Positioning of Planning in Kindergarten Education: "Play-oriented Education" an Kindergarten Teachers\u27 Understanding of its Planning.

The purpose of this Paper is to reveal how important it is that kindergarten teachers should understand the significance of education planning in order to realize "play-oriented education." A questionnaire survey that required all the kindergarten teachers in Akita Prefecture was intended to reveal the current situation of the curriculum and its education planning, as well as their attitudes towards it, and the problems regarding this matter. The results indicated that kindergarten teachers did not place emphasis on their curriculum and its planning when they supported children at play although they recognized their importance. Lt was shown that kindergarten teachers thought that the curriculum and its planning were for other activities than children\u27s spontaneous activities of play. It was also suggested that management-oriented services that would be attractive for parents turned out to be a burden for kindergarten teachers, and that that kind of services prevent them from developing their education planning for "play-oriented education.