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Ea ly Childhood Educa ion and Ca e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io Ac oss Pedagogical
Episodes in Toddle G oups in Finland
© The Au ho (s) 2024
Published e sion
Iso alo, Susanna; Ukkonen-Mikkola, Tuulikki; Lämsä, Joni; Ru anen, Niina
Iso alo, S., Ukkonen-Mikkola, T., Lämsä, J., & Ru anen, N. (2024). Ea ly Childhood Educa ion and
Ca e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io Ac oss Pedagogical Episodes in Toddle G oups in Finland.
In e na ional Jou nal o Ea ly Childhood, Ea ly online. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s13158-023-
00387-6
2024
Vol.:(0123456789)
In e na ional Jou nal o Ea ly Childhood
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s13158-023-00387-6
1 3
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze
Beha io Ac oss Pedagogical Episodes inToddle G oups
inFinland
SusannaIso alo1 · TuulikkiUkkonen‑Mikkola1 · JoniLämsä2 ·
NiinaRu anen1
Accep ed: 16 Decembe 2023
© The Au ho (s) 2024
Abs ac
Teache –child in e ac ion is cen al in pedagogical ac i i ies in ea ly childhood edu-
ca ion and ca e (ECEC). In hese ac i i ies, eache s’ isual gaze is a aluable ool
o communica ion, bu his has ecei ed li le a en ion in ECEC esea ch. Recen
echnological ad ancemen s in eye- acking p o ide an app oach o ake a deepe
look a how eache s ocus hei isual gaze du ing ac i i ies. Ou s udy ocused on
h ee ECEC eache s’ isual gaze beha io du ing pedagogical ac i i ies in a g oup
o child en unde h ee yea s o age (la e oddle s) in Finland, o gain unde s anding
o how eache s use hei gaze o acili a e in e ac ions and pedagogy. The da a we e
collec ed using eye- acking glasses in wo ypes o ac i i ies: play and guided ac i -
i y. F om hese eye- acking eco dings, we iden i ied pedagogical episodes (e.g.,
guidance). To analyze eache s’ isual gaze beha io , we also coded he ixa ions
o he di e en a eas o in e es (e.g., eaching ma e ials). The indings showed ha
he eache s’ aim o in e ac ion wi h child en was associa ed wi h hei isual gaze
beha io on eache - and child-ini ia ed episodes. Mo eo e , he ac i i y’s s uc u e
and he eache ’s posi ion also played a ole in how eache s ocus hei isual gaze.
In his a icle, we also discuss he po en ial o eye- acking echnology in e lec ion
o p ac ices implemen ed in ECEC and we a gue ha he use o eye- acking ech-
nology is an a ea ha me i s u he explo a ion.
* Susanna Iso alo
[email p o ec ed]
Tuulikki Ukkonen-Mikkola
uulikki. .ukk[email p o ec ed]
Joni Lämsä
[email p o ec ed]
Niina Ru anen
niina.a. [email p o ec ed]
1 Depa men o Educa ion, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
2 Lea ning andEduca ional Technology (LET) Resea ch Lab, Uni e si y o Oulu, Oulu, Finland
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
Keywo ds Toddle s· Pedagogical ac i i ies· In e ac ion· Teache ’s gaze· Eye-
acking
Résumé
L’in e ac ion enseignan -en an es au coeu des ac i i és pédagogiques d’éduca ion
e d’accueil de la pe i e en ance (ECEC). Dans ces ac i i és, le ega d isuel des en-
seignan s es un ou il de communica ion p écieux, mais cela a eçu peu d’a en ion
dans la eche che su l’ECEC. No e é ude s’es concen ée su le compo emen du
ega d isuel de ois enseignan s d’ECEC lo s d’ac i i és pédagogiques dans un
g oupe d’en an s de moins de ois ans (plus a d des ou -pe i s) en Finlande, a in de
comp end e commen les enseignan s u ilisen leu ega d pou acili e les in e ac-
ions e la pédagogie. Les données on é é collec ées à l’aide de lune es de sui i ocu-
lai e dans deux ypes d’ac i i és : le jeu e l’ac i i é guidée. À pa i de ces en egis e-
men s de sui i oculai e, nous a ons iden i ié des épisodes pédagogiques (pa exemple,
l’o ien a ion). Pou analyse le compo emen du ega d isuel des enseignan s, nous
a ons égalemen codé les ixa ions su les di é en s domaines d’in é ê (pa exemple,
le ma é iel pédagogique). Les ésul a s on mon é que l’objec i d’in e ac ion des
enseignan s a ec les en an s é ai associé à leu compo emen de ega d isuel lo s
des épisodes ini iés pa l’enseignan e l’en an . De plus, la s uc u e de l’ac i i é e
la posi ion de l’enseignan on égalemen joué un ôle dans la maniè e don les en-
seignan s ocalisen leu ega d isuel. Dans ce a icle, nous discu ons égalemen du
po en iel de la echnologie de sui i oculai e en onc ion des p a iques mises en oeu e
dans les se ices d’éduca ion e d’accueil de la pe i e en ance e nous sou enons que
l’u ilisa ion de la echnologie de sui i oculai e es un domaine qui mé i e une explo-
a ion plus app o ondie.
