This study examined conflict that occurs when nursery teachers are in charge of temporary childcare. The research was based on a questionnaire and individual interviews. All data from this survey were analyzed via the steps for coding and theorization (SCAT). The results revealed that conflict occurred relating to the following four aspects of childcare: (1) Temporary childcare offers two types of childcare methods from the perspective that children understand or do not understand the routine. (2) Temporary childcare is a self-contained form of childcare. (3) Temporary childcare provides parents with peace of mind for the day. (4) Nursery teachers at temporary childcare play a major role in the welfare of parents and children.

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The focus of this study was a preschool teacher’s behavior as a regulator of children’s conflict-related emotions. The subject, a 3-year-old boy, expressed anxiety each morning of his first year at preschool. The way in which the interaction between him and his teacher changed over time was observed. Observational data showed that the teacher adjusted her action according to the boy’s response as follows: (1) spoke to him in a cheerful manner, (2) teased and joked with him, and (3) watched him from a distance. I therefore conclude that the teacher approached the boy’s emotions peripherally, and offered him an opportunity to engage in emotional regulation. Finally, I surmised that a teacher’s approach to a child should be flexible and based on a deep understanding of the child’s emotions and the relationship between the teacher and child.

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This study investigated the influence of mid-year staffing changes on the process of building a relationship between an ECEC teacher and a young child. I interviewed a female teacher with 7 years of ECEC experience regarding her relationship with a 2-year-old girl, and analyzed the data using the Trajectory Equifinality Model. It became clear that the teacher was struggling with feelings of guilt for being unable to continue teaching the child due to staffing changes. Additionally, even if the teacher sought to maintain the relationship with the girl, conflicts were likely to be caused and perpetuated by the teacher’s past failures and her hesitation to the new teacher.

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This paper demonstrates the significance of conflict in infant childcare. I interacted with infants from 0 to 3 years old in a local nursery, and analyzed my interactions with them. The study period was from April, 201X to March, 201X+1. I analyzed four episodes based on the following perspectives that I defined in previous papers: “intentionality,” “physicality,” “responsiveness,” “empathy,” and “caregiving.” Results showed that conflicts inevitably appear in childcare, with two significant consequences: forming an attachment between infants and the nursery teacher, and strengthening the teacher’s “intentionality.” In order to benefit from conflict, it is important to increase nursery teachers’ sensitivity to the “physicality” of the infant and to continue to try to understand infants’ inter-subjectivity.

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