Preschool and Three Cultures Revisited Notes
Preschool and Three Cultures Revisited: Research Tool
Videos initially created as research tools for the "Preschool and Three Cultures Revisited" study.
Study published in 2009 by the University of Chicago Press, a follow-up to a book from twenty years prior.
Videos re-edited with narration for use as video companions to the books.
Both old and new studies use videos as interviewing tools.
Approach termed video cued multivocal ethnography or the preschool in three cultures method.
Core Data: Informant Responses
The informants' responses to the images, not the images themselves, are the core data.
Responses are the primary source of meaning.
Method Steps
Preschool Selection: Select a well-reputed, typical preschool in each country with enthusiastic staff and parents.
Videotaping: Record a full day at each preschool using two cameras, resulting in approximately ten hours of footage.
Editing: Condense the footage to a twenty-minute video.
Teacher Interview: Show the edited video to the class teacher, asking her to explain the reasoning behind observed behaviors.
Focus Group Discussions: Conduct focus groups with teachers:
At the filmed preschool
At other preschools nationally
At preschools in the other two countries (e.g., Chinese teachers comment on Japanese and US videos).
Comments reveal core beliefs.
Representative Preschools
Individual preschools not representative of an entire city or country.
The preschools are "not unrepresentative," i.e., they are examples of preschools in their respective countries.
The new study includes videos from two preschools in each country:
One preschool filmed twenty years prior.
One preschool representing a new direction in early childhood education.
Learning About Variation
Showed and discussed videos with hundreds of preschool teachers and directors in each country.
This approach allowed the researchers to learn about the variation in each country.
The book presents analyses of teacher reflections on practices.
DVD narrations contain only a few of the insider insights.
Daiguan Kindergarten in Kunming, China
Video of a typical day at Daiguan Yoru Yuan (kindergarten) in Kunming, China.
Filmed in 02/2002.
Return visit; the original video was shot 17 years earlier for the initial study.
Originally referred to as Dongfeng due to political concerns.
Daily Activities
Arrival and health checks by the school nurse.
Meals.
Bathroom trips.
Visits to art, gym, music, and block rooms.
Departure.
Comparison scenes from the 1985 video included.
Location
Located on a busy street in Kunming.
Operating hours: 07:30 to 18:30.
Infrastructure
Old Daiguan: Cement-floored brick buildings without running water on a crumbling estate.
New Daiguan: Moved to a newly constructed five-story building in 1998.
Health Checks
School nurses check each student's health upon arrival.
Hot meals provided throughout the day.
Teacher Zhang
Zhang Lao Xu (teacher Zhang) has worked at Daiguan for over twenty years.
Bathroom Visit
Post-snack bathroom visit.
1985 video showed a group visit to the toilet, criticized by Japanese and US teachers for poor conditions and regimentation.
Modernization: Separate bathrooms for boys and girls, reflecting changing notions of the body and privacy.
Director Shi sought funds for Western-style toilets in 2004.
Some Chinese educators noted that individualization leads to a loss of collectivism.
Class Size
35 children per class.
Typically one teacher; student-teacher ratio typical for Chinese preschools.
Art Activity
Teacher Zhang introduces an art activity: dyeing paper in a traditional fabric dyeing style.
Group Calisthenics
Daily group calisthenics.
Purpose: Gives a sense of group membership.
Despite a move toward child-initiated activities, collectivism is still instilled through group activities.
Gym
The entire fifth floor is set up as a gym.
Sensory integration movement materials and structures developed by Jean Ayres, an American occupational therapist.
Director Shu aimed to give Daiguan unique visibility through this gym project.
JJ's Difficulties
Jie Jie (JJ) is frustrated and sulks when another boy takes a ball.
JJ is often picked on.
His parents are too busy with their growing business.
Neglect is now a concern, whereas spoiling was the primary concern in 1985.
Health Monitoring
Teachers check children's foreheads for fever several times a day.
Afternoon Schedule
Dong Lao Shu takes over the class during nap time.
Zhang Lao Shu prepares for the next day.
Music and dance room on the first floor.
