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Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-118).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2004. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-92). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The behaviour of a group of nursery school children with respect to a novel object in a familiar playground was recorded on videotape and film. Recording sessions of half an hour's duration took place on 5 consecutive days. The behaviour was analysed according to receptor-contact patterns, and recurring patterns of behaviour derived from McGrew's (1972) list of social behaviour patterns. Evidence is discussed to support the hypothesis that group exploratory behaviour contained elements of wariness and competition as well as a general trend from specific to diversive exploration (Berlyne 1960). Sex differences in exploratory behaviour are discussed as well as the proposition that boys are generally more suited to an active exploratory role whereas girls tend to perform a communicative role. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1977.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Göteborg. / Added t.p. with abstract and errata slip (3 p.) inserted. "(Section 1.3 in cooperation with Peter de Chateau, M.D.)." Includes bibliographical references (p. 212-217).

The concept of flow was examined in relation to the play behavior of preschool children. Thirty-five preschoolers were encouraged to play a beanbag toss game on three separate occasions called Phases I-III. In Phase I, children were allowed to match their skills to the challenges of the task in a choice condition. In Phase II, one group of 12 children again played the game under the choice condition. Two other groups of 11 and 12 children were required to play the game under conditions in which the challenges of the task were assumed to be either greater than or less than their levels of skill. In Phase III, all children again played the game under the choice condition. Five measures of the characteristics of flow, including number of attempts, percentage of successes, ratio of evaluation-seeking behaviors to number of attempts, ratio of off-task behaviors to number of attempts, and ratio of time spent off task to time spent on task were obtained for all phases. A repeated measures MANOVA with three groups and three phases was used to examine the data. A significantly greater number of evaluation-seeking behaviors per attempt were found at Phase I than at Phases II and III, regardless of condition. A significant phase x group interaction for the variable percentage of successes was also found. Post hoc analyses indicated that children in the assigned easy group had a significantly higher success rate at Phase II than at Phases I and III, while the assigned difficult group had a significantly lower rate. The percentages of successes between the three groups were significantly different at Phase II only. The single exposure to an assigned level of challenge may have been insufficient to produce the predicted effects on the characteristics of the flow experience. Subjective comments of the children obtained in Phase II indicated there were some differences in the levels of enjoyment of the task between the three groups. These subjective perceptions offer a possible explanation for the lack of differences on the measures of flow. The subjective comments indicate that throwing the beanbag at the target was enjoyable to the children regardless of their ability to hit the target; therefore the level of challenge may not have been critical. Several suggestions for future testing of the flow model are offered. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1999. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 18, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Laura E. Berk (chair), Paul T. Shallaert, Jayne E. Bucy, Matthew S. Hesson-McInnis, Mark E. Swerdlik. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-126) and abstract. Also available in print.

I förskolan finns det barn som av olika anledningar har svårt i leken. Denna studie har i syfte att belysa hur ett organiserat arbetssätt kan främja och stötta de barn som har svårigheter i lek. Det arbetssättet är speciella lekgrupper. För att synliggöra hur arbetet med speciella lekgrupper kan organiseras har en kvalitativ studie genomförts. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med sex pedagoger i två olika kommuner för att få pedagogernas uppfattningar om arbetet, samt urskilja eventuella möjligheter och utmaningar. Med hjälp av det sociokulturella perspektivet och de centrala begreppen; proximal utvecklingszon, medierande redskap och scaffolding, analyserades resultaten. I resultatet framkommer att leken har en väsentlig roll för barns utveckling samt att redskap och lekmaterial bidrar till samspel och en inkluderande lek. Pedagogerna har en närvarande roll som stöttar och stärker barnen i det sociala samspelet. Resultatet synliggör att arbetet med lekgrupper har sina utmaningar, såsom tid- och personalbrist. Pedagogerna lyfter flera fördelar och möjligheter med sitt arbete kring speciella lekgrupper. En slutsats är att det är av stor vikt att barn med svårigheter i lek får tillgång till en miljö där de med hjälp av omgivningen kan få stöttning i sin lekutveckling. / In Early Childhood Education and care (ECEC), there are children who, for various reasons, find it difficult to play. The purpose of this study is to highlight how an organized way of working can promote and support children who have difficulties in play. That way of working is special play groups. In order to make it visible how the work with special playgroups can be organized, a qualitative study has been carried out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six pedagogues in two different municipalities to get the pedagogues' perception of the work and to see any opportunities and challenges. Using the socio-cultural perspective and the central concepts; proximal development zone, mediating tools and scaffolding, the results were analyzed. The results show that play has an essential role in children's development and that tools and play materials contribute to interaction and inclusive play. The educators have a present role that supports and strengthens the children in the social interaction. The result makes visible that work with playgroups has its challenges, such as a lack of time and staff. The educators highlight several advantages and opportunities with their work around special playgroups. One conclusion is that it is of great importance that children with play difficulties have access to an environment where they can receive support in their play development with the help of the environment.