Research on the educational effect of sand play in the elementary school with life environmental studies.

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K04739
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Education on school subjects and activities
• Research Institution: Fukushima University
• Principal Investigator: Munakata Junko 福島大学, 人間発達文化学類附属学校臨床支援センター, 教授 (10757529)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 砂遊び / 生活科 / 保幼小連携 / 関与観察 / 教育的効果 / 教師への影響 / カリキュラム / 入学間もない

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I continuously observed lesson practices that participated in this study and accumulated episodes by observing subjected children and the teachers, to elucidate the educational effects of play with sand in life environmental studies. I learned that this practice would provide the first grade with opportunities to naturally establish relationships with others, or would offer them chances for self-realization. As for the teachers, I found that it would be an opportunity for them to learn the new perspectives of the children's personalities. I confirmed that sharing these episodes with teachers and researchers would considerably influence either the teachers' view of the children or their lesson plans, which were focused on those children. Moreover, it was suggested during our investigation that play with sand could provide a possible solution for addressing the issues of collaboration in preschool- elementary schools. Thus, play with sand evidently showed promising educational effects.

Free Research Field

教育実践学　教科教育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

小学校入学間もない子どもにとって生活科の授業で砂遊びを行うことがどのような教育的効果をもたらすのかを明らかにした。研究の方法として、入学間もない学級における長期的な関与観察とエピソード記述を行い、担任の教員と共有していった。その結果、子どもの自然な人間関係構築、学級における居場所づくりにつながることが分かった。教師にとっては、子どもが自分の思いに基づき思い切り砂遊びをすることを見たり、関わったりすることで新たな一面を発見したり、その後の子どもの思いを尊重する関わりにつながることが分かった。また、保幼小連携の新たな取り組みとして可能性があることも明らかになった。