Abstract
This study focused on the development of children’s help-seeking behaviors in a nursery school through the observations on the basis of psychological ethnography. Interactions between 3-6 year olds （n=62) and their nursery teachers （n=7） were observed in their daily lives. Eight categories of children’s help-seeking behaviors are as follows: “verbalization,” “physical expression,” “crying,” “gazing,” “approach,” “aggressive behaviors,” “physical contact” and “presentation of objects.” While three-year-olds showed more “presentation of objects,” four-year-olds showed more “physical expression” and “gazing,” and five-year-olds showed more “crying.” In addition, children’s help-seeking behaviors varied with the situations, and teachers differently responded to the children’s various help-seeking behaviors. These findings suggests that young children sought help in various ways, and teachers change their ways of supporting depending on the children’s behaviors. The relation between development of children’s help-seeking and teachers’ support is discussed.
