A Comparison of Social-Cognitive Play Behaviors between Same-Age and Mixed-Age Kindergarten Classes

단일연령집단과 혼합연령집단간의 아동의 사회-인지놀이 행동 비교 연구

The purpose of this study was to examine children's social-cognitive modes of play in same-age and mixed-age kindergarten classrooms. The subjects were 45 children. in three classrooms of 4-year-olds, 69 children in three classrooms of 5-year-olds, and 60 children in three mixed-age classrooms of 4- and 5-year-olds. Observations were conducted by videotape recordings. Observation periods were of five-minutes duration. There were ten observations of each child's indoor free-play periods. Observational data were collected by the time sampling method with the social cognitive play behavioral checking list based on an adaptation of one devised by Rubin(1985). The data was analyzed by t-test with the SAS computer program. Four- and five-year-olds in mixed-age classrooms were more likely to engage in "complex" modes of play than 4- and 5-year-olds in same-age classrooms. Four-year-olds in same-age classrooms were more likely to engage in solitary-functional, parallel-functional, and group-functional play than 4-year-olds in mixed-age classrooms. However, 4-year-olds in mixed-age classrooms were more likely to engage in group-constructive, group-dramatic, solitary-game, and group-game play than 4-year-olds in same-age classrooms. Five-year-olds in same-age classes were more likely to engage in solitary-functional and parallel-functional play than 5-year-olds in mixed-age classes. Five-year-olds in mixed-age classes were more likely to engage in group-constructive, group-dramatic, and group-game play than their counterparts in same-age settings.