We present a theoretical-methodological approach which proposies a semiotic network of meanings to analyse human development. This network structures the milieu/moyen which, at each moment and situation, captures and frames each person's behavioral flow, rendering it meaningful in that context. Thus, it acts as a mediator of development in the interactive situation. Persons and network of meanings are mutually and continuously transformed. Those changes are canalised by the context's physical and social characteristics in a dynamic segmentation and combination of fragments of discursive and ideological formations, past and present experiences, and future expectations. With that perspective, we tried to apprehend the co-construction and mutual transformations of individuals in specific situations, encompassing interactions, contexts, roles attributed or assumed by the participants, and cultural meanings which guide the development of persons and situations. Although it was initially designed to study the adaptation of babies to day-care, this approach is proposed for the analysis of various situations.
Network of meanings; human development; social interactions; day care centre