A song about children lining up to form a train is similar to one from the 1985 video.
Reflections on the Old Video
Directors shown the old video in 02/2002.
Director Shi: The old video preserves heartfelt memories.
Former directors emphasized continuity between the past and present.
Director Wong: Teachers were diligent and conscientious; this spirit has been kept.
Block Play
1985: Children sat at desks and built with wooden parka tree blocks according to pictures.
Paradigm shift: Move toward play-based teaching, active learning, and respecting children.
Dong Lao Shu: The old practice limited creativity and imagination. Now, large blocks encourage sharing and cooperation.
The teacher's role is to provide guidance and join in problem-solving.
End of Day
A quarter to six: Parents line up to pick up children.
Enrichment classes: English, dance, and the arts are fee-based.
These classes provide extra income, ease parents' schedules, and offer children new skills.
Komatsudani Hoikuen in Kyoto, Japan
Video of a typical day at Komatsudani Hoikuen (daycare center) in Kyoto, Japan.
Filmed in 02/2002.
Return visit; the original video was shot 18 years earlier.
Daily Activities
Arrival.
Origami.
Swimming.
A fight over a teddy bear.
Lunch.
Nap.
Caring for babies and toddlers.
Free play.
Departure.
Comparison scenes from the 1984 video included.
Location
Located on the grounds of a 400-year-old Buddhist temple.
Operating hours: 07:00 to 18:00.
Infrastructure
Moved to new facilities next door in 1999.
Transportation
Children arrive on foot or by bus.
Bus service started in the 1990s to maintain enrollment due to falling birth rates.
Arrival
Children remove shoes in the genkan (entrance way).
Horita sensei, teacher of the Tampopo (dandelion) class, arrives at 08:30.
Nao Chan pleads with her mother to stay longer.
Formal School Day
Starts at a little after nine.
Tampopo class lines up in two lines (boys and girls).
Paper, rock, scissors determine which line leads into the classroom.
Free Play and Enrollment
Argument over a stuffed bear during free play.
Morita sensei takes enrollment: 17 children, considered too low due to Japan's falling birth rate.
Activities
Teacher-led activity: Making fish out of origami paper.
Second free-play period.
Conflict Resolution
Fight over teddy bear.
Morita sensei calls out but doesn't intervene.
Rationale: Intervening interferes with children learning to handle disagreements.
Director of a kindergarten in Kyoto: Children's solutions might seem harsh to adults but represent childlike problem-solving.
Children arrive at a solution: Nao Chan promises to share the bear.
Consistency in Approach
Morita sensei's approach is consistent with that observed 18 years earlier.
1995 videotape example: Satoshi and Hiroki's conflict.
Midori draws Satoshi away, and a girl suggests playing with someone else to avoid getting hit.
Fukui Sensei refrains from intervening to allow children to handle their disagreements.
Perspective on Fighting
Principal Yoshizawa (1985): Fighting is not a problem; it provides an opportunity to experience social complexity.
Principal Yoshizawa (2005): Parents are more protective, resulting in fewer opportunities for children to experience social complexity without adult mediation.
Lunch and Nap
Lunch served in the cafeteria.
Change from 1985: hot lunch prepared at school appeals to working parents.
Nogami sensei (five-year-old class) has nap duty.
Nogami sensei was a student teacher in 1985.
Afternoon Activities
Lights are turned back on after nap.
Children change, put away bedding, and watch a cartoon.
Mixed-Age Interactions
Monitors (five-year-olds) assist in baby and toddler rooms.
1985 videotape: Girls take toddlers outside to play.
Rationale: Gives older children a chance to develop empathy (omoyari).
Contemporary Japanese Child: Shrinking world, fewer opportunities to care for younger children.
Mixed-age interactions institutionalized to develop empathy, addressing a perceived decline in traditional values.
Kenichi (5-year old) teaching Taro (20-month old) how to use the urinal.
Traditional Values
Preschools are relatively new social institutions teaching traditional cultural values.
Omoyari is an at-risk value among contemporary Japanese young people.
