A Positive Study on How Children Understand and Develop the Routine Way of Living

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16500471
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General human life sciences
• Research Institution: Joetsu University of Education
• Principal Investigator: OTAKI Midori Joetsu University of Education, Home Economics Education, Professor, 学校教育学部, 教授 (40056388)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2006
• Keywords: routine way of living / make-believe play / longitudinal study / 3 consecutive years / nursery school / toddler / care taker / manipulating toys

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify, by a three-year longitudinal observation and study, how children learn to use 20 kinds of make-believe play toys and how they come to understand the meaning of it.
The subjects were 16 infants under a year old at the beginning of this study who belonged to public nursery schools. Their make-believe plays were observed for 3 consecutive years, until they became three years old, and the followings were revealed : One-year-old toddlers were often seen playing with 2 toys combined. There were 2 kinds of make-believe plays observed : the similar ways to how adults handle the objects and the ones different. Two-year olds used two kinds of toys combined and played with them as the same way as adults handle the objects. Three-year olds manipulated three or more kinds of toys combined, moreover, in the right sequence. It became clear that there are three factors, experience of manipulating objects, imitating other toddlers and/or care takers as well as care takers' involvement, playing significant roles for toddlers to understand both how to handle objects and the meaning of it in the whole course of action.