Holding the baby: holding the educator. Embodied interactions between educators and 0-3-year-olds in early years settings

Manning-Morton, J (2026) Holding the baby: holding the educator. Embodied interactions between educators and 0-3-year-olds in early years settings. PhD thesis, Bath Spa University. doi: 10.17870/bathspa.00017625

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Abstract

This research explored the lived experiences of physical interactions between educators and 0–3-year-olds in four early years settings in the UK. There are close connections between the qualities of physical interactions and children’s wellbeing, but discussion of physical caregiving has diminished in policy and pedagogical frameworks in the UK. Therefore, this research also explored how educators might be supported in developing positive physical interactions. This was a qualitative study using a co-operative inquiry approach with collaborative and participatory research methods (Reason and Bradbury 2006). Eight educators participated in a Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (Strathie et al 2011) process. Different perspectives on the bodyself were explored to demonstrate the complexity of physical interactions within a conceptual framework of embodiment (Ellingson 2017) and intersubjectivity (Trevarthen and Aitken 2001). This research shows that educators and young children are in constant communication using physical cues and touch in subtle ways. The research identified that ‘holding the baby’ includes a continuum of touch that impact children’s experience differently and that relate to educators’ intentions and are influenced by environmental factors and discourse, suggesting a matrix of elements that contribute to embodied intersubjective interactions. The research also found that attuned embodied interactions in physical care-giving practices are effectively supported and facilitated using process-oriented, experiential, strengths-based, video reflexive methods, which ‘hold the educator’ and give perceptual salience to physical interactions, enhance sensitivity to children’s cues and contribute to educator’s professional esteem and awareness of the interconnectivity between their own and children’s experiences. This thesis recommends that early childhood policy and pedagogy should seek to incorporate thinking about how children engage in and experience physical interactions with educators and make connections across all aspects of experience, practice and provision.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	embodied intersubjectivity, babies, care, professional development, video observation, work discussion, early years, physical interactions, physical communication, children's wellbeing, co-operative inquiry, participatory research, early childhood policy, early childhood pedagogy
Divisions:	School of Education
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2026 17:39
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2026 17:42
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17625

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