The problem of this study was a descriptive analysis of the process of client-centered play therapy. The purposes of this study were (l) to investigate and describe the patterns of play activities, nonverbal expressions, and verbal comments during the process of client-centered play therapy; (2) to determine whether phases of emotional and/or social development do exist during the process of client-centered play therapy; and, (3) to describe any identified phases of emotional and/or social development that exist during the process of client-centered play therapy.

The initial session play therapy behaviors of maladjusted and adjusted children were compared to investigate the value of children's play for diagnostic purposes. The frequency and the intensity of 13 categories of play behaviors were considered as factors in discriminating maladjusted children from adjusted children. The 15 children in the maladjusted group had been referred by their parents for counseling but had not been in counseling previously, and their teachers had reported that they had exhibited two or more behaviors indicative of emotional disturbance. The 15 children in the adjusted group were rated by their teachers as exhibiting none of the behaviors Indicating emotional disturbance, and their parents recognized no need for counseling. All subjects were 5 to 9 years of age, and the two groups were matched for age and sex. The Play Behaviors Adjustment Rating Scale (PBARS) was used to rate each child's play behaviors in an initial videotaped 36-minute play therapy session. The frequency and the intensity were rated for thirteen play categories: exploratory, incidental, creative or coping, dramatic or role, relationship building, relationship testing, self-accepting, self-rejecting, acceptance of environment, nonacceptance of environment, positive attitudinal, ambivalent attitudinal, and negative attitudinal. The results of the chi-square analysis indicated that maladjusted children exhibited significantly more self-accepting and nonacceptance of environment behaviors as well as more intense dramatic or role behaviors and acceptance of environment behaviors than did adjusted children. Further investigation showed: (a) maladjusted girls expressed dramatic or role behaviors more often and more intensely than maladjusted boys, (b) maladjusted boys showed more self-accepting and nonacceptance of environment behaviors than maladjusted girls, (c) maladjusted boys exhibited more self-accepting behaviors than adjusted boys, (d) adjusted girls expressed more positive attitudinal behaviors than adjusted boys, and (e) adjusted boys engaged in more exploratory play and were more intense in negative attitudinal play than adjusted girls.

Title: Fair play and the rules of sport Objectives: The main aim of this work is to define the concept of fair play in terms of formalism, and its detailed explanation, explanation of related concepts while using examples from practice, and subsequent critique of formalism in comparison with other concepts of fair play. Methods: The methods of compilation, analysis and synthesis were used. We used the compilation method to summarize the theme based on available literature. The method of analysis was used to understand concepts closely related to fair play as formalism and the method of synthesis to understand the whole theme through the synthesis of the explained parts. Furthermore, we used the method of comparison, for comparing fair play as formalism with other concepts of fair play. Results: The theme of fair play and its relationship to rules was explained. We identified some limits of fair play as formalism, based on comparison with other concepts of fair play. Keywords: Fair play, rules, virtues, cases of fair play conduct, education

This is a qualitative study that explores how bilingual children develop their language through play. The study is based on observations and interviews conducted in a preschool located in a multicultural area of Stockholm. The purpose of using two qualitative methods; observations and interviews, was to get a bigger picture of the study area. The results of the study, illustrated through observations and interviews that I have conducted, shows that the game has great role for bilingual children's language development. Furthermore, the results show that the informants are aware of the importance of play for bilingual children's language development especially when they are talking about investing in the promotion of children's language by using different methods and materials in their pre activity for various games and activities. One of my conclusions is that bilingual children learn the language during both free play and structured play especially when educators are present and aware of the activities that they perform. It is also important to see children as individuals to cover all the needs of children at different activities. Finally, I can also mention that bilingual children develop their language in the play by using different materials and communicate in different ways to contact other children. In play, children work a lot with their fantasies, knowledge and experience they already have from before and that they created during the game.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1998. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 13, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Valeri Farmer-Dougan (chair), Mark E. Swerdlik, Jayne Bucy, Matthew Hesson-McInnis, Ming-Gon John Lian. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-112) and abstract. Also available in print.

