Abstract
Today the term 'Sodachi' is used more and more frequently among the practitioners and researchers of the early childhood education in Japan. This brings up a question whether or not its counterpart, a psychological term Hattatsu, ' which has been used in the educational field for many years, is taken over by Sodachi.' A questionnaire survey, in which 365 practitioners answered, shows distinct differences in the image and usage of the two terms, i.e., differences were detected in their usage in discussing educational interdependency, dynamism, abilities, developmental stage, and also in cases of conversation with parents. The questionnaire respondents may be classified into Group H (those who use the term Hattatsu more frequently) and Group S (those who use the term Sodachi more frequently) as well as into generation categories of 20s, 30s, and 40s and above. It is safe to state that there seems to be new significant implications in the usage of Sodachi' in the practical field of early childhood education.