Resumen
La in e acción maes o-niño es cen al en las ac i idades pedagógicas en educación y
a ención a la p ime a in ancia (ECEC). En es as ac i idades, la mi ada isual de los
docen es es una aliosa he amien a de comunicación, pe o ha ecibido poca a ención
en la in es igación de ECEC. Los a ances ecnológicos ecien es en el seguimien o
ocula b indan un en oque pa a obse a más p o undamen e cómo los maes os en-
ocan su mi ada isual du an e las ac i idades. Nues o es udio se cen ó en el com-
po amien o de la mi ada isual de es p o eso es de ECEC du an e ac i idades ped-
agógicas en un g upo de niños meno es de es años (más a de, niños pequeños) en
Finlandia, pa a comp ende cómo los p o eso es u ilizan su mi ada pa a acili a las
in e acciones y la pedagogía. Los da os se ecogie on median e ga as de seguimien o
ocula en dos ipos de ac i idades: juego y ac i idad guiada. A pa i de es as g a-
baciones de seguimien o ocula , iden i icamos episodios pedagógicos (po ejemplo,
o ien ación). Pa a analiza el compo amien o de la mi ada isual de los p o eso es,
ambién codi icamos las ijaciones en las di e en es á eas de in e és (po ejemplo,
ma e iales didác icos). Los hallazgos mos a on que el obje i o de los maes os de
in e ac ua con los niños es aba asociado con su compo amien o de mi ada isual en
los episodios iniciados po los maes os y los niños. Además, la es uc u a de la ac-
i idad y la posición del p o eso ambién in luye on en cómo los p o eso es en ocan
1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
su mi ada isual. En es e a ículo, ambién discu imos el po encial de la ecnología
de seguimien o ocula como e lejo de las p ác icas implemen adas en ECEC y sos-
enemos que el uso de la ecnología de seguimien o ocula es un á ea que me ece una
mayo explo ación.
In oduc ion
Ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e (ECEC) eache s a e equi ed o ha e he expe -
ise necessa y o p o ide indi idualized a en ion and suppo and align pedagogy
o e e y child o suppo child en’s indi idual de elopmen (Buysse e al., 2009;
Mu ia a e al., 2020). In e ac ional ela ionships a e c ucial o ul illing he child’s
basic need o a achmen as well as o suppo he child’s communica ion skills and
associa ion expe iences (Rau amies e al., 2018). Va ious esea ch has been pu sued
o cla i y ac o s ha imp o e child en’s well-being, g ow h, and de elopmen in
ECEC (see Guedes e al., 2020; Thomason & La Pa o, 2009), and hese a e usually
linked o he quali y o eache –child in e ac ion. In he ECEC ield, in e ac ion is
an impo an pa o eache s’ pedagogical expe ise (Ukkonen-Mikkola & Fonsén,
2018), and eache s’ isual gaze has been shown in ea lie s udies as being ela ed o
main aining meaning ul in e ac ion be ween he eache and he child (P ei e e al.,
2013). Teache –child in e ac ions in ol e he aspec s o emo ional suppo , class-
oom o ganiza ion, and ins uc ional suppo (Pian a e al., 2008). The eache has
an impo an impac on, o example, he de elopmen o child en’s lea ning mo i-
a ion and sel - egula ion skills (Paka inen e al., 2010; Salminen e al., 2021), he
os e ing o s uden s’ social and emo ional unc ioning (Ham e e al., 2013), and he
educ ion o p oblem beha io (Cu by e al., 2013). Ham e e al. (2013) sugges ed
ha he p ima y ool o p omo e de elopmen al ou pu s is he quali y o in e ac ion
be ween child en and adul s.
Teache s’ isual gaze has p o en o play a signi ican ole in obse ing, p edic -
ing, and making decisions ela ed o class oom si ua ions (e.g., Ta le e al., 2014).
In educa ional esea ch, eache s’ isual gaze has been s udied wi h new me hod-
ological and echnological ools (see Goldbe g e al., 2021; Ja odzka e al., 2017;
McIn y e e al., 2022; Muhonen e al., 2020; Wol e al., 2020), bu he ocus on is-
ual gaze is a ela i ely new a ea on s udies in he ECEC ield (Sadama su, 2022). In
school se ings, eye- acking echnology ha e been ea lie used o examine eache s’
isual gaze beha io ela ed o hei wo k expe ience (see Huang e al., 2021; an
den Boge e al., 2014), and dis ibu ion o isual ocus o a en ion du ing eaching
(see Chaudhu i e al., 2022; Dessus e al., 2016; Goldbe g e al., 2021; Haa aja e al.,
2020; Kelle e al., 2021).
