Forms of disrespect: toddler's peer conflicts in early childhood education and care

This article discusses the ways in which toddlers carry out forms of disrespect during peer conflicts in Australian and Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. We investigate forms of disrespect in naturally occurring peer interactions by applying interaction analysis and Honneth’s theory of recognition. Drawing on Honneth, our study provides an empirical foundation for examining what leads to toddlers’ disrespectful acts. Our analysis shows that, especially outside adults’ view, disrespect in peer conflicts disrupts the fundamental preferences for peer agreement, alignment and affiliation. It threatens the norms of peaceable conduct, and so can be seen as a challenge to the social and moral order. A toddler's struggles for recognition arise from exclusion from play and the violation of the toddler's body. Implications arising from this research highlight the role of adults in identifying different forms of disrespect that occur in peer groups.