Abstract
This research aims to examine how infants cooperate to establish common goals for their interactions with things and other people, and to clarify the processes they use to set and share goals. A videotape of a kindergarten was analyzed and indicated the following points: (1) the cooperative process of setting and sharing goals is not a simple linear process but a qualitative spiral one which requires reflection and expanding cooperation to examine and modify the goals. (2) in helping children set goals, preschool teachers should, ideally, participate in infants' activities and cooperate with them. The teachers also need to understand infants' initiatives as they are related to their strong motivation, and to support them to utilize the surrounding resources to develop increased self-organization.
