participating early childhood professionals were reluctant to name and acknowledge incidents of racism in early learning environments, and engaged in discursive strategies that minimized and negated such incidents. Implications for the training and education of early childhood educators are noted and implications for provincial policy are discussed.
This article describes a research study that investigated three- and four-year-old Canadian presc... more This article describes a research study that investigated three- and four-year-old Canadian preschool children’s perceptions about starting kindergarten. Findings from 33 focus-group discussions suggest that children begin to formulate ideas about starting kindergarten prior to school entry. Children’s responses were grouped according to three themes, play versus academic activities and homework; getting bigger but still needing help; and rules. Overall, the responses highlighted their expectations regarding continuity and discontinuity between the two environments. These findings support the position that children should be given the opportunity to contribute to the planning of transition practices.
Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Jan 1, 2009
This paper reports on the experiences of ten Somali-Canadian mothers parenting children with Auti... more This paper reports on the experiences of ten Somali-Canadian mothers parenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (asd). Using focus groups and open-ended questions, the study asked the mothers to narrate their experiences and beliefs regarding the stresses they face in parenting a child with asd. Many of the stresses reported by the mothers included anxiety over lack of developmental gains in their children with asd and the resulting issues over safety and future independence. Tensions with key professionals such as teachers and doctors was also noted as causing considerable stress and was perceived to result from limited language skills on the mothers’ part, and lack of knowledge of Somali culture on the part of the professionals. The absence of an extended family in Canada was also noted as causing undue hardship for these mothers and was complicated by Canadian immigration policies that were perceived as rigid. The mothers’ negative experiences with the general public often led them to isolate themselves and their child. While parenting a child with asd has considerable challenges, being an immigrant mother and a member of a visible minority appears to intensify those challenges.
Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Jan 2009
Unlike most research that employs attachment theory and ideologies of good mothering, this study ... more Unlike most research that employs attachment theory and ideologies of good mothering, this study takes a feminist theoretical perspective in order to explore positive aspects of the mother-child relationship, as described by mothers of children on the autism spectrum. Qualitative oral history interviews were conducted with five mothers of children diagnosed with asd (autism spectrum disorder) in Toronto and the York Region of Ontario. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: building a bond through learning and growth of the self; “you will grow with them and your love will grow”; and “find support where you can from people who will understand.” The findings from this study indicate that mothers of children on the autism spectrum can experience their mother-child relationship as a positive bond, one that develops as result of the mothers’ self reflection and growth, which they in turn attribute to the influence of their children, and give this bond back to their children through their mothering practices.These findings make the case that the scope of intervention services must be broadened to focus on facilitating, and acknowledging the positive side of the mother-child relationship amongst families of children on the autism spectrum.
Abstract: The mostly quantitative studies to date on the impact of post-traumatic stress disorde... more Abstract: The mostly quantitative studies to date on the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on family functioning have involved comparing veterans suffering from PTSD with other categories of veterans, by examining psychiatric records, administering self-report instruments, and/or conducting structured interviews. This paper augments these findings with a thematic analysis of inten- sive semi-structured interviews that were carried out in 2009/10 with adolescent children of members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These adolescents attended the high school in “Armyville,” a community that experienced several deployments to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2012. As part of a large, mixed- methods study, we focused on eight of the 17 (out of a total of 61) interview participants who indicated that their fathers or stepfathers had been afflicted with PTSD, in order to explore and discuss the key themes that emerged from their interviews: parental emotional unavailability, parentification, isolation, and school-based extrafamilial support. As illustrated by our interview participants, parentification, being a young carer, and acting out comprise three responses to the destabilizing of family dynamics that often accompanies parental PTSD. We conclude with suggestions for further research and for enhanced school support for adolescents affected by parental PTSD.
Psychological research on Canadian children and race has
shown that young White and racialized ch... more Psychological research on Canadian children and race has shown that young White and racialized children generally have a pro-White bias. While scholars have utilized developmental or social psychological explanations for this finding, none have used an antiracism lens to interpret children’s racial attitudes or to develop an antiracism pedagogy. To address this research gap, this article uses antiracism theory as an analytical tool to explore the social-historical processes that have affected how children evaluate racial differences and White identity. It also briefly proposes antiracism teaching practices specific to early childhood education settings.
International Critical Childhood Policy Studies, 2017
In the current qualitative study, we take a discursive approach, and draw on critical race theory... more In the current qualitative study, we take a discursive approach, and draw on critical race theory (CRT) (Gillborn & Ladson-Billings, 2010) and ideas from the theory of colorblind racism (Bonilla-Silva, 2009), as we examine how ‘racial incidents’ and the (non-)reporting of racial incidents in child care programs are framed in the interview responses of 11 early childhood educators in Toronto, Canada. In a discursive approach to data analysis, “[t]exts are analysed for the way in which the discourses within them construct people and situations, for arguments used to legitimate particular viewpoints, and for the way in which those viewpoints and arguments are expressed. Analyses are informed by theory” (Bazeley, 2013, p. 219).
