Abstract
The present study investigated how images of practical terms are related to Japanese kindergarten and elementary school teachers' teaching experiences, and how these images reflect the teachers' practical knowledge. Based on the present authors' previous research, 8 terms were chosen for study. In order to identify images associated with these terms, questionnaires were distributed to 92 Japanese kindergarten teachers and 101 elementary school teachers in 6 schools (mean teaching experience, 6.33 and 17.1 years; SD, 7.27 and 9.68, respectively). The frequency of use of all the terms by the kindergarten teachers, compared with the elementary school teachers, was significant. In general, the kindergarten teachers tended to regard the children's autonomy and spontaneous attitudes as important, to interpret the children's inner feelings and actions continuously, and to engage in constructing activities with the children. In contrast, the elementary school teachers were more likely to consider their own ways of instructing and directing activities as important, and to direct their dialogues with the children. In summary, despite using the same terms, these two groups of teachers conceived and perceived the terms differently.
