The Effect of Extra Curricular Hours in Preschool on Child Rearing at Home and Child Development

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K02453
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 09030:Childhood and nursery/pre-school education-related
• Research Institution: Mejiro University
• Principal Investigator: Aramaki Misako 目白大学, 人間学部, 准教授 (80509703)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 子育て支援 / 預かり保育 / 育児感情

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A longitudinal questionnaire survey of parents with young children was conducted to test whether the use of "extra hours for childcare in kindergartens" affects child development. After controlling for the effects of the child's gender, age, socioeconomic status, and parental attitudes toward child care, the analysis showed that the presence or absence of "extended parenting time" had little effect on child development. However, the fact that the content of "extra hours for childcare" was prescriptive had a weak negative effect on the development of "curiosity". In addition, parents who placed more importance on "extended daycare hours at kindergartens" when choosing a kindergarten or daycare center were more likely to have less positive feelings about childcare and lower expectations about the content of childcare, suggesting that they may be in a situation where they cannot afford to raise their children.

Free Research Field

保育学、発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究における学術的意義は、以下、２点挙げられる。第一に、幼稚園における預かり保育が子どもの発達に与える影響について、縦断データをもとに分析することで因果関係について検証できたこと、そして、単に預かり保育を利用しているかどうかだけでなく、預かり保育の活動内容の違いについて検証できた点である。第二に、預かり保育を園選びの際の条件として重視しているかどうかによって、保護者の特徴に違いが確認できた点が挙げられる。