英文摘要 |
This paper is the result of a year-long qualitative study in one preschool about two research questions: (1) what do parents think about the connotations of character in young children;(2) what kind of character problems are common among children during daily school routine, which may correspondingly reveal the needs for assistance from adults. The data is collected from class observations (40 classes), interviews with parents and teachers (19), and relevant documentations. The study shows that character development of young children reflects an interdependent influence of family, school and society. However, due to personal characteristics, education, and experiences, parents differ in their defining mportant connotations of character and that influences children’s character development. Three types of character problems of children in their daily school routine are identified: (1) the inappropriateness of wording and attitude, (2) the discrepancy between reality and children’s language and action;(3) the sense of responsibility in learning and assigned tasks. These problems reflect the needs of character education. The findings of this study provide important insights for our further collaborative action esearch with the participant preschool in the following 2 years. They also shed light on teacher’s needs for our future collaborations in the character development of young children. |