The nursery school teacher theory of Kurahashi Sozo has been studied mainly in the conceptual realm. But since a teacher's quality is not something to be emulated mechanistically, but rather to be realized through each teacher herself, we should appreciate Kurahashi's theory not only conceptually but through the concrete processes and experiences. I examined Kurahashi's novel Natsuko, whose theme centers around a teacher's search for identity, and derived essential elements of his theory from it. In the teacher's search for identity, active and holistic commitment, the process of unconscious incubation, and learning from encounters with children are shown to be important momenta, though rarely explicated in previous studies. Teachers' reflections were discussed as an issue for further research.

View full abstract

With the "school evaluations" of Japanese early childhood education in mind, this paper aims to elucidate research results relating to the quality of German "Situational Approach (Situationsansatz)" and the methods used in evaluating that approach. I have first examined the accomplishments of the INA study group. Their research has been fruitful in two significant ways. The first is that they have shed light on the fact that quality is continually reformed through a dynamic process of conceiving a basic principle which itself is done by fusing selfevident macro theories and experience-based micro viewpoints. The second is that they have published specific internal and external evaluations which are participatory approaches for quality improvement. From these, I have shed light on the following aims: promoting self-improvement and development among those who are involved in quality improvement, further establishing autonomous professionalism based upon the teacher's own motivation, and organizational development as democratic communities.

View full abstract

This study aims to analyze how Japanese pre-school children, through their relationships with others, understand the importance of norms. In two different years, two different classes of four-year-olds were observed, focusing on words used to ask for permission. Episodes were analyzed in two respects: (1) the structure of relationships referred to by children when making decisions related to understood norms; (2) the methods used to help children realize the importance of norms. It was clarified that the children not only rely on the adults' authority, but also refer to the other children's intentions, and that the responses from the teachers can help lead children to think by themselves and understand the importance of norms. Based on the results of this study, further analysis of changes due to age, time period, and teachers' responses are necessary.

View full abstract

This study aims to elucidate experiential content in a clean-up scene by looking at how children interact with objects. We observed a three-year-old boy in the scene for a year and recorded it. The episodes were analyzed in terms of property and common property. In the clean-up area, the child returned to common property those things he had played with: things he had possessed, selected, and/or used to build something. This was a rich experience in that the child was able to experience the enjoyment of possession and/or attachment to things and then by his own volition to dismantle those things and return them to common property. An additional significance of clean-up time became clear: it is a situation in which children may practice understanding the intentions of others based upon the things those others create.

View full abstract

At the age of two, children begin to differentiate between themselves and others. This age sees great growth in their ability to understand others - an ability related to their capacity for self-awareness. These developments are connected to their increasing ability to sympathize. In the current study, we have done a comparative study of mothers and fathers with the aim of exploring what sort of relationship brings out sympathetic behavior in two-year-olds. In Part I of our research we made inquiries into the ways affection is shown to children. In Part II we observed the parents and child in a free play scene, as well as in a scene set up to test for sympathy evocation. The results suggested that whether the child was interacting with the father or mother was not a factor in displays of sympathy. Rather the important factors seemed to be the quantitative issue of how much contact the parent has with the child and the qualitative issue of the nature of that contact on a regular basis.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how nursery school and kindergarten teachers assess their experiences of early childhood education and care for children including those with special needs. We interviewed 22 nursery school and kindergarten teachers and analyzed their narratives. These narratives included the binary oppositional structure "participation/non-participation". The result was that there were some practical suggestions about "events", "group activities", "environment creation" and "the presence of assistant teachers". In conclusion, the link was reconfirmed between children's learning and the immutable "watch over them (mimamoru) so they can feel at ease" nurturing style. I submit that a review of records and debates is necessary to create a cycle for deconstruction practices.

View full abstract

To clarify the significance of contact books, this study focuses on their description from the perspective of relationships between a caregiver and a parent that determine the quality of the childcare process. Findings from a qualitative analysis of a year's entries in one parental contact book confirmed that entries of the parent and the caregiver increased in scope over time, making possible the following observations: (1) contact books can serve as a record of the development of mutual understanding between caregivers and parents; (2) the relationship between caregivers and parents determines the quality of the childcare process; (3) it is necessary that caregivers share parental recognition and perspectives on development; and (4) the need for improving the quality of childcare structures may be reasonably suggested.

View full abstract