3–5-vuotiaiden lasten päiväunet ja päivälepo sekä unipedagogiikka päiväkotiryhmissä : unen aikana ihmisessä vapautuu jotakin henkilökohtaista, sieluun sidottua

The purpose of this study was to examine what type of sleep pedagogy is used in kindergarten groups consisting of 3- to 5-year-old children. The term sleep pedagogy, in this content, means such pedagogical practices, which enhance falling asleep and gaining restfulness. The goal was to increase information about attitudes and pedagogical practices regarding naptime. At the same time the intention was to learn more about how children's needs for rest and sleep are catered to and on whose conditions naps and rest time is organised. There is very little prior research done on kindergarten children's naps and rest time. Most of the existing knowledge is about toddlers sleep or is focused on sleep disturbances. The study was conducted in April 2012. It included 14 kindergarten groups from one municipal day care area. The data was collected by interviewing the kindergarten teachers and by observing the groups. The observations were based on a semi-structured observation sheet, which focused on the physical environment as well as on the events and the atmosphere. The observations were carried out so that they began when the activity prior to naptime was ended (typically lunch). They lasted until most of the children were peaceful and the adult stopped the activity (for example reading a story) in the nap room. The study was performed during one day in each group. Besides the interviews and observations, kindergarten teachers filled in a background form and the nap rooms were photographed. The analysis method was phenomenological, which means that the subject was examined as a phenomenon entity. The interviews were analysed following the stages of the phenomenological analysis method. For analysing the observations a specific scale was created. The scale consisted of four parts, which measured 1) the structure of the activity, 2) the quality of the adults interaction, 3) the adults essence in the nap room and 4) the physical distance between the adult and the children. These four areas were measured, and compared to the tranquillity of the children. The results of this study show that the groups of 3- to 5-year-old children are balancing between different sleep needs. Besides the different needs, the attitudes of the pedagogues, the whole system of kindergarten tasks, the physical environment and children's' parents all have their impact on the way how nap time is arranged. The interviews indicate that kindergarten teachers value highly the naptime, but they underline the difference in napping and resting. The study shows clear connections between children's' restfulness and the pedagogical acts. According to this study, factors that increase children's' tranquillity are a tranquil essence and a child-oriented interaction of the adult as well as the clear structure of the transition activities and naptime. The study offers valuable information on kindergartens naps and rest time. This information can directly be utilized in planning naptime and especially in situations were naptime is considered challenging.