Beginning at birth, a child's receptive and expressive language skills are developing in stages. Likewise, the child's socialization skills are progressing in stages. However, it does not seem that communication and socialization are developing independently of each other. Rather, it seems that their development is interrelated.Children learn to speak in a social context, and social situations are necessary for the development of a variety of language structure~ On the same note, in order for those language structures to develop normally, it is necessary for the child to participate in different social situations. Social interactionists have theorized for some time that human language develops out of the social-communicative functions that language serves in human relations. Vygotsky (1962) theorized that language development, social development, and cognitive development all overlap. He stated that a child's social means of thought is language and referred to this as "verbal thought." This verbal thought process serves a major social function. It is through this verbal thought process that children have the ability to be socialized by others and to socialize with others: If, in fact,Expressive language skills and socialization skills do develop together, it would then seem logical that the child who is late to begin talking would also experience initial deficits in the development of socialization Subsequently, it would seem that the late-talking child (L T) who has persistent deficits in language would, in turn, maintain chronic deficits in socialization. Results of a study which set out to investigate the differences between two and three-year old subjects with a history of LT and their normal language peers indicated that subjects with a history of LT are, in fact, at risk for persistent delays in both expressive language and socialization (Paul, Spangle Looney, and Dahm, 1991). The purpose of this study was to compare the language and socialization skills of a group of five-year olds with a history of LT to a group of normal subjects of the same age. If significant differences were found between the two groups in either area, the scores of the subjects with a history of LT at age two would be correlated with their scores at age five to investigate whether a significant relationship existed between their scores at both ages. It was hypothesized that the subjects with a history of LTwould be at risk for longterm delays in both language and socialization. More specifically, the group of subjects with a history of LT, as a whole, would show significant delays in the areas of expressive language and socialization as compared to the normal controls. It was further hypothesized that the subjects with a history of LTs' scores at the age of two would reliably predict their scores at five, given a significant deficit in either area. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales VABS (Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984) was the test instrument used to gather the data at both age levels, five years and two years. Parents of 25 subjects with a history of L T and 25 normal subjects were interviewed by a trained graduate researcher on their child's communication, daily living and socialization skills using the VABS. Results of an ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparisons indicated that the subjects with a history of LT, as a whole, scored significantly lower than the normal subjects in the areas of expressive communication and socialization at age five. Since a proportion of the test items in the socialization domain of the VABS require the child to verbalize, an item analysis between the verbal and the nonverbal test items was performed to determine the influence of the verbal test items on the subjects with a history of LTs' socialization scores. Results of the item-analysis indicated that the subjects with a history of L T's poor performance on the socialization scale was due to their deficits in social skills not their deficits in expressive language. Lastly, a Pearson Product Moment Correlational Test was conducted to investigate the relationship between the subjects with a history of LTs' scores at age two on the communication and the socialization scales and their scores at age five on the same scales. Results indicated that the subjects with a history of LTs' scores on both the socialization scale and the communication scale at age two correlated significantly with their scores on the socialization scale at age five. Therefore, the subjects with a history of LTs' socialization and communication scores at age two are good predictors of their adaptive social skills at the age of five.

This thesis investigates the ways in which young children assist each other as meaning makers in relation to written language as they interact in classroom writing sessions. It examines the nature of peer assistance in young children's self-selected writing tasks, and the role of social interaction in literacy knowledge construction. It documents the patterns of interaction evident among a group of Year 1 students, and describes differences in the teacher's and students' perceptions of peer assistance in the classroom. Based on extensive observations in a Year 1 classroom, the study explores the potential of peer interactions to contribute to the literacy learning of individuals, and the construction of literacy within the group. / Master of Education (Hons)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-204).

The use of digital technology in preschool has been a question about if it will be used. By the new curriculum for preschool, it now is a question about how it will be used. My experience shows that many pedagogues are still afraid that the children will miss the interaction whit other children when they are using digital technology. The aim of the study is to see if it is social for the children to use digital technology in preschool. This study is made by inquiry, qualitative interviews and observations. My result shows that children are social active with each other while using digital technology. Turn taking and time determines who will play and what the conditions are. The thesis concludes that children perform social interaction when using digital technology. The study also shows that the children see advantages by working together on the computers, smartboards or tablets. What the children mainly stress as positive is enhanced knowledge and learning while collaborating. The children also make different characters while using digital technology. The children occupy characters like leader, participator, spectator and mediator. / Användningen av digitalteknik är genom den nya läroplanen inte längre en fråga om det ska användas, utan hur och vad det genererar. Min erfarenhet säger att många pedagoger blir oroliga för att barnen inte får det sociala samspel med andra barn när de använder digitalteknik, som de annars får genom annan lek eller aktivitet på förskolan. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka om digitalteknik är en social sysselsättning för barnen i förskolan. Undersökningen är gjord med hjälp av enkäter, kvalitativa intervjuer och observationer. Resultatet undersökningen visar att barn utför mycket stort socialt samspel när de använder digitalteknik. De använder sig av turtagning och tid för att avgöra vem som spelar och på vilka villkor. Undersökningen har också visat att barnen själva ser fördelar med att vara flera vid de digitala verktygen. Det de främst framhåller som positivt är ökad kunskap och lärande, då de samarbetar. Barnen intar olika roller då de använder digitalteknik. Resultatet visar att barnen intar roller som ledare, deltagare och medlare.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-170). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-122). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

In contemporary UK preschool, technological resources have become a standard feature of the environment. This has prompted widespread discussion around the appropriateness of technologies in preschools and for some time concerns were raised that technology is socially detrimental for children. These concerns have since been challenged as it has been argued that they are unsubstantiated and not evidence-based. Yet despite this realisation, few studies have been conducted about children’s social interaction around technologies in order to contribute to this debate. Furthermore, negative concerns have largely been attributed to the technological artefacts themselves and the cultural and wider preschool context is often overlooked. In the 1980s, research on the ecological preschool environment in relation to children’s social behaviours was widely available but similar studies situated in contemporary technology-rich preschool environments is limited. Thus, a body of literature to inform the technology debate in relation to social interaction is restricted. This study provides an empirical foundation to begin exploring 3 to 5 year old children’s social interactions in technology-rich local authority preschools by: identifying the observable child-child interactions as children engage with technology in preschools; exploring the preschool characteristics which may contribute to these interactions; and exploring the role that technologies play in contributing to these interactions. The study adopts an inclusive definition of technology and addresses a broad range of resources, providing a new perspective on the role of technologies in education and in relation to social interactions. These areas of interest were addressed using four qualitative methods: observation, activity mapping, researcher-led games with children and interviews with practitioners. Following the nine-month data collection phase and iterative thematic analysis, two key findings emerged from the data. Firstly, children’s social interactions during technological activities in preschool were complex and multifaceted with few discernible patterns emerging. Secondly, the wider preschool context made a large contribution to the contingent and divergent interactions observed, diluting claims that technological artefacts alone influence children’s social interactions.

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This research project attempted to test assumptions about the development of private speech' and its relationship to attentional modes of engagement, and task performance. Results showed an ontogenetic trend from audible, externalised types of private speech to less audible, more internalised forms, consistent with Vygotsky's assumption that private speech undergoes a curvilinear course of development. Use of on-task private speech was accompanied by greater task attentional focus in the form of motor and looking behaviourial modes of engagement and a reduction in non-attention behaviour and successful performance in problem-solving. "The relation of word to thought, and the creation of new concepts is a complex, delicate and enigmatic process unfolding in our soul." (Tolstoy, 1903, 143, in Vygotsky, 1986) / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2000