Dimensions of care in kindergarten Claire B. Goda

Dissertation (Doctor of Education) -- Cebu Normal University, March 2018.

Child perspectives considered care and education inseparable. However, the traditional perspective of the care-education dichotomy was still prevalent. Care was perceived to be provided in childcare centres as a social welfare measure for children while education was offered in kindergarten where pre-primary educational activities were provided to prepare them to formal schooling. Care flooded the research realm but there were still few studies in the Philippines on how early childhood teachers conceptualized caring relationships in their practices. Research implications also indicated further probing on the lived experiences on the one cared for. This study aimed to elucidate the concept of care in kindergarten. Specifically, the domains of its inquiry addressed three objectives: (1) share and explain their personal care experiences; (2) identify patterns or themes emerging from their experiences; and (3) generate a theory. Using a phenomenological qualitative research approach, the lived care experiences were collected in text format from the in-depth interview of five kindergarten teachers of Tomas Oppus District, focus group of each of their six kindergarten children: three 3) boys and three (3) girls; and a separate focus group discussion of each of their respective parents. The data were than analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes emerged within which four dimensions of care were identified: Grounded Care, Nurturing Care, Pedagogical Care, and Enduring Care. The study concluded that establishing and sustaining a caring relationship with the learners involved an interplay ofthe triad of elements to include the teacher, the learners, and the caring activities.