The central tenet of this research project is to identify the culture of play amongst foundation phase children at an Independent school. With this knowledge the researcher was able to identify how the children’s culture of play influenced play therapy sessions and furthermore, if play therapy is indeed a useful therapeutic and educational technique for these specific children, who experience emotional and developmental barriers. This ethnographic study intended to share the voices of the foundation phase children at the Independent school. The researcher aimed to give a cultural interpretation that allowed the journey to be shared by the reader (Wolcott, 1999:67-68). The journey has therefore, been a personal one on two levels firstly on an academic level, and secondly as a means of self-reflection. The main data collection technique employed was participant observation. Which included the use of field-work and note-taking on the playground. As well as the use of the children’s drawings, incomplete sentences and interviews. Two foundation phase educators were also interviewed to add the thickness required of an ethnography. Additionally the researcher made use of artefacts which included: photographs, snippets of process notes and conversations with the participants, and her personal journal of play. The findings demonstrated that the children have not lost the art of creative and imaginative play. Rather they have developed a very specific culture of play. Some of the participants play and therefore, creativity are sometime delayed due to the emotional and developmental barriers they experience. Moreover, the children’s culture of play is largely influenced by, and in turn influences, the bio- ecological systems that they operate within (Landsberg, Krüger & Nel, 2005: 13). The above findings enabled the researcher to conclude that play therapy is indeed a valid and viable therapeutic technique to employ with these specific learners. / Dr. E. Fritz

An observational study was conducted examining the social and cognitive play of young children with hearing-impairment playing in small groups composed of both hearing and hearing-impaired peers. The questions addressed the effects of the hearing status of the play partner upon the social/cognitive play patterns of children with hearing-impairment, and the relationship between their play patterns and their communicative competence, social competence and speech intelligibility. Forty-eight hearing-impaired subjects ranging in age from 3-6 to 6-1 were observed playing with partners of same and different hearing status during integrated play sessions at 13 school sites. The social play categories included solitary, parallel and group play, while the cognitive play categories included functional, constructive and dramatic play. Results of the study showed that the play patterns of the hearing-impaired children differed significantly for each group of partners. When playing with hearing-impaired partners, subjects engaged in group functional and constructive play more frequently than parallel functional and constructive play, and with equal frequency in parallel dramatic and group dramatic play. When playing with hearing partners, subjects engaged with equal frequency in group and parallel play. When playing with mixed groups of hearing and hearing-impaired partners, subjects engaged in group dramatic play more frequently than parallel dramatic play, and with equal frequency in group functional and constructive play, and parallel functional and constructive play. Communicative competence was negatively correlated to functional play. A positive correlation was found between social competence and constructive play, and between speech intelligibility and dramatic play. These correlations remained significant when age was partialed out. The hearing-impaired subjects spent similar percentages of time in social/cognitive play as those reported for hearing children. The study supports the premise that the play of young hearing-impaired children varies according to the hearing status of the play partner and is neither delayed nor deficient.

Jag har utfört en studie där jag granskat vilka strategier och lekregler förskollärare använder sig av i verksamheten för att inkludera barn i lek. För att få svar på detta har jag använt mig av tidigare forskning och litteratur som jag anser vara relevant för min undersökning. Den innefattar främst vad lek är och vilka förutsättningar ett barn behöver behärska för att kunna leka samt lekteorier och strategier för att inkludera barn i lek. Metoden jag använt mig av för att besvara mina fråge-ställningar är kvalitativ intervju och jag har intervjuat fem verksamma förskollärare som arbetar med barn i åldern 1-5 år. I resultatet framkom att det är förskollärarnas ansvar att inkludera alla barnen i leken och att det är förskollärarnas deltagande i leken som främjar ett inkluderande. Alla barn ska inkluderas i leken, men inte i alla lägen då barnens lek ska respekteras. / I have conducted a study where I reviewed which strategies and play rules preschool teachers' uses in preschool to include children in play. To get answers to this I have been using previous research and literature that I consider to be relevant to my examination. It involves what play is and what conditions children need to master to be able to play and as well play theories and strategies to include children in play. The method I have used to answer my questions are qualitative interview and I have interviewed five active preschool teachers' working with chil-dren aged 1-6 years old. The results revealed that there are preschool teachers' responsibilities to include all the children in play and that there are preschool teachers' participation in play that promotes an inclusive environment. All children should be included in play, but not in all situations because children’s play must be respected.