Preschool Play Behaviors: The Relationship to Sociometric Status, Divergent Thinking and Classroom Materials
Tschantz, Linda Le Blanc
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68969
Description
Title
Preschool Play Behaviors: The Relationship to Sociometric Status, Divergent Thinking and Classroom Materials
Author(s)
Tschantz, Linda Le Blanc
Issue Date
1984
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Early Childhood
Abstract
The major purpose of this research was to study preschool children's play behaviors and their relationship to: sociometric status, divergent thinking ability, and classroom materials. Ninety-five four-year-olds were observed during free play time and were administered three sociometric tests and a divergent thinking task. Positive nominations, negative nominations, and play rating scores were correlated with play behaviors. A negative relationship exists between onlooker and unoccupied behaviors and positive nominations and play rating scores. Most forms of group play were positively related to positive nominations. No relationship was discerned between divergent thinking and group-dramatic play.
For 15 days, classroom materials made available during free play time were rated along two dimensions--complexity and variety. Complexity refers to a material's potential for manipulation and alteration; while variety refers to the amount of things there are to do. A correlational analysis indicated that complexity was positively related to all forms of constructive play. Both variety and complexity were positively related to group-games and negatively related to unoccupied behavior.
The method of identifying status groups in the study yielded interesting results. Positive nominations, negative nominations, social preference, and social impact scores were used and four status groups were identified: popular, average, rejected, and neglected. In the study of play behaviors and peer group status, the analysis of variance procedures revealed no significant group differences on any play behaviors; however, group mean scores indicated that the neglected group had the highest unoccupied and onlooker scores and the lowest mean group-dramatic play scores.
The results of this study suggest that the choice of measures used to identify preschoolers who may be "at risk" in their peer relationships is dependent upon the size from which the peer group nominations are made and the target population to be identified. These issues are discussed in the study.
The study supports the use of multiple measures when assessing young children's social status. The research also supports the assessment of qualitative aspects of behavior in the study of peer relationships; specifically, the qualitative study of play behaviors of young children.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
