Process of Framing the Quality of Early Childhood Care and Education: Standardization and Heterogeneity in a Rural Preschool

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20847
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H05642 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0104:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Matsumoto Junior College (2019); Obihiro Ohtani Junior College (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Chaya Tomoyuki 松本短期大学, その他部局等, 助教 (20824808)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 保育の質 / 農村保育所 / 社会関係

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Through two years of fieldwork, the researcher has discovered the process of framing the quality of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in the reformation of rural preschool in Hokkaido, Japan. I have found that various actors such as Mayor, staff of the child care support section, child care workers, farmers, dairy farmers, and parents participated in this process and raised their voices. I have indicated that they could create various meanings to the quality of ECCE because a local referendum system as majority decision did not install in this decision-making process, and non-indicative wards have been used in interaction in the preschool.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで保育の質をめぐる先行研究では、標準的な質を求める動きと、子どもや地域の多様性を重視した質のあり方を求める動きが対抗的に捉えられてきた。それに対し本研究は、保育の質という社会的枠組みが生成される過程と、そこに参与する多様な関係者の利害や思惑に着目し、保育の質の標準化と異質化を対抗的ではなく相互補完的に捉えた。その視座は、世界各地の就学前教育・保育の現場において求められている、全国レベルの標準化と地域社会のニーズとの調整においても活かすことができる可能性があるため、今後も本研究成果を広く公表していきたいと考えている。