Experienced nursery teachers gaze longer at children during play than do novice teachers: an eye-tracking study

Abstract

Despite the widespread recognition of the significance of outdoor play in early childhood development, centers for early childhood education (ECE) face the challenge of striking a balance between active play activities and safety concerns. Thus, the visual attention of teachers is critical. Studies that compare the visual attention of novice and experienced teachers traditionally focus on instructional settings instead of recreational play. This study examines the effect of experience on the attentional focus of teachers on children’s play in ECE settings in Japan. Eye-tracking data were collected from 10 novices and 10 relatively experienced ECE staff members to compare fixation location, number of fixation, and fixation duration while groups of 3-year-old children played in a sandbox. The results of the independent sample t tests revealed that experienced teachers gazed at the children more frequently than did novice teachers; however, the mean fixation duration was significantly shorter among relatively experienced teachers across all participants. Similarly, although experienced teachers spent more time overall than did novice teachers in observing the children and peripheral areas of the play area as they played, the mean fixation duration was significantly shorter than that of novice teachers. The findings support other studies that highlight the heightened ability of experienced teachers to assess conditions more quickly and draw conclusions regarding the activities of children. In addition, the findings support research that reports that the level of supervision and control imposed by ECE teachers on children’s play and safety are closely related to their level of experience.