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Prof. Josephine Deguara presents paper at the 34th EECERA Conference

Prof. Josephine Deguara, participated in the 34th European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference, held at the University of Madeira from 25–28 August 2026. The conference brought together researchers, educators and practitioners from across the field of early childhood education and care, providing a valuable forum for scholarly exchange, dialogue and collaboration.

Her paper entitled, “Me Dressed as a Girl”: Identity, Representation and Meaning-Making in Young Children’s Drawings explored how young children use drawings and narratives to construct and communicate their identities, including their understandings of self, belonging and gender.

It also considered the potential of digitally supported drawing methodologies to create participatory spaces in which children can communicate their perspectives and exercise their agency.

In collaboration with Dr Anne Grethe Baustad from Nord University, she also presented the poster “They Eat Each Other … and We Eat Them”: A Child’s Drawings and Narratives of the Sea. The research foregrounds children’s perspectives and meaning-making in relation to the sea, illustrating how children’s drawings, together with their narratives, can provide valuable insights into their thinking and experiences.

Participation in EECERA 2026 provided an enriching opportunity to engage with current research in early childhood education, exchange ideas with colleagues from different contexts, and develop conversations that extend beyond the conference itself. Such academic encounters are particularly valuable in strengthening international research collaborations and contributing to ongoing dialogue about children’s participation, voice, agency and meaning-making in early childhood education.