The creation of a database of teacher-children and children's peer interactions in Japanese daycare centers and the investigation of children's communicative development

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02641
• 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: Kyoto Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Fukada Chie 京都工芸繊維大学, 基盤科学系, 教授 (70340891)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 集団保育・集団教育 / インタラクション / コミュニケーション / 発達 / 表現・ことば・動き / 関係構築

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Japan, most children grow up in group care and group education from infancy. This study focused on the role of this situation in children’s language acquisition and socialization. By gathering and analyzing the data on the interactions between children and instructors (or support staff) and among children in these group sessions, the study described in detail their use of language, behaviour and other means of expression (e.g. posture, positioning). The study also examined both the in-session changes and the developmental shifts, carefully attending to child(ren)’s age and the environments they are situated in. Additionally, by comparing these group interactions with parent-child interactions, the study showed distinctive characteristics of the group sessions which encourage children’s linguistic and social development. The results were published in several book chapters, a book review, oral presentations and collaborative studies with researchers in related fields.

Free Research Field

認知言語学、言語獲得、認知科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、集団保育・集団教育の現場で繰り広げられる子どもたちと多様な他者とのやりとりを採取・分析し、親子間のインタラクションとも比較しながら、子どもたちの表現及び表現手段の広がりや社会性の発達における集団保育・集団教育の意義について検討してきた。本研究で得られた知見は、保育学や幼児教育学だけでなく、子育てを社会全体で支える仕組みを考える上でも有益な知見となりうる。また、ことばだけでなく、動き、姿勢、位置といったことば以外の表現手段にも注目し、場面や状況、年齢なども考慮に入れながら考察を加えたことで、言語学だけでなく発達科学や認知科学などといった関連領域の進展にも貢献しうる知見を得られた。