Adult assistance rendered to senior kindergarteners (5-year-olds) in agricultural farming activities:Focusing on verbal approaches by both kindergarten teachers and other adults
The purpose of this study, focusing on a class of senior kindergarten students who were cultivating barley in agricultural farming activities, was to reveal how kindergarten teachers and other adults interacted with the students in their nature experiences and what type of verbal assistance they rendered. Specifically, observational research was conducted on 7 occasions of a class of senior students attending a private kindergarten who were cultivating barley. The study examined the content of the farming activities being done by the senior kindergarten students and the verbal approaches made by both the kindergarten teachers and the farming instructors. The results indicated that the kindergarten teachers shared in the students\u27 emotions when they were moved by their farming experiences, and made proactive verbal approaches to the students by directing questions at them. On the other hand, when the children were moved emotionally or expressed wonder or doubt, the farming instructors made verbal approaches with explanations and proactive attempts to respond to their specific queries and doubts. It was suggested that the different forms of assistance provided by the kindergarten teachers and farming instructors respectively made the children’s\u27 activities more meaningful