In p e ious esea ch, in an – oddle pedagogies ha e ecei ed less in e es han
pedagogies wi h olde child en. Howe e , he g owing numbe o in an s and od-
dle s pa icipa ing in ECEC has inc eased he need o esea ch ela ed o pedagogy
in hese g oups (Ru anen & Hännikäinen, 2019; Sumsion & Ha ison, 2014). In his
s udy, wi h eye- acking echnology, we explo ed ECEC eache s’ isual gaze beha -
io in eache –child in e ac ions du ing pedagogical ac i i ies in oddle g oups in
Finland.
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
Pedagogical Ac i i ies inECEC
In he ECEC con ex , pedagogical ac i i ies a e conside ed an impo an pa o
suppo ing child en’s well-being, agency, and de elopmen o bo h hei emo ional
unc ioning and lea ning skills. We ha e adop ed B os öm’s (2006) h ee dimen-
sions o ECEC: ca e, upb inging, and eaching, which ECEC eache s can p o ide
o child en simul aneously. Fo example, he needs o indi idual child en a ec s he
in ensi y o he ca e dimension. These needsa e e alua ed based on silen e lec ion
by he eache , and om momen - o-momen eache s need o adap hei ou pu s on
hese dimensions (Ru anen & Hännikäinen, 2017).
Pedagogical ac i i ies pe o med in ECEC can be seen as a wide ange o ac ions
in which oddle s engage h oughou he day (Guedes e al., 2020). Play and educa-
ional ac i i ies ha e been p o en o suppo a child’s engagemen in highe qual-
i y p ocesses and o o e he bes po en ial o he eache o p o ide suppo o
he child in lea ning and de elopmen as well as on an emo ional le el (Slo e al.,
2016). In play, he eache s’ ole is o obse e child en’s cues, aligning wi h chil-
d en’s ini ia ions, and o be emo ionally a ailable o suppo child en’s con ibu ions
o play (Hakka ainen e al., 2013). Guided ac i i ies a e seen as join ac i i ies co-
cons i u ed by pa icipan s’ esponsi e ac ions (Walle s ed e al., 2022) in which a
child’s de elopmen o science-, language-, o ma h-o ien ed skills a e suppo ed. In
his s udy, despi e he sligh ly di e gen unc ions o he eache ’s ole in he ac i i-
ies, bo h guided ac i i y and play a e seen impo an pa s o pedagogical ac i i ies
in ECEC g oups, which can include he aspec s o ca e, upb inging, and eaching
simul aneously.
Teache –Child In e ac ions du ingPedagogical Ac i i ies
Teache s need in e ac ion- ela ed expe ise o pe o m pedagogical ac i i ies, sha e
knowledge, suppo , and e alua e child en du ing ac i i ies (Mu ia a e al., 2020).
By lis ening and conside ing child en’s exp essions and by sha ing he same ame
o e e ence in ac i i ies wi h consis ency, he eache enables child en o de elop
hei communica ion skills (Walle s ed e  al., 2022). Mo eo e , ECEC eache s
need expe ise o e alua e and suppo each child’s de elopmen indi idually. ECEC
eache s’ expe ise includes aspec s o pe sonal alues and epis emologies, belie s
abou lea ning and knowledge, and pe cep ions o he child en (Lunn B owlee e al.,
2016). In addi ion, ECEC eache s’ expe ise is associa ed wi h planning, imple-
men ing, e alua ing, and de eloping pedagogical ac i i ies (Kangas e al., 2015) and
comp ehensi e unde s anding o he cu iculum (Schach e e al., 2021). Many o
hese equi e in e ac ion skills, and his way in e ac ion also ela es o eache s’ ped-
agogical expe ise and class oom managemen skills (Ham e e al., 2013). A quali y
o eaching p ac ices and eache ’s class oom managemen skills a e associa ed wi h
be e sel -con ol skills, highe on- ask beha io , and le els o engagemen in lea n-
ing ac i i ies o child en (Rimm-Kau man e al., 2009), and hese quali ies ela e
o he cogni i e, language, and social–emo ional skills o child en (Mashbu n e al.,
2008).

1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
Mo eo e , eache –child in e ac ion in a class oom is i al o success ully pe -
o m eaching p ac ices (Ham e e al., 2013). Du ing he day, in e ac ions and hei
quali y a y ac oss di e en ac i i ies. Du ing ee play and ea ly academic skills
ac i i ies, in e ac ion was ound o be o highe quali y han, o example, du ing
meal imes (Guedes e  al., 2020). High-quali y in e ac ions be ween eache s and
young child en ha e been associa ed wi h wo key ac o s: eache s’ heigh ened sen-
si i i y o child en’s ini ia ions and abili y o e ec i ely conduc he g oup. In he
ECEC, mos o he decisions abou eache –child in e ac ions a e made based on
obse a ion, acial exp essions, bodily ges u es, and one o oice (Mo ad, 2012).
Mo eo e , eache s’ isual gaze has p o en o play a signi ican ole in de ec ing
and main aining eache –child in e ac ion (P ei e e al., 2013). Thus, eache –child
in e ac ion is an impo an aspec o eache s’ expe ise, whe e eache s’ gaze is
linked o main aining and e alua ing communica ion and e ec i e men o ing o he
g oup.
