Table A1.
Data set: Meta-themes, sub-themes, and data extracts from field note journal (obs: observation *, ic: informal conversation **).
| Meta-Theme | Sub-Theme | Data Extract |
|---|---|---|
|
Distaste | #1. When the lid is removed from the fish on ice, several children say “Ugh, it smells fishy” [in a bad way]. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs *). |
| #6 Some children do not want to taste the fish. | ||
| Int.: “Why?” | ||
| Response: “It smells of fish”, “We know we do not like fish because it feels weird in the mouth”. A girl says: “That is also why my dad does not like fish” (School MC, ic**). | ||
| #6 Int.: “Do you like the fish?” (asked to a girl group after frying the fish). Girl, not eating her fish fillet: “I do not like the smell of fish”. (School SB, ic). | ||
| #6 After tasting the fried fish fillet, a boy said: “Arhh, that is not for me”. | ||
| Int.: “How come?” | ||
| Boy: “It feels mushy in my mouth and tastes fishy”. (School SA, ic). | ||
| #6 Two girls absolutely do not want to taste the fried fish, because they know that they do not like fish. (School SB, ic). | ||
| #6 A girl nibbles at the fried fish: “I don’t like the fish. It is kind of… mushy”. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #6 Three boys did not want to taste the fish: “We do not like the taste and smell of fish”. (School SC, ic). | ||
| #6 Everyone in the class tastes the fried fish, but three boys spit it out and agree that they do not like to chew it as it is too mushy and soft in the mouth. (School MB, obs). | ||
| #1 When the lid is removed from the fresh fish, many children react by turning away from the fish, holding their hands in front of their mouth and/or nose, pinching their nose, mimicking vomiting, making “yuck” noises, closing their eyes, etc. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #1 “Ugh, it is GROSS and soooo slimy…” | ||
| Some children mimic vomiting (School SA, obs **.). | ||
| #1 Girl, after fish has been cleaned and is placed on the cutting board: “It is not normal”. (School MD, obs.) | ||
| #1 Girl, when fish has been collected: “Yuck! Look, it has eyes” [pinches her nose]. (School SC, obs). | ||
| #1 A boy does not want to touch the fish: “It is slimy”. [no special facial expression/body language]. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #1 A boy pokes the fish before washing: “Ugh, it is sticky”. (School MB, obs.) | ||
| Disgust | #1 Several children try to pick up the fish from the box using only the tips of their thumb and index finger (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | |
| #2 A boy says that the fish is really disgusting, makes “yuck” sounds, but at the same time he cannot help himself poking it in the eye followed by big arm swings and screeching. Then he runs over to wash his fingers and goes back and pokes the fish again. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #4 A group of girls purse their lips at the sight of blood from the fish. Some close their eyes and turn away from the fish. (School MD, obs.). | ||
| #4 Int.: How is it going with filleting the fish? (Question to a girl group).The girl cutting responds: “I think that sound when you kind of hit the bone with the knife and that sound it makes…ugh” [shrugs] (School MD, ic). | ||
| #4 During filleting. Girl: “Yuck, it has fish guts inside [viscera]”. [she pinches her nose and turns away while holding her hands in front of her mouth]. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #4 Several children put on latex gloves before starting filleting. (School MB, obs.). | ||
| #5 When the fillets have to be turned in breadcrumbs, they are moved/lifted by holding the fillet in the tail end with the tip of the thumb and index finger (to touch as little meat as possible). (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs.). | ||
|
Tactility | #1 After washing the fish. Girl, stroking the fish: “It is kind of rough but now it is soft”. (School MB, obs). |
| #1 Boy group after washing the fish: they stroke it and agree that it is weird because it was so slimy before but is now soft to the touch (School MD, obs). | ||
| #1 Int.: “What was it like to touch the fish?” | ||
| Girl: “It was fun because when you stroke it in the opposite direction, it was… kind of rough”. (School MC, ic). | ||
| #2 During the printing process, great attention is given to getting the right amount of ink on the eyes, fins and the mouth to get them onto the paper. This is done by unfolding the fins with the fingers and dabbing the sponge lightly on the eyes, fins and the mouth (the girls are more aware of this than the boys). (School SA, SB, SC, MB, MC, and MD, obs.). | ||
| #2 Girl: “Use your fingers, it’s much easier”. | ||
| The group quickly shifts from using a spoon to using their fingers to ensure that the paper absorbs ink during the printing [stroking the fish on top of the paper]. (School MD, obs.). | ||
| #2 Between prints, the fish is gently patted and stroked by several children; it is ‘tickled’ between the eyes and around the mouth. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #3 A girl group are stroking their fish and give it a name (School SA, obs). | ||
