A Study of IInfants iin the Chii lld Care Context

The thesis studies infants in the child care environment with context being viewed seen as a major factor influencing growth and development. An exploration of the child care setting as a developmental niche (Super and Harkness, 1986; Valsiner, 1987; Cole, 1996) is therefore focus of this research. Everyday experiences of infants in long day care are examined through the language environment which is viewed as an expression of the culture of the setting and the social relations that exist in these institutions. Knowledge of everyday events and the infant's role in the child-care setting is explicated through micro-analysis of video observations.