職業体験型テーマパークにおけるセールスドライバーのロールプレイ体験に伴う参加児童の発話分析

Abstract

This study was an observational study conducted at "Kidzania, " an entertainment center in which children can have role-play experiences as if they are adults in different occupations. One hundred and fifty children aged 3 to 15 years were observed. They took part in activities at the pavilion for the courier service occupation. The activities consisted of three sessions: collection, sorting, and delivery. The observer recorded the children's utterances, and categorized them as those that were suitable for the context or those that were not (including monologues). The results indicated that preschoolers made utterances that were not suitable for the context in the collection session, whereas school aged children did not make such utterances. The children made more utterances that were suitable for the context during the delivery session compared to the collection and sorting sessions. These results indicate that the quality of the children’s utterances changed through the three sessions suggesting that, in progressing through the sessions, the children had to gradually understand each other. Moreover, the quality of their utterances changed according to their ages and the sessions. Older children were more likely to say things that suggested they were "reading" the minds of the others.