Browsing by Author "Nygren, Karoliina"

Time has traditionally been a subject of studies in education theory from the point of view of a linear time. Interest to the social point of view of time has still increased recently also in the field of early childhood education research. Especially the new sociology of childhood has brought children's experiences and possibilities to influence into the center of attention in early childhood research. In this study I also tried to achieve the child's point of view. My aim was to investigate how a day in kindergarten (planned by adults) appears to child and in what way child experiences ones social time in kindergarten. My interest is in the quality of the child's experiences not in the time one spends on each activity during the day. The subject of this study is significant because there has not been a lot of research before of the subject but there are still some preconceptions. With this study it is possible to create new knowledge of the subject and possibly increase the level of children's participation and take into account children's point of view in an everyday life of kindergarten. This research is a case study, in which I investigated one 5-year-old in a typical Finnish kindergarten. I collected the data by observing child in her kindergarten group. I collected data of the events the child experienced during her day in kindergarten and I evaluated the level of her involvement during these events. In this research the child's experience of social time appeared as continuously interrupted and the level of involvement was generally low. Main conclusion is that a day in kindergarten is not meaningful experience for this child. Day appears to be filled by routines, boredom, waiting and interruptions. Nevertheless, it is also possible to produce meaningful experiences of social time through allowing children to act actively and to participate. Also the good quality of interaction between children and adults makes experiences of social time significant but it demands real enthusiasm from adults and new ways of acting in kindergarten groups.