Final Version May 5 07

14
Relevance of Study
When I took a step backwards to deliberately retrace my own development, this
reflective process led to a construction of knowledge and an ability to articulate it. The
implications of finding voice on this journey have been powerful, leading me to reach out
to others. Discovering emergent curriculum has been instrumental in the process,
providing the vehicle for my journey towards self-actualization.
According to Maslow (1968) self-actualization is “an episode, or a spurt in which
the powers of the person come together in a particularly efficient and intensely enjoyable
way.” The person is “more integrated and less split, more open for experience, more
idiosyncratic, more perfectly expressive or spontaneous, or fully functioning, more
creative, more humorous, more ego-transcending, more independent of lower needs.” (p.
97). In these episodes, the person becomes more truly herself, more perfectly actualizing
potentialities, closer to the core of being more fully human.
Will the acceptance of an emergent curriculum propel early childhood educators
toward self-actualization? Could finding an empowering curriculum that is true to one’s
own voice change a negative self-image to a positive one? Before reaching this pinnacle
according to Maslow’s (1968) theory of self-actualization, esteem needs must be met.
The need for status and recognition precede the need for self-respect, including such
feelings as confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom.
The negative version of these needs is low self-esteem and inferiority complexes
(Maslow, 1968).
This study will look at the classrooms of four individuals to see beyond to the
field itself. It will ask the reader to consider the impact of emergent curriculum in this
broader context. Could emergent curriculum influence a yet-to-be-professionalized,