abstract: The purpose of this study is to portray kindergarten teachers' developmentally appropriate practices in order to authenticate the essential component of play. Recently, student achievement has been the primary focus in Early Childhood Education, and play is seen as an action that precludes academic learning. This is a qualitative study of teachers' perceptions and teaching practices through observations, interviews, surveys, and journal reflections. The study found that participant kindergarten teachers: (1) have a developing understanding of the positive impact play has on student development, yet they are not aware of how to successfully implement play in their classroom; (2) tend to be more work driven than play driven in their daily activities; and (3) perceive play occurrs when manipulatives are made available for student use, however, the activities are largely teacher-directed in contrast to student initiated play. In summary, participant kindergarten teachers were found to be hesitant to let their control shift to child-initiated learning. There are gaps between teacher knowledge of how child initiated play impacts learning and the actual classroom implementation of child initiated play. Teachers need further development to understand how to use materials to integrate play into daily lessons. It is important to widely disseminate and support the use of Early Childhood National Board Standards regarding play in kindergarten classrooms. Kindergarten teachers require professional development that permits the integration of knowledge of play and the implementation of play in an increasingly accountability driven environment. Keywords: Play; Perceptions of play; Learner-Centered; Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP); National Board Certification National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT); National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS); English Language Learners (ELL); English Language Development (ELD) / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

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The diagnostic value of children's play was investigated. The question explored was "Can maladjusted children be discriminated from adjusted children through observation of their play therapy behavior?" The play of 15 maladjusted and 15 adjusted children 5 to 10 years of age was compared during an initial 36-minute play therapy session. Three scales of the Play Therapy Observational Instrument (PTOI)—emotional discomfort, social inadequacy, and use of fantasy-- were used to rate the children's play. The children in the maladjusted group were referred by their parents for counseling and their teachers reported the children had exhibited one or more problem behaviors indicative of emotional disturbance. The children in the adjusted group were recommended by their teachers as exhibiting none of the problem behaviors and their parents did not believe their children needed counseling. Discriminant function equations predicted correct group membership for 23 of the 30 children during the second 12-minute time segment and for the entire play session. The analysis showed the play behaviors on the emotional discomfort scale of the PTOI items discriminated maladjusted and adjusted children. During the second and third 12-minute time segments and when all three time segments were combined, maladjusted children's play expressed significantly more dysphoric feelings, conflictual themes, play disruptions, and negative self-disclosing statements than were expressed by the adjusted children (p < .01, .03, .01, respectively). There were no significant differences between the two groups on play behaviors measured by the social inadequacy play and use of fantasy play scales of the PTOI. Positive correlations were found between the children's age and social inadequacy play behaviors and between the social status of the parents' occupations and social inadequacy play behaviors. The results also suggested a negative correlation between the social status of parents' occupations and the use of fantasy play scores. A negative correlation was present between the use of fantasy and the social inadequacy play scores.

This study intends to investigate Greek preschool teachers' perspectives about play in the schoolyard. Ten preschool teachers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach to gather data. Results were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes that were brought up revealed that Greek preschool teachers value play in the schoolyard. This study found that the teachers think there is a relation between play in the schoolyard and learning since they believe playing outside is a type of experiential learning. Moreover, they think that this relation can be more potent if teachers get involved more by organizing activities, and if the sense of place is increased to students. Furthermore, the Greek preschool teachers agree that play in the schoolyard has only positive effects on children's wellbeing. The barriers to facilitate outdoor play appear to be the schoolyard since they describe it as unsafe, empty, without any green elements, and missing pedagogical corners. Considering the Greek educational context that predominantly focus on the traditional inside the classroom teaching, the possitve attitudes that the preschool teachers showed for outdoor play are remarkable. These attitudes are a little step for further implementation of outdoor play in preschool education.

In Head Start, 28.8% of the children enrolled are Dual Language Learners (DLLs), and 84.4% of those speak Spanish as their home language. However, there are limited studies involving DLLs. Using the Ecological Model of Human Development framework with current revisions with culture as part of the microsystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1994; Vélez-Agosto et al., 2017), the current study aimed to identify maternal level factors that may relate to Latinos' classroom peer play while controlling for classroom quality. Forty-five Latino DLL children attending Head Start, their mothers, and their teachers participated in the study. Head Start administrators provided their most recent vocabulary subtest scores of VPK Assessment and their Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) scores. Child participants’ mothers completed the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BAS), the Parenting Styles and Dimensions, and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS16). Additionally, teachers rated the children's play behaviors with the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale. None of the models were statistically significant, suggesting that maternal level of acculturation, parenting style, or depression do not predict peer play. Yet, there were significant negative correlations between acculturation to the Hispanic culture, permissive parenting style, and maternal depression with children’s VPK scores on the oral language/vocabulary subtest. Future studies should consider ecological and cultural approaches to allow for a broader view of Latinos' development.