Uppeldi og menntun - 01.09.2004, Page 124

BOÐSKIPTI í LEIKSKÓLA
ABSTRACT
This research studied the communication patterns of pre-school children with inter-
action problems, as well as teacher's interventions and attitudes towards their
problems. The aim was primarily to observe what types of communication appeared
under different circumstances in the pre-school and furthermore observe the inter-
vention of the teachers and their opinion of their own role in children's communi-
cation. A qualitative method was used in order to get the most comprehensive picture
of communication in the group of children and the intervention of the teachers. The
main subjects of the study were four boys, four and five years old. Data was gathered
by videotaping free play and group activities under normal circumstances. In
addition, interviews were taken with the teachers. The observation and analysis
method of "Marte Meo" was used in gathering the data, analysis and interpretation.
The analysis is based on observing how a child takes initiative, how he or she
responds to the initiatives of other children, how playmates respond to the child, and
whether they seek the company of the child or not. In addition, how a teacher
responds to the initiative of the child and the methods used in guiding the children
in general are studied. The main results were that the boys tried to make contact with
their playmates in many different ways. They used non-verbal communication,
sounds and facial expressions rather than words to get attention. They had
difficulties taking part in play and did not seem to have the multiple abilities
required for playing. The playmates responses varied and were both positive and
negative. There were differences in the adult's opinions and interventions during free
play and group-work. Free play was to be as free from adult intervention as possible,
while group-work was regarded as more academic or school related. Intervention in
play was characterized by a neutral approach. During play, the boys rarely got
support from the adults. On the other hand, the boys got support and encouragement
from the adults while solving tasks in group-work. Several clues point to the
conclusion that communication, among children on one hand, and between children
and adults on the other, can be considered as isolated acts that are not integrated in
the learning process carried out in free play and group-work.
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