| #3 A girl group are gently stroking their fish, and a girl says: “I can’t eat it now” (School SB, obs.). | ||
| #4 After the filleting process, they use their fingers to check for small bones in the fillets (School SA, SB, SC, MB, MC, and MD, obs.). | ||
| Exploration | #2 A boy turns the fish to its white side and asks: “Why is it white underneath?” Int.: [gives an explanation]. Boy: “Ohh, that is smart”. (School MC, ic). | |
| #3 A girl is exploring the fish. She opens the fish’s mouth and looks into it: “I just had to look inside. You can see its teeth…I just had to touch”. | ||
| Another girl in the group: “Ohh yes, its mouth can get really big”. | ||
| The first girl replies: “Yes, it can eat big fish”. (School MC, ic). | ||
| #3 The children open the mouth of the fish and feel inside with their fingers. Feeling the teeth, in particular, makes them more curious, and they keep exploring, also by touching the tongue. (School SA, SB, SC, MB, MC, and MD, obs.). | ||
| #3 Girl: “Can you eat the squid ink?” | ||
| Int. “Yes, you can. Do you want to taste it?” | ||
| More children gather around the table, and several of them taste the ink. | ||
| “Ugh, it is very salty”. (School MC, ic). | ||
| #3 After printing, a boy asks: “Can you eat the eyes… and may I?” (School MB, obs). | ||
| #3 Int.: “Have you ever tried to open the mouth of a fish?” | ||
| Boy group: “Nooo…”. Int.: “Try it”. A boy holds the fish, while another boy opens the mouth. All: “Whoa!”. (School MB, ic). | ||
| #4 A girl says: “The viscera are not disgusting but mysterious”. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #4 Boys start to explore the viscera of the fish. They ask what parts they are and whether they can be eaten. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 Boys start to pull out the intestines in their full length. (School SA, SC, obs.) | ||
| #4 Girls cutting roe out from the fish. | ||
| Int.: “Do you know what that is?” | ||
| Girl: “No…” | ||
| Other girl in group: “I do… it is roe. Can you eat it?” | ||
| Int.: “Yes” | ||
| Girl: “Let’s try and fry it and taste it”. (School SC, ic). | ||
| #4 Roe in fish: first the children do not want to touch or even look, but after a while they start to pick at it with the knife tip and then cut it, mash it and study the small eggs. (School SA, SB, SC, obs.). | ||
| Liking | #1 Girl: “It smells good and bad at the same time” (School MD, obs.). | |
| #1 Girl, when the lid is removed from the fish: “It smells fresh… of the sea and salt”. (School MB, obs). | ||
| #6 A girl who says that she does not like fish chooses to taste it anyway: “Ohh, but it tastes like chicken”. (School MB, obs.). | ||
| #6 A girl eats fried roe: “Ohh, it tastes OK—just like the rest of the fish”. (School SB, ic). | ||
| #6 A boy fries the liver: “It tastes like chicken—not bad… like chicken and a little bit of blood”. (School SB, obs). | ||
| #6 A girl tastes a little bit of roasted fish roe and says: “Mmm, it actually tastes like cod roe… but it is a little bit grainy and dry in the mouth”. (School MD, obs). | ||
| #6. After the fish has been fried, a group of boys are talking about the taste of the fish. Boy: “It actually tastes good”. Another boy replies: “Yes, much better than the ones I get at home”. (School MC, ic). | ||
| #6 Four boys taste the fried fish: “Yes, it is good”. The other boys agree by nodding their heads. (School MD, obs.). | ||
| #6 A girl is eating her fish fillet: “Mmm, I love fish fillet” | ||
| Int.: “Why?” | ||
| Girl: “It is kind of a little bit sweet but also just good. We also get it at home”. (School MD, ic). | ||
| #6 Most children choose to taste the fried fish. Only a few do not eat all of it (School SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
|
Autonomy | #all All assignments are carried out through group decision making and negotiation in the group (no teacher involvement), for example, who should pick up the fish, or who should fry the fish. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). |
| #2 A teacher wants to help a group with the printing, but the group says that they want to do it themselves. (School MC, obs). | ||
| #3 After the printing, children show their self-made print to teachers and other groups. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 They want to try to fillet the fish themselves. I (the experimenter) am not allowed to help too much, only to correct them if they have made a wrong cut. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 A group asks for help with the filleting process, but the child holding the knife does not want to let it go (School MD, obs). | ||
| #4 All of the children who filleted their own fish take great pride in their work; they show me their fillet and want me to praise them (prior to the filleting I made it clear that it was difficult and nobody can do it perfectly the first time they try it). (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs.). | ||
| Skills | #1 Before printing, groups evaluate the freshness of the fish based on what they remember from the theme course material (they remember the video material better than that from the booklet). They evaluate the freshness by smelling and agree that the fish should smell of salt and seaweed. (School MC, obs). | |
