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Research related to the Big Job concept Research validates the use of Big Jobs to challenge children. Beginning in the 1930s, theorists of the Adler school of psychology viewed children’s motivation as being rooted in children’s feelings of emotional competence and linked to self-concept. Alfred Adler believed that constructive usefulness would give the individual “a sense of happiness and the feeling of worth and power” (Adler 1930, 20). Rudolph Dreikurs, remembered best as the father of logical consequences, is perhaps less known for his strong belief in children’s need to be needed. Dreikurs and Soltz view happiness, even in young children, as arising “from within oneself as a result of increased self-sufficiency” (Dreikurs & Soltz 1964, 41). Researchers and developmental psychologists have long been interested in children’s motivation to learn. White’s (1959) description of the urge toward competence, in which children show a need to have an effect on their environment, seems especially salient to us in view of how we see children responding to Big Jobs. Harter writes about effectance motivation—the desire to solve challenging problems for the gratification of discovering the solution—and its key components, “curiosity, preference for challenge, internal criteria of success, and working for one’s own satisfaction” (Harter 1975, 370). This describes children working at Big Jobs. Daniel Goleman has defined a model of emotional intelligence that he sees as an important aptitude for living a successful, happy, and contributing life. Applying the emotions to learning, he discusses the feelings of self-efficacy, “the belief that one has mastery over the events of one’s life and can meet challenges as they come up” (Goleman 1995, 103). He notes that developing a competency of any kind increases the feelings of self-efficacy, making a person more ready to seek out new challenges. The children coming into the classroom after a satisfying Big Job feel ready to tackle learning and playing together in the indoor setting. Hauser-Cram reviews the literature on mastery motivation, which she defines as “children’s motivation to solve problems, figure out how objects work, and complete tasks they set out to do” (1998, 67). She proposes some conclusions to promote problem solving and encourage children’s autonomy in a classroom setting. She challenges us to look at “the extent that peers challenge each other as they persist together on a joint enterprise. To what extent do children develop a sense of shared agency in making a difference in their preschool classroom?” (Hauser-Cram 1999, 170). Children working together on Big Jobs know they are making a difference. Educational leaders tell us to engage children in meaningful, situational learning. Katz and McClellan (1997) discuss competence in a social context—children becoming socially competent through activities shared with others. Teachers using the project approach involve children in personally meaningful inquiry. Helm and Katz see opportunities to become engaged in a topic of personal interest and to have an emotional involvement in their learning experiences as important in strengthening their natural curiosity and desire to learn (Helm & Katz 2001, 5). Bredekamp and Copple (1997) urge teachers to provide many opportunities for children to learn to work collaboratively with others and to socially construct knowledge as well as develop social skills, such as cooperating, helping, negotiating, and talking with other people to solve problems (p. 129). A guiding principle of the Illinois Early Learning Standards states that “the early childhood environment should provide opportunities for children to explore material, engage in activities, and interact with peers and adults to construct their own understanding of the world around them” (Illinois State Board of Education 2002). Young children developing their social skills may need help learning to interact with others (Katz & McClellan 1997). Big Jobs offer the camaraderie of working together, which carries over into other areas of learning. In addition, the Illinois Standards goals for social and emotional development include the ability to “demonstrate a respect and a responsibility for self and others” as well as “perform effectively as a member of a group” (www.illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/socemodev.htm). While teacher-led group activities such as singing and group discussions during circle time help children learn to participate in a group, Big Jobs offer children a motivating task to be completed while working with others and the additional emotional benefit of feeling useful and needed. When a child feels capable, he or she can more ably join in other group or team activities.   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 

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