Analyzing Pre-school Children’s Play Behaviors According to a Variety of Variables

Abstract

Pre-school stage is a critical period for socio-emotional development of children. Children gain a variety of competences like respect, social share, labor division, individual rights and responsiblities, social environment during pre-school; therefore children go through a preparation process for adult life. This study aims to identify the current situation of pre-school children’s play behaviors (silent play,solitary-passive play, solitary-active play, social play and reticent play behaviors). Also, it is identified whether pre-school children’s play behaviors differ depending on various variables. Descriptive method -one of the quantitative research methods- has been used as a research method. Study sample includes 200 children selected randomly whose ages range from 60 months to 72 months and study in private and public pre-schools in Mersin. Teachers were asked to observe each child and then fill “play behaviors scale”. As a result of analysis, pre-school children obtain highest scores in subscales of social play, then moderate scores in subscales of solitary-active play and silent play, then the lowest scores in reticent play and solitary-passive play. In terms of sibling variable, it comes out that children with no sibling show higher degree of reticent play behaviors compared with children with one or two siblings. Within context of this research, it is found out that pre-school children who go to a private school show higher degree of solitary-active play behaviors compared with children who go to a public school.

Keywords

• Okul öncesi oyun davranışları
• sosyal oyun
• sosyo-duygusal gelişim