| #2 During the printing process, great attention is given to applying the right amount of ink to the fish and getting ink on all parts of the fish—this is more pronounced among the girls than the boys, who are more concerned with getting it done; a lot of them call me to show me their work. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 While filleting, several children refer to the You Tube video on filleting flatfish (a part of the theme course material): “You just have to let the knife do the work for you” becomes a phrase they repeat in the groups. (School MB, MC, MD, obs). | ||
| #4 It is evident that the children are not used to filleting fresh fish; one class has been on a cooking camp where they worked with fish, but they did not try to fillet their own fish. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs/ic). | ||
| #4 When the children start to fillet, they have great difficulty in holding the filleting knife correctly. However, when they try to fillet their own fish, they become more confident in using the knife and hold it more correctly. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #5 When frying the fish, the children are very preoccupied with cooking it for the right amount of time, so it is not raw, but they are also focused on not cooking it for too long. They comment on the colour and use that as a way of telling if it is done. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #5 After frying the fish, a girl says: “Ahh, now I know how to make fish fillet. I would like to try it at home if mom will buy a fish”. (School MC, ic). | ||
|
Helping each other | #all Groups are very preoccupied with justice; that all group members get to make a print, fillet and get to taste an equal amount of fish. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). |
| #1 Two girls are washing and drying a dab before printing. They help each other by holding the fish at each end and carrying it together to the printing table (School MC, obs.). | ||
| #1 Two boys are collecting the fish from the box. They end up picking it up together and carry it to the sink. (School SA, obs). | ||
| #1 A boy and a girl are helping each other, holding the fish and washing it under running water; one of them holds the fish, while the other rubs it with lemon. (School SB, obs). | ||
| #2 During printing, the group members give advice to the child applying the ink, for example in order to get ink on the eyes, mouth and fins. Advice is also given to avoid large ink blobs on the finished print. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #2 During printing, they help each other apply the paper and place it correctly on the fish; they also help each other rub the paper and lift the fish print. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #2 The boys seem to correct each other, whereas the girls support each other (School MC, obs). | ||
| #4. During the filleting, the group members give advice to the child filleting, for example, on how and where to cut. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 The girls give advice on how and where to cut: “You have to start with the moon-shaped cut there”. However, the boys correct each other more often. (School MB, obs). | ||
| #6 Before eating, the children help arrange the fish fillets on small platters, so it looks like a small dish, while others set the table. They all sit down and eat at two tables laid with cutlery, glasses, water jugs and napkins. (School MD, obs). | ||
| Peer influence | #1 When the lid is removed from the box containing fish, the disgust behaviour spreads in small groups—if one person in the group reacts, the others react too. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | |
| #3 After printing, two girls in a group of four touch the fish, while the other two do not want to touch it. After observing the girls touching the fish for a little while, the other two girls change their mind and come over to the fish and try to touch it (School MB, obs.) | ||
| #4 While a group of boys explore the viscera and eyes of the fish, they challenge each other to touch the eye (School MC, obs). | ||
| #4 During the filleting process, when children find viscera and roe in the fish, they start to react to it in the group. If one person reacts by holding a hand in front of the mouth, other group members react in a similar way. (School MB, MC, MD, SA, SB, SC, obs). | ||
| #4 A girl does not want to fillet a fish, but after observing the other girls in her group, she ends up doing it (and even eating it after it has been fried). (School MB, obs). | ||
| #6 Everyone in the class tastes the fried fish, but three boys from the same group spit it out and agree that they do not like to chew it as it is too mushy and soft in the mouth (first one boy spits it out, then the rest of the group). (School MB, obs). |
Phase in the experiment: #1 = Before printing; #2 = During printing; #3 = Between printing and filleting; #4 = During filleting; #5 = Frying; #6 = Tasting; #all = All phases of the experiment. obs: observation *, ic: informal conversation **.