The Beginning of Engagement with Peers in Infancy from the Perspective of the Second Person Approach

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02623
• 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: Tamagawa University
• Principal Investigator: IWATA Keiko 玉川大学, 教育学部, 教授 (80287812)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 二人称的アプローチ / 乳児保育 / おもしろさ / ドキュメンテーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study explored infants' interactions with their peers using a second-person approach. This study was initially intended to be a comparative study between childcare (i.e., children have opportunities to continuously spend time with peers) and laboratory settings (i.e., children are involved with peers they have never met before); however, only childcare settings were included because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding children's interactions with peers, interviews with caregivers in charge of the 0-year-old class revealed that the children began showing an awareness of their peers in situations where they shared life together, including eating; that they followed and imitated peers they found attractive; and that they often initiated interactions through objects they found attractive. This is because they often begin interacting with each other through objects they find attractive. We do plan to conduct a microanalysis using videos in the future.

Free Research Field

保育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、０歳台から保育の場で過ごすことの意義の一端を明らかにすることができた。０歳児は決して受け身の存在ではなく、自ら関わろうとする存在であり、その関わろうとする対象は保護者、保育者だけではなく、周囲にいる仲間、モノにも向けられている。そこから得られる体験、学びが多様であることが示され、保育の場で過ごすことに、子ども自身にとって意味があることが示された。低年齢の保育は、保護者の就労、子育て支援のためのサービスの側面から捉えられることが多いが、子ども自身にとっても意味ある場、時間であることを示すことができたことは、意味ある結果であると捉えられ、今後さらに探究を深めたい。