Browsing by Subject "Fyysinen oppimisympäristö"

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to get deeper information on how early childhood teachers support the language development of children under the age of three by using the physical learning environment. More specifically the objective was to find out the most important practices that teachers use in their daily work in order to support language development. Previous studies have shown that physical learning environments have a positive impact on the child’s learning and development. Methods. This research is a qualitative research, carried out by interviewing four kindergarten teachers in the metropolitan area. Two of the interviewees were currently working in a group of under 3-year-olds and two others were working in a group of 3-5-year-olds. However, all interviewees had experience working in a group of children under 3-year olds. The interview was based on an interview frame that was the same for all interviewees. All interviews were transcribed and then the answers were divided by themes. The questions were analysed by using content analysis. Results and conclusions. The results of the study strongly supported previous studies. All interviewees used the physical learning environment to support language development by various means. Dividing children into small groups and modelling of adults rose as the most popular method as all interviewees used them regularly. In addition, modifying the facilities to support a child’s development and providing material into the level of a child were mentioned in several interviews. Two of the four teachers mentioned sign language and image cards as an important and supportive tool for the language development of a child.