Purpose
The study investigates how pedagogical staff members in two Norwegian kindergartens interact with children during free play. The purpose of the study is to place focus on the way pedagogical staff assist children’s learning through interaction with children during such play.
Result
The study indicates that although more than half of the kindergarten day is used for free play (60%), pedagogical staff spend large parts of the day away from the play situation (absent from 45% of the free play). Of the remaining time, 34% is used to assist the children’s free play, in the form of participation, comments, instructions and assistance.
Design
To begin with, interviews were conducted with kindergarten teachers, which were used to identify basic details about the department. The interviews were followed by naturalistic observations of 17 pedagogical staff members. Through the use of observation forms and field notes, the pedagogical staff members were observed during the children’s free play.
References
Karlsen L. & Lekhal R. (2019). "Practitioner involvement and support in children’s learning during free play in two Norwegian kindergartens". Journal of Early Childhood Research, 17(3):233-246.