EXTENT TO WHICH CLASSROOM PLAY INFLUENCE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS OF CHILDREN IN PUBLIC PRE-SCHOOLS IN RACHUONYO NORTH SUB-COUNTY, HOMABAY COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Play is a crucial part of any child’s social behavior and development. It helps children develop self-determination, self-control, and identity. These skills are primarily learned through interactions with other children. Specifically, the study focused on the extent to which classroom play influence social interactions of children in public pre-schools in Rachuonyo North Sub-County, Homabay County, Kenya. The information provided by this research will benefit policymakers, community members and academicians. It adopted a descriptive survey research design, with a target population of 492 persons. The sample size of 217 persons was determined using the Krejcie & Morgan table (1970). The researcher collected data using questionnaires. Reliability of the instruments was determined through a pilot study where Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (r) was analyzed for the two scores and found to be 0.78, thus, the instruments were reliable. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and presented in tables. The study established that classroom play, playground play and field trip play had a statistically significant association with social interactions of children in public pre-schools.
Downloads
References
Burckley, R (2012). The Impact of Different Play Environments on the Social Interactions of Toddlers with Disabilities. Unpublished Thesis. Utah State University
Active Living Research. (2011). The potential of safe, secure and accessible playgrounds to increase children’s physical activity. Research Brief February 2011. Retrieved from http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/ALR_Brief_SafePlay
Barbour, A. (1999). The impact of playground design on the play behaviors of children with differing levels of physical competence. Early Childhood ResearchQuarterly, 14(1), 75-98.
Bergen, D. (1988). Stages of play development. In D. Bergen (Ed.), Play as a medium for learning and development: A handbook of theory and practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Brodin, J. (2005). Diversity of aspects on play in children with profound multiple disabilities. Early Child Development and Care, 175(7-8), 635-646.
Brown, M., & Bergen, D. (2002). Play and social interaction of children with disabilities at learning centers in an inclusive preschool. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 17(1), 26-37.
Carmichael, K. (1994). Play therapy for children with physical disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 60(3), 51-53.
Carta, J., Greenwood, C., Walker, D., & Buzhardt, J. (2010). Using IDGIs: Monitoring progress and improving intervention for infants and young children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Clements, R. (2004). An investigation of the status of outdoor play. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 5(1), 68-78.
Cohen, B. (2001). Statistical power and effect size. In Explaining psychological statistics 2nd ed. New York, NY: Wiley.
Cooper, J., & Vick, J. (2009). Promoting social-emotional wellbeing in early intervention services: a fifty-state view. National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_885.html
Danaher, J., Goode, S., & Lazara, A. (2010). Part C updates 11th ed. The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. Retrieved from http://www.nectac.org/
Driscoll, C., & Carter, M. (2010). The effects of spatial density on the social interaction of preschool children with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 57(2), 191-206.
Fenson, L. (1986). The developmental progression of play. In A. Gottfried, & C. Brown, (Eds.), Play interactions: The contribution of play materials and parental involvement to children’s development. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Fine, A., & Fine, H. (1988). Therapeutic recreation for exceptional children. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Garner, B. (1998). Development from birth to age four. In D. Fromberg, & D. Bergen, (Eds.), Play from birth to twelve and beyond: Contexts, perspectives, and meanings. New York, NY: Garland.
Gerenser, J., & Forman, B. (2007). Speech and language deficits in children with developmental disabilities. In J. Jacobson, J. Mulick, & J. Rojahn, (Eds.), Handbook of intellectual and developmental disabilities. New York, NY: Springer.
Gillberg, C. (2007). The autism spectrum. In J. Jacobson, J. Mulick, & J. Rojahn, (Eds.), Handbook of intellectual and developmental disabilities. New York, NY: Springer.
Gorn, S. (2005). Legal issues. In L. Barker, & L.Welkowitz, (Eds.), Asperger’s syndrome: Intervening in schools, clinics, and communities. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum
Grusec, J., & Lytton, H. (1988). Social development: History, theory, and research. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag
Guralnick, M. (1986). The peer relations of young handicapped and nonhandicapped children. In P. Strain, M. Guralnick, & H. Walker (Eds.), Children’s socialbehavior: Development, assessment, and modification (pp. 93-140). Orlando, FL: Academic.