Teache ’s Gaze inPedagogical Ac i i ies
Teache s use hei isual gaze o imp o e hei si ua ional awa eness by obse ing
and de ec ing class oom e en s (Wol e al., 2020), bu also o signal and exp ess
in en ions and suppo class oom in e ac ion. I isual gaze is missing o mo ing,
i can in e up o e en obs uc meaning ul in e ac ion episodes (P ei e e  al.,
2013). The quali y o in e ac ion can ha e an in luence on he eache ’s isual gaze
beha io . Fo example, on a s udy conduc ed on i s g ade, i was ound ha mo e
s uden s ecei e isual a en ion du ing high-quali y educa ional dialog han du ing
mode a e-quali y dialog (Muhonen e al., 2020). Mo eo e , s udy implemen ed in
seconda y school showed ha eache s inc eased eye con ac wi h s uden s when
gi ing di ec ions (Haa aja e al., 2020).
The eache ’s isual gaze also a ies depending on wha hey would like o exp ess.
Du ing ques ioning, eache s showed dominance by inc easing eye con ac wi h s u-
den s and iendliness by inc easing eye con ac du ing lec u es (McIn y e e al., 2020).
Mo eo e , eache s can pay mo e isual a en ion o child en who show mo e in e ac-
i e o dis up i e beha io (Goldbe g e al., 2021) and o child en who ha e challenges
concen a ing on asks (Seidel e al., 2021). The esul s on a s udy o ECEC eache s’
isual gaze beha io ela ed o eache s’ possible implici biases e ealed ha ace and
sex o child can ha e in luence on how eache ocus hei isual gaze, by inc easing
eache s gaze especially owa d Black boys, when hey expec challenging beha io
(Gilliam e al., 2016). In addi ion, du ing snack ime, expe ienced ECEC p o ession-
als looked less a child en’s aces han o he a eas (Ishibashi e al., 2020), and when
moni o ing play si ua ions, he expe ienced eache s gazed a child en mo e equen ly
bu o sho e imes (Sadama su, 2022). A s udy combining ECEC eache s’ isual
gaze and hei e lec ion o he ac i i y showed ha awa eness o isual a en ion can
help eache s o e lec hei ac ions (Ukkonen-Mikkola e al., o hcoming). Kidwell
and Reynolds (2022) s udied gaze using con e sa ional analysis (CA). Acco ding o
hei esea ch, gaze is used as a dis inc , angible way o indica ing o o he s ha he e
is some hing in e es ing in hei sha ed en i onmen . In ECEC se ings gaze can be
used his way, o example, while eache di ec s child en’s a en ion in pedagogical
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
ac i i ies. O e all, when in e p e ing child en’s beha io and p o iding guidance and
suppo , isual gaze has a i al ole. Despi e he ecen ad ancemen s in unob usi e
eye- acking echnologies, li le is known abou how ECEC eache s use hei isual
gaze when suppo ing in e ac ion and child en’s lea ning.
Di iding Pedagogical Ac i i ies iaTeaching Dialog Pa e ns
Teaching is s ongly ela ed o pedagogical ac i i ies, and language plays a signi i-
can ole in combining he eaching, lea ning, and cogni i e de elopmen o s uden s
(Min-Young & Wilkinson, 2019). Language in eaching can be de ined h ough each-
ing dialog, whe ein he eache should p o ide s uden s wi h a sha ed esponsibili y o
discussion, ask ques ions, and p o ide eedback ha will p omp u he explo a ion
(Rezni skaya e al., 2009). Teaching dialog also consis s o conside ing s uden s’ ideas
and eques ing explana ions o hem, suppo ing collabo a ion and collabo a i e in e -
ac ion h ough explo a o y alk, and paying a en ion o s uden s’ ques ions (Me ce &
Dawes, 2008). We a e using Muhonen e al. (2016) app oach o dialogic eaching pa -
e ns o explo e eache s’ isual gaze beha io in mo e speci ic episodes du ing peda-
gogical ac i i ies. Muhonen e al. (2016) di ided dialog in o wo sub-pa e ns: eache -
ini ia ed and child-ini ia ed pa e ns. In eache -ini ia ed pa e ns, eache s main ain and
lead dialog, and in child-ini ia ed pa e ns, hey suppo child en’s ini ia i es. Since in
oddle g oups, he eache is seen as he p ima y acili a o o main aining and sup-
po ing child en’s in e ac ions. The e o e, in his s udy, eaching dialogs a e used o
di ide eache s’ e bal communica ion in o episodes, while hey a e suppo ing young
child en’s e bal in e ac ion. Mo eo e , we a e using hese di e se phases o pedagogi-
cal ac i i ies o s udy eache ’s isual gaze beha io .