This article explores how multicultural policy approaches, which mandate the inclusion of cultura... more This article explores how multicultural policy approaches, which mandate the inclusion of culturally and ethnically ‘diverse’ play materials in early childhood classrooms influence the pedagogical practice of educators and, in turn, children’s play and social interactions. Using data collected through participant observation of children’s play in a preschool/ kindergarten classroom, interviews with early childhood professionals, and document analysis of a particular early years policy, we highlight the shortcomings of the focus on physical materials as the primary strategy for addressing ‘race’ and other forms of difference in early childhood education. Assumptions about children’s play are examined and critiqued, with examples of children’s play episodes provided to emphasize how play reproduces systems of power and oppression present in the broader social context. A number of recommendations are offered for both professional practice and the reconceptualization of early childhood policy. EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE, 2017 VOL. 187, NOS. 5–6, 827–839 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1223065
This paper focuses on 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators who ... more This paper focuses on 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators who responded to a question about reporting racial incidents as a ‘Serious Occurrence’ under the guidelines mandated by the City of Toronto Children’s Services Division. We draw on critical race theory and color blind theory in a discursive analysis of participant’s narratives. Results of this analysis suggest that participating early childhood professionals were reluctant to name and acknowledge incidents of racism in early learning environments, and engaged in discursive strategies that minimized and negated such incidents. Implications for the training and education of early childhood educators are noted and implications for provincial policy are discussed.
This article describes a research study that investigated three- and four-year-old Canadian presc... more This article describes a research study that investigated three- and four-year-old Canadian preschool children’s perceptions about starting kindergarten. Findings from 33 focus-group discussions suggest that children begin to formulate ideas about starting kindergarten prior to school entry. Children’s responses were grouped according to three themes, play versus academic activities and homework; getting bigger but still needing help; and rules. Overall, the responses highlighted their expectations regarding continuity and discontinuity between the two environments. These findings support the position that children should be given the opportunity to contribute to the planning of transition practices.
Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Jan 1, 2009
This paper reports on the experiences of ten Somali-Canadian mothers parenting children with Auti... more This paper reports on the experiences of ten Somali-Canadian mothers parenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (asd). Using focus groups and open-ended questions, the study asked the mothers to narrate their experiences and beliefs regarding the stresses they face in parenting a child with asd. Many of the stresses reported by the mothers included anxiety over lack of developmental gains in their children with asd and the resulting issues over safety and future independence. Tensions with key professionals such as teachers and doctors was also noted as causing considerable stress and was perceived to result from limited language skills on the mothers’ part, and lack of knowledge of Somali culture on the part of the professionals. The absence of an extended family in Canada was also noted as causing undue hardship for these mothers and was complicated by Canadian immigration policies that were perceived as rigid. The mothers’ negative experiences with the general public often led them to isolate themselves and their child. While parenting a child with asd has considerable challenges, being an immigrant mother and a member of a visible minority appears to intensify those challenges.
Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Jan 2009
Unlike most research that employs attachment theory and ideologies of good mothering, this study ... more Unlike most research that employs attachment theory and ideologies of good mothering, this study takes a feminist theoretical perspective in order to explore positive aspects of the mother-child relationship, as described by mothers of children on the autism spectrum. Qualitative oral history interviews were conducted with five mothers of children diagnosed with asd (autism spectrum disorder) in Toronto and the York Region of Ontario. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: building a bond through learning and growth of the self; “you will grow with them and your love will grow”; and “find support where you can from people who will understand.” The findings from this study indicate that mothers of children on the autism spectrum can experience their mother-child relationship as a positive bond, one that develops as result of the mothers’ self reflection and growth, which they in turn attribute to the influence of their children, and give this bond back to their children through their mothering practices.These findings make the case that the scope of intervention services must be broadened to focus on facilitating, and acknowledging the positive side of the mother-child relationship amongst families of children on the autism spectrum.
Abstract: The mostly quantitative studies to date on the impact of post-traumatic stress disorde... more Abstract: The mostly quantitative studies to date on the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on family functioning have involved comparing veterans suffering from PTSD with other categories of veterans, by examining psychiatric records, administering self-report instruments, and/or conducting structured interviews. This paper augments these findings with a thematic analysis of inten- sive semi-structured interviews that were carried out in 2009/10 with adolescent children of members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These adolescents attended the high school in “Armyville,” a community that experienced several deployments to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2012. As part of a large, mixed- methods study, we focused on eight of the 17 (out of a total of 61) interview participants who indicated that their fathers or stepfathers had been afflicted with PTSD, in order to explore and discuss the key themes that emerged from their interviews: parental emotional unavailability, parentification, isolation, and school-based extrafamilial support. As illustrated by our interview participants, parentification, being a young carer, and acting out comprise three responses to the destabilizing of family dynamics that often accompanies parental PTSD. We conclude with suggestions for further research and for enhanced school support for adolescents affected by parental PTSD.
