ERIC Number: EJ1051198
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1463-9491
EISSN: N/A
Komatsudani Then and Now: Continuity and Change in a Japanese Preschool
Tobin, Joseph; Karasawa, Mayumi; Hsueh, Yeh
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, v5 n2 p128-144 2004
In this article the reflections of the teachers and directors of Komatsudani Hoikuen ("day-care center") on a video the authors recently made at their preschool are used to explore processes of continuity and change in Japanese preschool education over the course of a generation. The social changes that are associated with changing preschool practices in Japan include: a falling birth rate, women's changing attitudes about marriage and work, the social isolation of families, a putative decline in the quality of parenting, and a prevailing mood of national pessimism that is closely tied to a long period of economic decline. These factors are discussed in relation to Komatsudani's minimalist approach to curriculum, to its strategy for dealing with children's disputes, and to its development of a system of older children helping with the care of infants and toddlers.
Descriptors: Preschool Evaluation, Preschool Education, Educational Change, Reflection, Child Care Centers, Child Caregivers, Social Change, Educational Practices, Protocol Materials, Critical Viewing, Student Transportation, Demography, Birth Rate, Declining Enrollment, Labor Supply, Parenting Styles, Curriculum Development, Educational Trends, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A