A Study of Practical Knowledge and Thinking of Early Childhood Educators Fostering Cooperative Play among Young Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the practical knowledge and behavior of early childhood educators by video recording their interaction with their students, and by analyzing their comments on the visual data. The subjects of our study are educators of one kindergarten, and one educator from another kindergarten. The methodology and methods used in the study are as follows:

(1) Videos of educators in the classes of four and five year-old children were taken.

(2) Clips of educators who promoted Cooperative Play were compiled.

(3) Interviews were conducted of the educators as they viewed the compiled video clips.

(4) The results of the interviews were analyzed using M-GTA (Kinoshita 2003).

The principal findings of this study are twofold. First, educators for the class of 4-year olds not only promoted Cooperative Play of their students, but also prepared activities for the next day, even if the activities did not materialize. Secondly, educators for the class of 5-year olds also not only promoted Cooperative Play among their students, but they promoted the development of individual children by demonstrating each child's role in Cooperative Play activities.