Abstract
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the nursery adaptation process of a foreign child, in order to identify psychological effects of support by a childcare staff with foreign nationality. Participant observation was performed in class for three-year olds at a nursery in Gunma Oizumi that had a childcare staff from South America. The observation was focused on a foreign child who had recently entered the nursery. The results showed that when the
foreign child had a problem, or wanted to convey something, the child would seek out the staff with foreign nationality to communicate in their native language. On numerous occasions, it was observed that such actions helped calm the child. Also, the mother of the child would communicate with the staff with foreign nationality, which helped to develop a positive system of communication. These observations suggest that communication in the native language is vital to conveying individual feelings for both the foreign child and mother. It is concluded that the support by the staff with foreign nationality provided a sense of comfort for the foreign child and his mother, and has the psychological effects of promoting adaptation to the nursery environment by the child.
