Investigating teacher-child interactions during play practices in early childhood

Teacher-child interactions play an important role in development and learning. This study was an in-depth investigation of teacher-child interactions during free play and play-based practices, which have been reported in the literature to be the times when teacher-child interactions are most observable. The qualitative research method was used to conduct the research as a multiple case study. The data collection tool employed in the research is the semi-structured observation technique. The study group consisted of three preschool teachers from different types of institutions in Aydın province and 48 children between the ages of 60-72 months in their classrooms The analyses of the study were carried out with the Flanders' Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC). As a result of the FIAC analyses, it was found that teachers mostly used the lecturing, asks questions, and give direction categories when interacting with children; children generally participated in these interactions by responding to them; and teachers interacted more with children than with teachers. These findings were discussed along with existing studies in the literature. In parallel with the findings, the study was recommended to preschool teachers, preschool education researchers, and institutions related to teacher education.