The objective of this research is to plan and act the communal activity of the 5-year-old children’s Dinosaur Class in Daycare Center class "A" where the researcher works and to understand and study what children are experiencing and what is the mea...
The objective of this research is to plan and act the communal activity of the 5-year-old children’s Dinosaur Class in Daycare Center class "A" where the researcher works and to understand and study what children are experiencing and what is the meaning of the experience. The following are the research questions based on the objective:
1. What are the experiences of young children when they are shared with the community and what is the meaning of the experiences?
The subjects for the research are 39 5-year-old young children. And the participants of this research were 3 participating teacher’s assistants, and 3 parents from the "A"Daycare Center, which is co-operated by the S Group’s welfare foundation and the borough office, in the low socioeconomic status area in "C" Gu, "B" City. The time period of the research was April through August in the year 2010. During this period young children’s experience with the community, connection between children and community to find the meaning behind it, children’s experience through the connection, and the extended activities through the experience were implemented. The research data were collected thirteen times between April and August of the year 2010. The data consisted of observations, videos and photos, anecdotal notes, transcription, interviews, and activity results of young children’s communal activities. After the activity, organized and analyzed the recorded contents with the participants.
The analyzed results of the young children’s experience shared with the community were shown in areas such as change in relationship, gaining of concept, understanding of the environment, and participating in making decisions.
The following are the conclusion of the research:
First, through the communal activity, the young children experienced picking up trash, recycling, meeting the neighbors, helping the neighbors, fulfillment through the change in community. These experiences brought change in relationship between the community and the children. Through having reciprocal action with the environment near the center, the young children have gradually changed from those who participated marginally to members of the society who would actively participate. Children would offer active alternative methods to reduce trash to the local residents who showed interest. Children experienced the positive understanding of self and others and getting to know the cooperative relationship, how to be mindful of others and basic economy, and that they are the main agents of the change in the clean neighborhood.
Second, the communal activities brought young children the chance of gaining concepts through mathematical and scientific experiences. The young children applied their knowledge gained through previous experiences to sorting trash, weighing waste paper, difference in speed due to weight and slope, explosion due to heat and friction, and water absorption. These applications were observed to be shared with their peers. These experiences through communal activities are a process of directly experiencing knowledge and finding new meanings. They have helped young children to form experiential knowledge as an active knowledge member through opportunities to learn and contact
Third, the young children experienced sharing opinions, solving problems, and participating in decision making through communal activities. Young children experienced the process of asking peers or teachers about the difference in opinion that occurred between peers during assessment and small group activity, raised questions about possible issues that were curious, and solving problems by naturally sharing each others’ experiences and thoughts. These experiences are the process of the solution for complex situation, of knowing others thought and of social interaction with peer group through proper and effective communication and socio activity.
Fourth, through the communal activities, the young children became interested in communal environment and that the environment has intimate effect on our daily lives. The young children have begun to take small steps when they felt the need to pick up trash and clean up to stop the effect that the polluted communal environment has on us and its damage. Also, the young children showed their thoughts on the types and origin of trash, what to do in order for the environment to change, and how it would be different.
Through experiencing communal activities, the young children developed an attitude that they have to take care of the surrounding environment. This has increased the attitude of children to clean and protect the environment around the childcare center.
Experiences like this, which happens during young childhood, make children feel personally responsible for the community environment’s change and may be the foundation that build proper attitude toward environmental issues when they reach the adulthood.