This presentation discusses the role of the teacher in supporting peer culture with respect for diversity through a case study about peer conflict in a Japanese preschool. Corsaro (2014) proposed that peer culture is in line with interpretive reproduction, and children attempt to deal with conflicts in their daily lives by creating and participating in various routines of their peer culture. In this process, how do teachers participate and take on roles? To explore this, we observed a 4-year-old class once a week for a year with ethical approval, and focused on the teacher approached and how children engaged in conflict among young children.
Results showed that the teacher approached the conflict by showing empathy for both parties involved, rather than by rendering judgement of good and evil. The reason is the teacher hoped for children to recognize that both parties have their own circumstances, rather than to resolve peer conflict simply. In response to this, the way children engaged in their peer conflicts changed over the year. At the beginning of the year, some of the children judged which party was wrong. In contrast, at the end of the year, such judgements were not observed. Moreover, from the beginning to the end of the year, it had been observed that some children were very caring (e. g., repairing something broken by the other party).
In conclusion, our data suggested that the teacher’s approaches were reflected in children’s engagements for peer conflicts. Thus, the teacher’s stance on conflicts, which meant recognizing the complexity of circumstances rather than judging the binary opposition between good and evil, influenced the children’s stances and peer culture positively. In early childhood, sensibility for diversity may be cultivated if children encounter conflicts as opportunities of becoming aware of the complexity of circumstances.