Unstructured Afternoon
The four and five-year-old children move between classrooms.
Nogami sensei draws soccer flags on children's faces in support of the Japanese national team.
Yuki accidentally punches Maki and apologizes.
End of Day
Morita sensei announces cleanup time.
Children tidy up, then head to the playground for dismissal.
Parents and grandparents pick up children throughout the afternoon.
Older children may stay to play with babies and toddlers.
Morita sensei heads home at 17:00.
Saint Timothy's Children's Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
Video of a typical day at Saint Timothy's Children's Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Filmed in 02/2002.
Return visit; the original video was shot 18 years earlier.
Daily Activities
Arrival.
Morning opening.
Activity centers.
Playground.
Lunch.
Nap.
Free play.
Departure.
Comparison scenes from the 1984 video included.
Location
Located on the grounds of an Episcopal Church overlooking Pearl Harbor.
The school looks much the same as in the 1985 video.
Arrival
Janu Umeda, head teacher, arrives at 07:00.
Children arrive, mostly driven by commuting parents.
A new alarm on the gate.
Noah explains a water-themed web created by the children.
Language Development
As in 1985, the staff support children's language development by encouraging them to use their wrods, patiently listening to what they say and asking questions to draw them out.
Class Size
20 children and two teachers.
Lower class sizes and student-teacher ratios compared to Japan and China.
Emphasis on a low student-teacher ratio as an important indicator of quality.
Curriculum
Organized around themes based on children's interests and curriculum guidelines.
Current theme: Water.
Water table
Activity Centers
Two free choice periods, consistent with developmentally appropriate practice.
The approach is just as it was in 1984.
1984 video: Teacher Cheryl offers children a series of choices.
Emphasis on Choice
Individually chosen activities are more pleasurable than assigned ones.
Choice fosters intrinsic motivation and facilitates learning.
Connected to notions of democracy; practicing democratic citizenship.
Letting children choose between building with Legos or playing at the water table is seen as providing practice and exercising the rights of democratic citizenship
Self-Expression
Teachers write down what children dictate about their drawings, word for word.
Emphasis on self-expression, a feature unchanged from twenty years ago.
Playground Supervision
Belle tells boys on the climbing structure about safety.
Teachers don't allow or provide guidance about how to playChinese and Japanese teachers were puzzled by the level of concern and supervision.
Director of a kindergarten in Kyoto: The continuous presence of a teacher might confuse them and prevent them from developing and using their own judgment about what they can and cannot do?
Teacher from Phoenix: Regulations prevent giving children more freedom to climb due to the risk of lawsuits.
Dealing with Misbehavior
Teachers intervene quickly when children fight or may hurt others.
"Misbehavior" is now called "mistaken behavior."
Rationale: Reminds teachers that the child doesn't mean to behave badly and needs guidance.
Sandbox Play
A lion dance spontaneously breaks out.
Related to a recent performance during Chinese New Year.
Second Round of Activity Centers
Some activities are always available; others rotate.
Teachers ask questions and write down children's dictations.
Parental Pressure
Increasing pressure from parents for more direct instruction and academics.
Play curriculum needs more justification.
Parents want their kids to read and get into private school.
Practices remain the same, but teachers have become more professional at articulating their rationale.
Intervention in Play
Teacher intervenes to prevent playful hitting from escalating.
Some US teachers would not intervene as quickly.
Encouragement to express feelings with words.
Consistent with the approach from a generation earlier.
Language Use
In the 1984 video, teachers emphasize using words to resolve conflicts instead of grabbing.
Teachers used words and emphasized to express the anger with words
Story Time
Jani chooses a story related to the water theme.
Nap Time
Afternoon assistant teacher, Jill, arrives.
Scrapbooks
Teachers prepare Mother's Day cards and children look at scrapbooks.
Photographs of children's designs and constructions with their words are added to scrapbooks.
The photo scrapbook shows the parents what we do at school to show them that it's not just play, and the children love looking at pictures of activities they did before.
End of Day
Jenny leaves for home.
Parents and grandparents arrive to pick up children from 17:00 to 18:00.