Presentation Schedule
Beyond Directive Language: Japanese Childcare Strategies to Foster Self-Initiative via Acceptance, Praise, and Inquiry (105505)
Tuesday, 24 March 2026 14:30
Session: Poster Session 2
Room: Orion Hall (5F)
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
This study investigated the reality of early childhood educators' verbal strategies and their relationship with children's self-control behaviors at a kindergarten in Japan that prioritizes children's self-initiated play. While other research suggests Directive Language (e.g., prohibition or instruction, such as "Don't") is frequently used by teachers, this study focused on an environment that emphasizes non-interventionist, observing care, characterized by a "waiting posture" and "Mimamoru" (Nakatsubo et al, 2021) as well as unique verbal strategies. The study aimed to classify the teachers’ language, including unique categories like Acceptance, Praise, and Inquiry, and to clarify how they correlate with children’s self-control behaviors.Teachers' verbal strategies from three classes (3- to 5-year-olds) were analyzed. The results showed that Acceptance and Praise (32%) and Inquiry (20%) were the most frequent categories, collectively accounting for 52% of all utterances. Conversely, Directive Language (Instruction) accounted for only 2.6%. Furthermore, Acceptance and Praise and Inquiry were significantly more frequent when prompting self-control behavior focused on promotion (achieving positive results, e.g., "It feels good when the room is clean") rather than prevention (avoiding negative results). The findings suggest that teachers consciously shift from directive or negative language to non-directive strategies, such as Acceptance, Praise, and Inquiry. These strategies are instrumental in encouraging children to notice, think for themselves, and adjust their emotions. This approach, focused on affirming the child and stimulating reflection, is likely to be effective in promoting self-control behaviors aimed at positive goal achievement and ultimately contributes to fostering children’s self-initiative.
Authors:
Komi Suzuki, Tohoku University, Japan
Katsumi Sato, Tohoku University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Komi Suzuki is a master's student at the Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University, Japan.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule
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