A Case Study on Children’s Awareness in Modeling Activities

—Qualitative Approach to Analyzing Child Interaction in Kindergarten Modeling Activities—

Abstract

In this study, I attempted to analyze and clarify the type of environment that children are placed in and the types of things that they are involved in when they are engaged in modeling activities, by analyzing and clarifying the details of the awareness and learning that they display. A video recording was made of the scene of the modeling activity, and a transcript was created. Then a descriptive analysis of the environment setting and the types of exchanges that took place between the instructor and children was conducted in an effort to qualitatively analyze children’s awareness and learning. It was confirmed that environmental factors, such as the influence of teachers’ and leaders’ remarks on children’s activities, interaction with surrounding children, and materials led to awareness and learning. In addition, the transcript demonstrated that children’s utterances and gazes, laughter, nods, surrounding utterances, gestures, positions, and manipulations of materials and tools, and the surrounding environment interact with each other when awareness and learning occurred.