A classroom environment that first impresses a one-year infant includes diverse material and human factors, and these factors interact with each other. Further, the interaction between the material and human factors causes a new change in the classroo...
A classroom environment that first impresses a one-year infant includes diverse material and human factors, and these factors interact with each other. Further, the interaction between the material and human factors causes a new change in the classroom environment. However, the world of the classroom affected by such a complicated and dynamic change does not come out well. Accordingly, it was of interest to extract something in common in the various dynamic factors from an infant’s early adjustment to the nursing facilities and to study meaning roles of a teacher and a main caregiver who have a close relationship with the infant in an adjustment process. In the present studies, attempts were made to examine the infant’s behavior and change in the behavior under the interaction between the infant and the main caregiver, between the infant and teacher, and between the main caregiver and the teacher through the one-year infant’s early adjustment program to the nursing facilities; and to find out an early adjustment process that builds a relationship among members.
To this end, for total seven weeks from the third week of February, 2008 to the first week of April, 2008, a qualitative analysis was applied with respect to thirteen one-year infants, thirteen main caregivers and three teachers through participatory observation with four steps that include a consultation period with parent before entrance; a main-caregiver companying period; a gradual-separation period from the main caregiver; and a evaluation period after completing the early adjustment program.
To be brief, results from the present studies are as follows.
First, how was the interaction between the infant and the main caregiver in the one-year infant’s early adjustment program?
During the main-caregiver companying period, the infant come into play while regarding the main caregiver as a safe base, and the main caregiver assisted the infant in being familiar with a nursing environment and a daily lesson. The main caregiver laid emphasis on showing a model so that the infant could have a positive relationship with other infants and teachers, and allowing the infant to naturally take interest in the teacher as he/she seems to trust the teacher.
During the gradual-separation period from the main caregiver, the main caregiver played an assistant role by clearly citing the reason for the separation and exchanges civilities so that the infant could accept the separation; encouraging the infant, who got on well at a daycare center, when meeting it again after the separation; and positively participating in home-connected activities so as to smoothly adjust the infant to the daycare center.
Second, how was the interaction between the infant and the teacher in the one-year infant’s early adjustment program?
During the main-caregiver companying period, the teacher laid emphasis on rather observing the behavior and play of the infants than actively approaching the infants. The teacher made a plan for group activities of the main caregivers and the infants, and thus naturally expressed his/her interest in the infant, thereby allowing the infants to recognize the existence of the teacher.
During the gradual-separation period from the main caregiver, the teacher made a sensitive response to the request of the infants in a positive and receptive manner. At the same time, the teacher prevented strife between the infants and provided a consistent and detailed rule through a counterproposal or modeling in order to have the infant’s confidence.
The teacher first tolerated the infant’s maladjustive behavior due to the separation from the main caregiver, and tried to approach it through various interactions.
In particular, it was noted that the teacher’s thoughtful consideration was further required for individual infants during attendance and a noon’s nap in the daily lesson.
Third, how was the interaction between the main caregiver and the teacher in the one-year infant’s early adjustment program?
It was noted that an individual consultation between the teacher and the main caregiver before the entrance had great influence on the need and the participation of the early adjustment program. Also, the consultation with the parent before the entrance makes it easy to grasp the personality of the infant for a short time, and affords an opportunity to recognize the need of mutual support since the main caregiver and the teacher are assigned to a common task of the infant’s stable early adjustment.
During the main-caregiver companying period, the teacher was burdened with carrying out the daily lesson together with the main caregiver, but received a lot of help from the main caregiver who knows the infant best.
During the daily lesson, the teacher provided parent teaching data for the aid of the infant’s early adjustment so as to implement the parent teaching, and prepared the infant’s group activities together with the main caregiver so as to reduce burdens on the education through proper education and play methods.
During the gradual-separation period from the main caregiver, a vague sense of alarm that the infant has at the beginning of entrance was changed into a high-trusting relationship, while the interaction between the main caregiver and the teacher was relatively decreased.
The main caregiver lets the teacher know the infants’ mind, body, and activities at home when attending the nursing facilities; and the teacher lets the main caregiver know the infant’s detail life at the nursing facilities by means of a notice note to the parent, a telephone and an interview. Consequently, the thoughtful infant-nursing was achieved.