This study examined a model suggesting that personal variables (age and gender) and environmental variables (activity centers) affect social-cognitive aspects of children's play. A total of 80 children (32 boys and 48 girls) participated. Same-age and same-gender dyads from each of two age groups (4- and 5-year-olds) were observed playing in an…

Social participation behavior of 33 2- and 3-year-old children was observed during free-play in order to identify differences between age groups as well as differences between contemporary outcomes and Parten's 1932 findings. Trained observers recorded the frequencies of play behaviors, utilizing a time sampling procedure and Parten's categories…

The paper reports on an exploratory study of the turntaking and pragmatic language skills of handicapped children during parent-child reciprocal play, compared to that of non-handicapped children. The four handicapped children were 25-36 months of age. The paper also describes a pilot intervention involving carefully structured joint activity play…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between social status and negotiation strategies in preschool boys and girls. With the use of peer nominations, 84 preschool children were classified as liked, disliked, or low-impact. Children were videotaped in free play interactions in which one child entered the play of a pair of…

Play therapy has been employed by therapists to alleviate children's emotional stress. Most research dealing with this type of intervention has been in the form of case studies, focusing on therapy outcome rather than on the therapeutic process. The process of one child in individual play therapy was analyzed through the use of time-series…

The difficulties faced by culturally different parents of multiply handicapped young children are considered, and examples of families of Chinese origin are offered to illustrate the impact of cultural styles and beliefs. The structure of the Chinese family is analyzed, its reaction to professionals and handicapped people explained. Guidelines for…

A novel paradigm was developed and two studies conducted to test the contribution of six conversational skills to children's friendship formation. In study 1, 4- and 5-year-olds individually played for 30 minutes with a 2-foot-tall talking doll. The doll contained a wireless hidden receiver/speaker enabling a concealed female assistant to converse…

The paper offers a play therapist's evidence for the curative power of intensive mother-child holding of children with emotional problems resulting from separation from the parent and emotional disturbances including autism. Dramatic improvements were observed in the play behaviors of autistic children after enforced cuddling--and these were…

This practicum involved the design and construction of an outdoor playground for infants and toddlers. The primary goal was to design and construct a playground scaled to the size and developmental needs of infants and toddlers. The second goal was to evaluate the overall playground in terms of contents, maintenance and usage. The third goal was…

Teachers can create an interest in the founding period of U.S. history and present students with an authentic view of this time period through the presentation of this play. The dramatic pretense of the play is that the audience, by their presence, is part of the drama. The audience plays the part of travelers visiting a Philadelphia home in the…

The purposes of this study are (1) to identify the relationship between play and achievement in preschool and kindergarten students and (2) to compare academic skill mastery levels between two types of school groups: play curriculum and direct teacher instruction. A total of 48 preschool and kindergarten students, half enrolled in a curriculum…

Dialogics as a philosophical principle is, like the dialectics predominant at present in all industrialized countries, based on the duality of life and thought. Dialogics postulates that two thoughts, or two aspirations, or two concepts together make up a whole, simultaneously, each being of equal importance. Play is a dialogic of doing and…

Explores the possible influences of commercial and educational television on young children's imaginative play, intellectual development and behavior. Commercialism, learning readiness, television's unique mode of communication, and the child's sensory experiences while viewing are considered from the standpoint of developmental needs. (SDH)

One hundred eighty elementary school children were randomly assigned to same sex pairs and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: real-life aggressive film, aggressive cartoon, or nonaggressive film. Results reveal that boys who viewed the realistic aggressive film were significantly more aggressive in play than boys who viewed the…

Philosophers and poets from classical times to the present have argued that playful and amiable discourse are conducive to teaching and learning. The play principle enhances reading and study and should be applied by teachers to benefit their students. Teachers should help their students see that it is fun to enliven the imagination with good…