This article considers the opportunities for learning and inclusive dimensions of role-play based on the reading and interpretation of a canonical text, drawing on a case study involving student-teachers. This exploration of role and learning through drama builds on the foundational work of Bolton and Heathcote. Focusing on students' particular…

Drawing on the theory of dialogism and the literature on children's culture and cultural resistance, this article investigates the contextual and textual features of the cultural making of a group of children in sociodramatic play in a Hong Kong kindergarten. Different from other, similar studies, this study reports that under the gaze of the…

Describes an exploratory study in which alternative dramatic play areas are compared among older preschoolers. Twelve children, grouped into same-sex pairs (55 to 67 months old), were observed in various playroom environments. Results indicate that theme specific settings stimulated dramatic play while neutral areas encouraged personal fantasy…

Examined effects on target children's sociodramatic role play of sociodramatic script training in combination with an intervention package consisting of peer role prompting, a group-oriented reinforcement contingency, and visual feedback. Found support for use, with a minimum of teacher involvement, of the peer-mediated intervention package in…

Documented differences in the quality of play in thematic and housekeeping organizational patterns of the sociodramatic play center in a preschool classroom. Found the thematic organization resulted in higher quality sociodramatic play in which the children enacted more roles outside the home, utilized more aspects of their roles, demonstrated…

The effects of two types of play experiences (constructive and dramatic) on 64 preschool children's perspective-taking performance were studied. (Author/MP)

This paper examines aspects of role playing in young children focusing specifically on the importance of role playing, the components of role playing and how to use role playing. The importance of role playing is discussed and several reasons for believing that role playing is related to intellectual and social development and to learning language…

Examined the effect of sociodramatic play on the literacy learning of first graders. Found that sociodramatic play provided a vehicle through which the players practiced what they knew about literacy and provided an opportunity to think about literacy in the context of various play themes. Adult mediation enhanced the players' incorporation of…

This study compared the quality of preschool children's sociodramatic play in classrooms that used centers for housekeeping role play with those that used centers for various other types of role play. Classroom play sessions in the preschool were videotaped biweekly over the course of the 1992-1993 academic year. These videotapes were then…

Examined the effects of thematic fantasy play (TFP) on the perspective-taking of 27 kindergarten children by having their teacher guide them in the reenactment of fairy tales. Results demonstrated that the children exposed to TFP performed significantly higher on measures of perceptual, cognitive, and affective perspective-taking than a control…

A practicum was conducted to address the needs of teachers and administrators in Pasco County, Florida to provide programs for kindergarten children who were developmentally younger than their chronological 5 years of age. The program goal was to increase the maturity of at least one developmental behavior in each child by at least 80 percent;…

A study examined the social pretend play and conversational behaviors of three children (ages 4-6) with language impairment in dyadic interactions with peers. In all dyads, social pretend play yielded greater conversational success than other forms of play. Quality of play varied as a function of partner characteristics. (Contains references.)…

Observed the effects of dramatic play center variations on children's social and cognitive play behaviors. Found that solitary-designed centers facilitated more solitary play than group-designed centers; dramatic play increased in the intervention and follow-up housekeeping centers compared to the baseline housekeeping center; and thematic centers…

This research project explored how children's ability to exchange ideas and resolve conflict was influenced by regularly setting aside time to dictate and act out stories. Research methods for this 3-month project included audiotapes, a questionnaire, and the stories from 23 first-grade children. Observations looked specifically at conflict…

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an instrument designed to measure the dramatic and sociodramatic play activity of young children. A total of 31 children were selected from early education programs on the basis of sex and socioeconomic status. The spontaneous classroom dramatic play behavior of each child was…