The process by which preschoolers generate cohesive oral text was investigated in two fields of discourse: social dramatic and constructive play. Four preschoolers, 2 boys and 2 girls, ranging in age from 51 to 60 months were observed and videotaped in their regular preschool classroom on 2 successive days during free play periods. Each child was…

TWO MAIN METHODS OF APPROACH IN UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOLASTIC FAILURE OF CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN WERE--THE USE OF SUCH TEACHING METHODS AS TEXTBOOKS, WORKBOOKS, TEACHERS' GUIDEBOOKS, AND OTHER TEACHING AIDS SUITED TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF THESE CHILDREN, AND THE USE OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE KINDERGARTEN LEVEL AIMED AT FINDING WAYS TO DEVELOP…

Examined the influence of curriculum preparation on children's content knowledge of dramatic play centers' themes, dramatic play behavior, and theme-relevant conversation during play. Found that theme familiarity may have been a critical factor. Posttest content knowledge was positively related to frequency of dramatic play. Teacher effects on…

Two experiments with eight language handicapped and four nonhandicapped preschool children examined the process of training preschool children to act out themes and exchange roles according to sociodramatic play scripts. Results suggested that such a program may benefit both handicapped and nonhandicapped children by enhancing interaction and…

Reviews research on the use of sociodramatic play in developing preschool literacy skills, outlines the development of play centers which can be used to facilitate literacy development, and offers practical suggestions for acquiring the materials needed for the construction of such centers in preschool classrooms and facilities. (MDM)

Three hundred preschoolers aged 3 through 5 were tested for their cognitive style and their preferences for different play areas. Results indicated that field-independent (FI) children (socially detached with high analytical abilities) preferred physical and block play more than field-dependent (FD) children (socially adept and sensitive) and that…

Literacy materials were added to preschoolers' play areas. The teacher encouraged some of the children to use the materials. Observations revealed that children who received encouragement engaged in more literacy-related play than other children. Subsequent literacy assessments revealed no differences in literacy between the groups of children.…

Examined 13 preschool classes to determine whether the voluntary literacy behavior of children could be increased by means of teacher-guided introduction of reading and writing materials into dramatic play areas. Thematic play with teacher guidance and literacy materials yielded significantly increased literacy behavior. (SH)

Ways that molecular and molar semiotic analysis of children's sociodramatic play can lead to new insight into children's interpersonal relations and social development is demonstrated. The method is illustrated through analysis of play transcripts of 2 girls aged 4.5 and 5.5 years. (Author/LB)

Changing the dramatic play area in a child care setting promotes creativity and gives children the chance to experience a place they may never experience in real life. Whenever possible, the children should be involved in the process of changing the area, by moving furniture and exchanging props, as well as brainstorming ideas for changes. The…

Black and white middle class preschool children were compared on the frequency with which they engaged in functional, constructive, and dramatic cognitive play across interactive and noninteractive social play situations. Results of analyses yielded no significant racial differences on the cognitive play types across interactive and noninteractive…

The interactional competence of 12 kindergarten children was studied through naturalistic research of their sociodramatic play in a classroom context. Data were collected by both videotape and trained observers. Contextual and interactional information was analyzed according to an Interactional Competency Checklist (ICC) designed by the author.…

Twenty-six precocious preschoolers exhibited high frequencies of dramatic and associative play. Girls engaged in more cooperative and less solitary play than boys. Elder children participated in more solitary, parallel, and less cooperative and less dramatic play than younger peers. The higher intelligence quotient group undertook less…

Discusses the benefits for children's literacy, creativity, and enthusiasm for classroom activities of taking dictation of preschool children's own stories and facilitating dramatizations of these stories. Considers issues in the process of dictation and dramatization. Describes differences and similarities in children's stories and their relation…

The focus of this article on play training (when adults intervene in informal but purposeful ways in preschool children's spontaneous, symbolic play) is not on whether it works, but on why it works. A theoretical framework for examining adult/child play interactions, which reconciles diverse perspectives in the literature, is presented.…