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THE ECOLOGY OF A CHILD'S DAY: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS CARE ENVIRONMENTS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF A PRESCHOOLER'S PLAY
Abstract
Observations were conducted at various care environments and preschools to determine whether environmental variables, such as setting and time of day, affect the complexity of a young child's play. Twenty-four preschoolers were observed for an hour during the morning and afternoon on three separate occasions. Three males and three females, from each of the following programs, participated in the study: (1) half-day morning preschool; (2) half-day afternoon preschool; (3) full-day day care; and (4) full-day family day care. Children attending half-day programs were observed at their homes as well as at school, whereas the other children were observed in only one setting during both mornings and afternoons. Scores based on the number of instances of complex play divided by the number of instances of complex and simple play were used as a measure of complexity in the analyses. Findings indicate that setting does affect the complexity of a child's play. Those children attending a half-day afternoon preschool program were found to have significantly higher complexity scores than their peers in other settings. No significant differences existed between the other groups. In addition, no differences were found in the complexity scores of males and females. In looking at the effect of the time of day, no significant differences were found between morning and afternoon complexity scores. The complexity levels of children changing settings, as compared to those attending a full-day program, were found not to differ significantly. In addition, the home play of children attending afternoon preschool was found to be significantly more complex than the home play of children attending morning preschool. Disregarding the effect of time of day, the relationship between play complexity and activities was investigated. Across programs, children were found to spend most of their time involved in the following activities: table games, art, fantasy, and blocks. The activities associated with the greatest percentage of complex play were as follows: art, sand/water play, blocks, table games, and fantasy.
Subject Area
Preschool education
Recommended Citation
WINEY, KATHERINE ANNE, "THE ECOLOGY OF A CHILD'S DAY: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS CARE ENVIRONMENTS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF A PRESCHOOLER'S PLAY" (1987). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8727119.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8727119