When using objects is not enough: microgenetic analysis of an educational situation in early childhood education

Abstract Objective The study investigates how intentional actions of a teacher, through the use of objects by 2- to 3-year-old children in educational settings, promoting the emergence of indicators related to executive functions. Method Videos of educational situations conducted by a teacher with 12 children in a public school were analyzed. The analysis focused on a semi-structured task carried out after the shared reading of a children’s book, aiming to observe the teacher’s interventions, the uses of objects, and the children’s actions. Results The results indicate that the teacher’s interventions appeared to restrict the semiotic dynamics involving the use of books, with little anticipation of expected outcomes at key moments of the activity. These interventions limited the promotion of executive functions in the children during the interactions. However, it was observed that some children were able to regulate their actions and exert some level of control over the task. Conclusion It is concluded that, although the teacher’s mediation could have promoted greater challenges, the children demonstrated indicators of self-regulation. This suggests that the action and handling of objects can, to some extent, foster the development of executive control, even with minimally directed interventions. The study highlights the need for more intentional and planned pedagogical practices that impact the processes of executive functioning in children from the early years of Early Childhood Education.