Aim o  heS udy andResea ch Ques ions
Ou aim was o in es iga e eache s’ isual gaze beha io in pedagogical ac i i ies o
gain a deepe unde s anding o he ways in which eache s use hei isual gaze o acil-
i a e in e ac ions and pedagogy wi h oddle s. Fi s , we aimed o iden i y he di e se
ypes o episodes in pedagogical ac i i ies. Second, ou aim was o explo e isual gaze
beha io in hese episodes. We p oposed he ollowing esea ch ques ions (RQs):
RQ1. Wha kinds o pedagogical episodes can be iden i ied om pedagogical
ac i i ies in ECEC g oups?
RQ2. How does eache s’ gaze beha io appea in di e se ypes o pedagogical
episodes?
Me hod
Pa icipan s, Da a Collec ion, andDa a
Th ee Finnish ECEC eache s pa icipa ed, and he s udy was implemen ed in hei
small g oups o child en unde h ee yea s o age. Pa icipan s we e ec ui ed ough
1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
he coope a ion ne wo ks o he Uni e si y o Jy äskylä. All pa icipan s wo ked in
he same ECEC cen e . The ECEC cen e leade and he eache s we e in o med
o he s udy and hei willingness o pa icipa e was inqui ed be o ehand. When
pe o ming esea ch p ac ices especially wi h young child en esea che s need
o ensu e space o e e yone o commen , o show hei iews and hese need o
be hea d and conside ed (Ru anen e al., 2021). On his s udy, e hical conside a-
ions we e ca e ully delibe a ed, and he s udy was submi ed o e iew o he e hi-
cal boa d o he Uni e si y o Jy äskylä. Mo eo e , a consen o m and in o ma ion
shee we e p o ided o all pa icipa ing eache s and child en’s pa en s and assen o
s udy was nego ia ed wi h he child en in ol ed be o e and du ing esea ch. When
child en’s pe mission o collec da a was acqui ed be o ehand, pa icipa ing eache
go he chance o es eye- acking glasses in he p esence o pa icipa ing child en.
This was done o ge pa icipan s amilia wi h he glasses and o minimize possible
s ess, anxie y o uncom o able eelings ega ding da a collec ion and glasses. Pa -
icipan s we e gi en he oppo uni y o wi hd aw om he s udy a any ime. Du -
ing da a collec ion, esea che s we e moni o ing child en’s bodily and e bal ges-
u es. Resea che s we e eady o wi hd aw om he da a collec ion i some child had
shown e bal o non- e bal ges u es o eeling uncom o able in a si ua ion (e.g.,
c ying, hiding, squi ming). In epo ing he esul s, pseudonyms o pa icipan s ha e
been used.
The pa icipa ing eache s had comple ed hei bachelo ’s deg ee in ea ly child-
hood educa ion. The pa icipa ing eache s’ wo k expe ience was o Ma ia, one
yea h ee mon hs, o Rose, wo yea s h ee mon hs, and o Joanna, ou yea s. In
he g oups pa icipa ing in he da a collec ion, he e we e om wo o ou child en
a a ime (Table1). In Ma ia’s case, he small g oup o child en we e he same in
bo h o he da a collec ion si ua ions. In Joanna’s and Rose’s case, some child en
we e p esen in bo h si ua ions, bu no all. The e we e in o al nine child en pa ici-
pa ing: i e boys and ou gi ls. The pa icipa ing child en’s ages anged om 29 o
36mon hs, wi h an a e age o 31mon hs.
Da a we e collec ed wi h Tobii P o Glasses 2 (h ps:// www. obii. com/) ha a e
mobile and unob usi e eye- acking classes, allowing cap u ing pa icipan s’ eye-
mo emen da a in au hen ic en i onmen s. Eye-mo emen da a include pa icipan s
gaze ixa ions (pe iod whe e isual gaze is ela i ely s ill), saccades ( apid eye
mo emen s be ween ixa ions) and blinks. In addi ion o he eye-mo emen da a,
hese eye acke s eco d ideo and audio da a o pa icipan s’ ac ions, enabling
mul imodal da a analysis. Fo his s udy, we used only pa icipan s ixa ion da a in
e ms o o al du a ion o ixa ions. To al du a ion o ixa ions is de ined as o al
amoun o ime ha measu ed gaze is ocusing on speci ic a ea o in e es (AOI)
(mo e in o ma ion o eye- acking echnology: Holmq is e al., 2015). Eye- acking
glasses we e calib a ed by he esea che and pa icipa ing eache be o e he eco d-
ing using one-poin calib a ion (Tobii P o, 2023), and he calib a ion was e i ied
wi h he h ee-se poin echnique (Muhonen e al., 2020). The da a included wo
eye- acking eco dings om each pa icipa ing eache : one om play and one om
guided ac i i y. The eache s chose he con en o he play and guided ac i i ies.
