Autonomy of five-year-old children – results of observational studies

The article presents research aimed at understanding the everyday life of five-year-olds in kindergarten in the area of supporting or inhibiting their autonomy within the categories of: opportunities to choose, fulfill roles and voluntarily participate in activities and games. On this basis, the problem question was established: How do observed preschool teachers recognize children's right to autonomy within the analyzed categories? Overt observation was chosen as the research method and lasted continuously for two weeks in 11 groups of five-year-olds – a total of 330 hours. The observation was supported by the analysis of conversations between teachers and children during daily morning and afternoon classes. The analysis of the research results showed most of the behaviors supporting children's autonomy, as well as the area requiring improvement related to responding to children's conflicts.