Browsing by Subject "joulupukki"

The aim of this study was to examine how pre-school aged children view the existence and importance of Santa Claus. How they define him and why he’s important to them. Theory used is based on earlier research and literature regarding both the relevance of how believing in mythical creatures affects a child’s development and the importance of cultural heritage, in which Santa Claus plays a significant role. Piaget’s theory on cognitive development and Vygotsky’s cultural historical dialectic theory are the key developmental psychology theories used in this thesis. I have examined Santa Claus not only from a historical and cultural perspective but also give some insight pertaining to his existence, mainly from a filosofical point of view. Despite the fact that Santa Claus plays an important role in children’s lives and is also an integral part of our culture, very few studies on him have been carried out. A study conducted by a group of American scientists Woolley, Boerger, and Markman (2004) which examined factors that influenced preschool-age children’s belief in a novel fantastical entity, proved to be of significance when establishing children’s views on Santa Claus’s existence. The results showed that involving a mix of mundane and magical properties and presenting children with hard evidence, such as presents, was enough for children to believe in his existence. Research was conducted using both small group- and individual focused semi-structured interviews. The twenty children that participated were 6 years old, ten girls and ten boys. Five girls and five boys participated in the individual interviews. For the small group interviews five pairs were randomly picked so that each pair consisted of one girl and one boy. These children were not the same as those who participated in the individual interviews. All were given the option of drawing Santa Claus at Christmas. The analysis method used for analyzing the data was theory guided content analysis. Results showed that the children’s definitions of Santa Claus were that of the Santa Claus portrayed in stories and the media. His importance was based on his role of delivering gifts at Christmas. Piaget’s cognitive development- and Vygotsky’s cultural historical dialectic theory support the results of this study in regards to the role and importance of Santa Claus in a child’s development.