Play ac i i ies consis ed o elemen s om guided play, whe e he eache chose im-
ing o he ac i i y and oys, and om ee play, whe e he child en we e ee o play
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
Table 1 Speci ic ea u es o he guided and play ac i i ies
Teache Ac i i y Speci ic ea u es o space and o ganiza ion o he ac i i y Leng h o
he eco d-
ing
Rose Guided ac i i y, music 3 child en, eache si ing in on , child en on hei speci ic si ing pla o ms 15.31
Ma ia Guided ac i i y, music 2 child en, eache si ing in on , child en on hei speci ic si ing pla o ms 12.10
Joanna Guided ac i i y, inge pain a 2 child en, child en si ing a ound able, eache mo ing 31.45
Rose Play ac i i y, Legos 4 child en, child en si ing o mo ing a ound he able, eache si ing on he loo , spacious oom 16.18
Ma ia Play ac i i y, magic sand, and molds 2 child en, child en and eache a ound able, eache si ing and child en s anding ( able designed o be
on child en’s le el)
32.02
Joanne Play ac i i y, wooden ain ack, ains 2 child en, child en and eache on a loo , eache as assis an , child en mo ing while building he ain
ack
19.46
1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
Teache s’ Gaze inChild‑Ini ia ed Pedagogical Episodes
Commonly inchild-ini ia ed pedagogical episodes he eache ’s isual gaze mo ed
be ween AOIs o he indi idual child en and AOIs o eaching o playing ma e ials.
Howe e ,being in gene al mo e o en on indi idual child en. Figu e4 o child-ini-
ia ed enabling episodes shows ha du ing play ac i i ies, eache s’ isual gaze was
mos ly on AOI o he playing ma e ials. Du ing guided ac i i ies, eache s’ isual
ocus o gaze was mo e on AOIs o he indi idual child en han o he AOIs.
In all play ac i i ies and Joanna’s guided ac i i y, he eache was posi ioned si -
ing nex o he child en, and he ocus o hei isual gaze was mos ly on playing o
eaching ma e ials (Fig.4). In hese si ua ions, he eache ’s isual gaze was mo e
on wha he child was showing o alking abou , and he eache showed engagemen
Fig. 3 Teache s’ gaze ixa ion du a ion pe cen ages on speci ic AOIs in eache -ini ia ed sa e y episodes
Fig. 4 Teache s’ gaze ixa ion du a ion pe cen ages on speci ic AOIs in child-ini ia ed enabling episodes

S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
in he child’s in e es by e bally acknowledging i and ocusing hei isual gaze
on i . In he s uc u ed guided music ac i i ies o Rose and Ma ia, he posi ion o
he eache in on o he child en and ewe eaching ma e ials being used in he
ac i i y inc eased he ocus o isual gaze on indi idual child en in he enabling
episodes.
Figu e5 shows ha in he child-ini ia ed moni o ing episodes in play ac i i ies,
he eache s’ isual gaze was mos ly on AOIs o he indi idual child en. Du ing
guided ac i i ies, he eache s’ ocus o isual gaze a ied be ween AOIs o he indi-
idual child en and he AOI o he eaching ma e ials.
In hese episodes, eache s moni o ed wi h hei isual gaze child en who we e
dis ac ed, and as shown in Fig.5, he eache ocused hei isual gaze mos ly on
hese child en. In Ma ia’s play and Joanna’s guided ac i i y, he eache s’ isual gaze
was mo e on eaching o playing ma e ials. In hese si ua ions, child en we e si ing
a ound he able wi h he eache , and e en when hey go dis ac ed, hey s ayed
ela i ely s ill. The eache ’s isual gaze was mo e on eaching o playing ma e i-
als, when hey ied o engage he child in he ac i i y using hei gaze. Mo eo e ,
he ocus o eache s’ isual gaze on indi idual child en was s ill qui e consis en in
hese si ua ions.
Discussion
Wi h his s udy, we aimed o cla i y eache s isual gaze beha io , while acili a ing
in e ac ions and pedagogy wi h young child en. This was s udied du ing pedagogi-
cal ac i i ies in oddle s’ g oups. Fi s , we p esen ed i e pedagogical episode ypes
iden i ied om pedagogical ac i i ies: eache -ini ia ed guidance, sa e y, and in i-
a ion and child-ini ia ed enabling and moni o ing. These indings ela e o each-
e s’ abili y and need in ECEC ac i i ies o adap hei ins uc ional app oach o he
eaching, ca e, and upb inging when suppo ing child en indi idually (Ru anen
Fig. 5 Teache s’ gaze ixa ion du a ion pe cen ages on speci ic AOIs in child-ini ia ed moni o ing epi-
sodes ( he missing column indica es ha his episode ype was no de ec ed in his ac i i y)
1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
& Hännikäinen, 2017). In oddle g oups, eache - and child-ini ia ed episodes
we e almos as common, which is in line wi h ea lie esul s in p eschool se ings,
whe eas in p ima y school, child ini ia ions seemed o dec ease (Muhonen e al.,
2016). Ac i e dialog be ween eache s and child en can also be ela ed o eache s’
expe ise in suppo ing child en’s pa icipa ion and p o iding encou agemen o
hei own ini ia i es (Salminen e al., 2021; Ukkonen-Mikkola & Fonsén, 2018).