Hart, C., DeWolf, M., & Burts, D. (1993). Parental disciplinary strategies. In C. Hart, (Ed.), Children on playgrounds: Research perspectives and applications. New York, NY: State University of New York Press.
Hart, C., & Sheenan, R. (1986). Preschoolers’ play behavior in outdoor environments: Effects of traditional and contemporary playground. American Educational Research Journal, 23(4), 668-678.
Hudson, S., & Thompson, D. (2000). Planning playgrounds for children of all abilities. School Planning & Management, 39(2), 35-39.
Ihn, H. (2007). Analysis of preschool children’s equipment choices and play behaviors in outdoor environments. Early Childhood NEWS. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhood.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=249
Johnson, C. (2009). The benefits of physical activity for youth with developmental disabilities: a systematic review. American Journal of Health Promotion, 23(3), 157-167.
Johnson, J., Christie, J., & Yawkey, T. (1999). Play and early childhood development. New York, NY: Longman.
L’Abate, L. (2009). The Praeger handbook of play across the life cycle. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Lidz, C. (2003). Early childhood assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mawson, B. (2010). Environmental influences on independent collaborative play. International Research in Early Childhood Education, 1(2), 2-12.
Mitchell, R., Cavanagh, M., & Eager, D. (2006). Not all risk is bad, playgrounds as a learning environment for children. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 13(2), 122-124.
Müller, E., Whaley, K., & Rous, B. (2009). State efforts to meet the early childhood transition requirements of IDEA. inForum Brief Policy Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.projectforum.org/docs/StateEffortstoMeettheECTransitionRequireme ntsofIDEAfinal.pdf
Odom, S., McConnel, S., & Chandler, L. (1993). Acceptability and feasibility of classroom-based social interaction interventions for young children with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 60(3), 226-236.
Part C of IDEA. (2011). National Early Childhood Assistance Center. Retrieved from www.nectac.org/partc/partc.asp#overvie
Payne, G. (1988). The motor development of children. In A. Fine, & N. Fine, (Eds.), Therapeutic recreation for exceptional children: Let me in, I want to play. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Pierce-Jordan, S., & Lifter, K. (2005). Interaction of social and play behaviors in preschoolers with and without pervasive developmental disorder. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 25(1), 34-47.
Prellwitz, M., & Skär, L. (2007). Usability of playgrounds for children with different abilities. Occupational Therapy International, 14(3), 144-155.
Prellwitz, M., & Tamm, M. (1999). Attitudes of key persons to accessibility problems in playgrounds for children with restricted mobility: A study in the medium-sized municipality in northern Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6, 166-173
Roberts, C., Pratt, C., & Leach, D. (1991). Classroom and playground interactions of students with and without disabilities. Exceptional Children, 57, 212-224
Rydenhad, T. (2003). Design for free play. Report No. 2003:28. Göteborg, Sweden: IT University of Göteborg.
Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2007). Social competence in children. New York, NY: Springer.
Shim, S., Herwig, J., & Shelley, M. (2001). Preschoolers’ play behaviors with peers in classroom and playground settings. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15(2), 149-163.
Spodek, B., & Saracho, O. (1988). The challenge of education play. In D. Bergen (Ed.), Play as a medium for learning and development: A handbook of theory and practice (pp. 11-28). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
White, R., & Stoecklin, V. (1997). Children’s outdoor play and learning environments: returning to nature. Early Childhood NEWS. Retrieved from http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/outdoor.shtml
Wolery, M., & Wilbers, J. (1994). Including children with special needs in early childhood programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Woolley, H., Armitage, M., Bishop, J., Curtis, M., & Ginsborg, J. (2006). Going outside together: good practice with respect to the inclusion of disabled children in primary school playgrounds. Children’s
Copyright (c) 2020 IJRDO - Journal of Educational Research (ISSN: 2456-2947)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the IJRDO Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
