Research that Benefits Children and Families

This week I would like to share a positive example of the effects of research in early childhood field. This example comes from a research article that I find interesting and related to my research topic-- play, and my subtopic--benefits of different types of play. The research article, written by Tarsha Estelle Bluiett, is Sociodramatic play and the potentials of early language development of preschool children. 

In this research article, the author states the aims of this study is to explore the interactions of preschool children with literacy-related materials, peers, and adults when they are in socio-dramatic play; and to identify if there are any effects of socio-dramatic play on oral language acquisition and literacy behaviors. 

This study is guided by three questions:

(1) How does socio-dramatic play with literacy-related materials create opportunities for language acquisition at the preschool level?

(2) How does social interaction through socio-dramatic play experience among preschool children foster language acquisition as they are interacting with their peers? (3) How do adults influence the language expression of preschool children during socio-dramatic play? (Bluiett, 2009, pp.7)

This qualitative research use a case study approach in a preschool setting. Through observations, the research finds out that with literacy-related materials, peers and adults, children's interactions offer themselves a chance to use language within the context of socio-dramatic play while writing and speaking; In order to encourage literacy and language development, it is necessary and vital to provide children with needed support and expose children to different materials; The role of adults in this play is a scaffold, a facilitator, a mediator. (Bluiett, 2009)

Through this research, we can see how beneficial socio-dramatic play is to children's development, and what we as early childhood educators can do to support children in this kind of play.

Reference:

Bluiett, T. E. (2009). Sociodramatic play and the potentials of early language development of preschool children. Retrieved from http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/content/u0015/0000001/0000137/u0015_0000001_0000137.pdf