The indings also show a ela ionship be ween he ac i i y’s s uc u e and he
eache ’s posi ion in he cons uc ion o he pedagogical episodes. Also, eache s’
posi ion in on o child en in s uc u ed guided ac i i ies had ela ionship wi h
child-ini ia ed enabling and moni o ing episodes. In hese, he eache s’ ocus was
mo e on class oom o ganiza ion and ins uc ional suppo . The posi ion o he
eache nex o he child en in play and no -so-s uc u ed guided ac i i y inc eased
eache -ini ia ed guidance and child-ini ia ed enabling episodes. These indings a e
mos ly in line wi h ea lie s udies whe e eache –child in e ac ion was shown o be
highe quali y in play- and guided ac i i ies (Guedes e al., 2020). In addi ion,ou
indings sugges ha highly s uc u ed ac i i ies in oddle g oups migh dec ease
ac i e ini ia ions om he child en.
Findings ela ed o eache s’ isual gaze beha io showed ha in all pedagogi-
cal episode ypes, eache aims o in e ac ion in luence eache s’ ocus on hei is-
ual gaze. The ocus o a eache ’s isual gaze can also a y whe he he episode
is eache - o child-ini ia ed. In gene al, in eache -ini ia ed episodes, he eache s’
isual gaze was mo e on eaching o playing ma e ials. In eache -ini ia ed guidance
episodes, eache s ocused hei isual gaze on wha hey wan ed o show o exp ess,
in sa e y episodes, on whom hey we e gi ing ins uc ions o, and in in i a ion epi-
sodes, on wha hey wished he child o concen a e. Also, in ea lie s udies, eache s
we e seen o p o ide guidance using hei isual gaze (Haa aja e al., 2020) and o
in luence ac ions in hei en i onmen (Ta le e al., 2014). Teache s ocusing hei
isual gaze mo e on child en in child-ini ia ed episodes seem o second he aspec o
eache being sensi i e owa d child en’s cues (see Walle s ed e al., 2022). In ena-
bling episodes, eache s ocused hei isual gaze on child en o non- e bally sup-
po and encou age hem o in e ac (see Muhonen e al., 2016). In moni o ing epi-
sodes, he eache s ocused hei isual gaze on child en who we e dis ac ed, which
led he eache s o ocus hei gazes mo e on child en who showed mo e dis up i e
beha io (Goldbe g e al., 2021). I he eache s’ gaze mo ed mo e be ween each-
ing/playing ma e ials o child en in enabling episodes, he eache s isual gaze was
on wha he child en’s ini ia ion conce ned, and in moni o ing episodes, on wha
hey wished child en o ocus on. Teache s engaged hemsel es in in e ac ion and
paid a en ion o wha he child en we e ini ia ing, and he ocus o he eache s’
isual gaze suppo s his.
Ou indings on eache s’ isual gaze beha io , ela ed o he s uc u e o he
ac i i y and eache s’ posi ion, show ha he du a ion and wha eache s ocus hei
isual gaze on a ies. Teache s’ posi ion in on o child en in s uc u ed guided
ac i i ies inc eased eache s’ isual gaze owa d child en in almos all episode ypes,
and his is in line wi h ea lie s udies whe e isual gaze was ound o be linked o
obse ing and de ec ing class oom e en s o imp o e eache s’ si ua ional awa eness
(Wol e al., 2020). An excep ion was eache -ini ia ed in i a ion episodes, whe e
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
he eache s’ isual gaze was mo e on he AOI o o he s. In i a ion episodes a e
linked o he eache in i ing he child o join he ac i i y when he child ge s dis-
ac ed. This inding con as s wi h ea lie s udies in which eache s we e ound o
ocus hei gaze mo e on child en who had challenges concen a ing on asks (Seidel
e al., 2021). Ou s udy indica es ha in s uc u ed ac i i ies when a child needs sup-
po on concen a ing, eache s may s ee he child’s ocus wi h hei isual gaze.
This is doneby  he eache by ocusing hei isual gaze on wha hemsel es wan
he child o pay a en ion o, a he han ocusing hei isual gaze di ec ly on he
child.
Limi a ions, Implica ions, andFu u e Di ec ions
The e a e some limi a ions o his s udy. Fi s , he da a in his s udy we e collec ed
in au hen ic ECEC se ings whe e child en and he eache could mo e eely du ing
he da a collec ion. This leads o some comp omises in e ms o he quali y o he
da a since we could no con ol head mo emen , gaze angle, o ligh ing (see Tobii
P o, 2020). To maximize he u iliza ion o da a gained in da a collec ion, AOIs we e
i s isually ecognized om eco dings, hen named and all ixa ions om he eye-
acking ideo eco dings we e manually coded on o he selec ed AOIs. In addi ion,
o minimize he in luence o eye- acking glasses on child en’s and eache s’ beha -
io s, glasses we e in oduced o all pa icipan s be o ehand. The second limi a ion is
he small numbe o esea ch pa icipan s. The e o e, gene alized conclusions can-
no be d awn om he esul s.