In this collection, the authors illuminate the struggles and the successes encountered in the res... more In this collection, the authors illuminate the struggles and the successes encountered in the research partnership process. The authors come from a variety of disciplines, are at various stages of their academic careers, may or may not be part of the academy, adopt a variety of feminist lenses, have a range of research partners, and focus on a range of research topics. However, in keeping with feminist research that highlights “putting the self back into science,” all chapters share a focus on reflexivity, and in particular explore the impact of the research partnership process on the researcher. This “corridor talk,” often inaccessible and considered unimportant, is put at the centre of this feminist collection. Insights and lessons learned are shared, unsolved dilemmas are presented, and recommendations are made.
Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care, 2021
Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care aims to map, deconstruct, and engage with ... more Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care aims to map, deconstruct, and engage with different models of equity as they pertain to the early childhood education landscape in Ontario. Drawing on marginalized narratives of gender, race, Indigeneity, dis/ability and inclusion, and migration, immigration, and displacement, the authors discuss how to advance the field and make it more equitable for children, families, early childhood educators, and all other practitioners. This edited collection outlines the current political climate of early childhood education and care in Ontario through a critical analysis of policies and dominant discourses of equity and inclusion. By prompting readers to reflect on and critique their understandings of children, families, communities, and practices in the field, the authors seek to provide counternarratives to Eurocentric developmentalist hegemonies and an alternative strength-based approach to critical and transformative praxis.
This vital text encourages rethinking how narratives of equity and inclusion are constructed and what this means for young children and their families in Ontario, as well as throughout Canada. This is an essential resource for students in early childhood education and care, early childhood studies, and education programs.
The focus of this chapter is on research with younger children, and on what Corsaro (2005) descri... more The focus of this chapter is on research with younger children, and on what Corsaro (2005) describes as micro-level approaches to data generation, such as interviews, focus groups, and ethnography, as well as creative methods, paying particular attention to the role(s) of the researcher and conceptualizations of children in the process (for a discussion of reflexivity in research with youth, see Raby, 2007). More specifically, we begin the chapter with a discussion of reflexivity in qualitative research, particularly as it relates to researcher positionality, and then move to examine how children are conceptualized in research, paying particular attention to research on children and research with children. We next consider issues connected to gaining access to child participants, as well as what is involved in seeking participation from children themselves in research. The researcher's role is then discussed, as are issues of power in the research process. A- dilemma faced by a research team is presented prior to the conclusion of the chapter.
In this chapter, Berman focuses on families with children and discusses the challenges of parenti... more In this chapter, Berman focuses on families with children and discusses the challenges of parenting children over the life course, including older adults parenting young adult children. The assumptions made about parents and the meanings assigned to parenting styles and practices, often gendered, are discussed. Socialization, in particular, is highlighted as the critical means by which parents teach meanings, practices, and processes to children, a process in which children are actively involved. While the act of parenting is observed as an experience that has remained remarkably consistent over space and time, this is offset by a focus on the creativity involved in parenting, for example, in the raising of gender nonconforming children.
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shown that young White and racialized children generally have
a pro-White bias. While scholars have utilized developmental
or social psychological explanations for this finding, none
have used an antiracism lens to interpret children’s racial
attitudes or to develop an antiracism pedagogy. To address
this research gap, this article uses antiracism theory as an
analytical tool to explore the social-historical processes that
have affected how children evaluate racial differences and
White identity. It also briefly proposes antiracism teaching
practices specific to early childhood education settings.
EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE, 2017 VOL. 187, NOS. 5–6, 827–839 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1223065
shown that young White and racialized children generally have
a pro-White bias. While scholars have utilized developmental
or social psychological explanations for this finding, none
have used an antiracism lens to interpret children’s racial
attitudes or to develop an antiracism pedagogy. To address
this research gap, this article uses antiracism theory as an
analytical tool to explore the social-historical processes that
have affected how children evaluate racial differences and
White identity. It also briefly proposes antiracism teaching
practices specific to early childhood education settings.
EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE, 2017 VOL. 187, NOS. 5–6, 827–839 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1223065
This vital text encourages rethinking how narratives of equity and inclusion are constructed and what this means for young children and their families in Ontario, as well as throughout Canada. This is an essential resource for students in early childhood education and care, early childhood studies, and education programs.