Browsing by study line "Lärare inom småbarnspedagogik + inriktningsalternativet specialsmåbarnspedagogik"

Targets. The purpose of this study is to investigate the joy of learning as a phenomenon. The joy of learning is relevant in the process of learning, because in the joy of learning, the child can exceed the limits of his own competence and it ́s also child ́s innate way to learn. The research question is to examine, how children express the joy of learning in the learning process. There ́s little research made of the joy of learning in the context of early childhood education, so it is important to broaden the knowledge of the children ́s joy of learning and increase the understanding of the phenomenon. The theoretical framework of this study is sociocultural approach to learning and shared joy. Methods. The research method was qualitative case study and the research data was gathered in the “The Joy of Learning Multiliteracy” -research. The research data, which consists of video recordings from the early science inquiries, was collected in three preschool groups in Finnish day care. This research is based on data from video observations. The analysis was conducted by data-driven content analysis with Atlas.ti-software. Results and conclusions. As a result, the joy of learning appears in verbal and functional ways, like different voices, speech and bodily movements. There were clearly more verbal expressions than functional expressions. The joy of learning was highlighted when the children were seeking interaction with other adults and peers and thus sharing the experience of the joy of learning. The phases of the joy of learning were short-lived and passing, and they were very diverse in nature. The most moments of the joy of learning were seen when the children were practicing inquiries independently either alone or in pairs. The situation required the emphasized role of adults to create the optimal learning environment. The results offer teachers information on how to recognize the joy of learning. The outcomes of the study also increase the significance of the joy of learning as the basis for learning and well-being. When the joy of learning is visible, it is possible to create new methods to reinforce the joy in early childhood education pedagogy.