Rega dless o he limi a ions, his explo a o y app oach in ol ing eye- acking
echnology con ibu es o de eloping esea ch me hods and p ac ices in s udies in
ECEC wi h oddle s. Wi h eye- acking echnology, ECEC eache ’s isual gaze
beha io can be explo ed in eache –child in e ac ions and his way gain unde s and-
ing o he ways ha eache s use hei isual gaze o acili a e in e ac ions and peda-
gogy wi h oddle s. In addi ion, his s udy o e s be e unde s anding o he ole o
eache s’ isual gaze beha io in pedagogical in e ac ion in au hen ic ECEC se ings
and ac i i ies. Thus, his s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e o eye- acking esea ch,
o en conduc ed in mo e s uc u ed se ings like school classes and es ic ed lea n-
ing asks. By examining in e ac ion wi h eye- acking in pedagogical ac i i ies, we
ha e gained knowledge o how eache s use hei isual gaze o suppo , s ee , and
engage child en in ac i i ies and in e ac ion. This knowledge o eache s’ isual gaze
beha io in in e ac ion can be used and e lec ed wi h eache s in de eloping he
ECEC p ac ices.
This s udy e ealed se e al di ec ions o u u e esea ch. In u u e esea ch, mo e
ocus could be di ec ed o he eache s’ pe cep ions and e lec ions o hei eye-
acking da a and decisions in pedagogical si ua ions. Mo eo e , gaze da a gained
h ough eye- acking gi es mo e speci ic in o ma ion abou he ocus o isual gaze
han ideo eco dings ha a e o en used in in e ac ion analysis. Hence, ano he
u u e di ec ion could be combining eye- acking da a wi h mo e de ailed me hodol-
ogies ha ocus on he p ocess o in e ac ion, such as con e sa ion analysis (Kidwell
& Reynolds, 2022). In addi ion, i is possible o u ilize eye- acking echnology o
1 3
Ea ly Childhood Educa ion andCa e Teache s’ Gaze Beha io …
iden i y eache s’ isual gaze beha io s ela ed o hei yea s o wo k expe ience. In
ou s udy, pa icipan s we e all qui e ecen ly s a ed hei ECEC ca ee and collec -
ing u he da a om eache s who ha e ex ended wo k expe ience would p o ide an
excellen oppo uni y o s udy his phenomenon.
Conclusions
Ou indings suppo he impo ance o eache s using hei isual gaze o obse -
ing and suppo ing child en’s in e ac ion. Wi h espec o implemen ing pedagogical
ac ions, ou indings sugges ha eache s can use hei isual gaze o show in e es ,
suppo a child’s ini ia ions, and engage child en in ac i i y. Addi ionally, ou ind-
ings show ha he s uc u e o he ac i i y and he eache s’ posi ion may in luence
he incidence o di e en pedagogical episodes and eache s’ isual gaze beha io .
Fo oddle g oups in s uc u ed ac i i ies, he eache may di ec he child’s a en-
ion by ocusing hei isual gaze on wha hey wan he child o pay a en ion o.
The e o e, eye- acking echnology o e s a me hodological ool o s udy how each-
e s use hei isual gaze in sensi i e in e ac ions o success ully engage child en in
pedagogical ac i i ies.
Acknowledgemen s This s udy was suppo ed by he Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Depa men o Educa ion.
We a e g a e ul o all he ECEC eache s, child en, amilies, and ECEC cen e s ha pa icipa ed.
Au ho Con ibu ion All au ho s con ibu ed o he s udy concep ion and design. Ma e ial p epa a ion,
da a collec ion and analysis we e pe o med by Susanna Iso alo and Tuulikki Ukkonen-Mikkola. The i s
d a o he manusc ip was w i en by Susanna Iso alo and all au ho s commen ed on p e ious e sions
o he manusc ip . All au ho s ead and app o ed he inal manusc ip .
Funding Open Access unding p o ided by Uni e si y o Jy äskylä (JYU). This s udy was unded by he
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Depa men o Educa ion.
Decla a ions
Con lic o In e es The au ho s ha e no compe ing in e es s o decla e ha a e ele an o he con en o
his a icle.
E hical App o al App o al was ob ained om he e hics commi ee o he Uni e si y o Jy äskylä. The
p ocedu es used in his s udy adhe e o he ene s o he Decla a ion o Helsinki.
Consen o Pa icipa e In o med consen was ob ained om pa icipa ing eache s and legal gua dians o
he child en. The child en’s assen o pa icipa e in he s udy was nego ia ed wi h he child en in ol ed
be o e and du ing esea ch.
Open Access This a icle is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License,
which pe mi s use, sha ing, adap a ion, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium o o ma , as long as
you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Com-
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no pe mi ed by s a u o y egula ion o exceeds he pe mi ed use, you will need o ob ain pe mission
S.Iso alo e al.
1 3
di ec ly om he copy igh holde . To iew a copy o his licence, isi h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/.
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Publishe ’s No e Sp inge Na u e emains neu al wi h ega d o ju isdic ional claims in published maps
and ins i u ional a ilia ions.