Does peer group membership relate to sociodramatic play engagement? A social ethological approach

Bibliographic Data

ID21337239
AuthorsCaitlin Malloy (0000-0003-0154-7780, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Boston College Chestnut Hill MA USA, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume56
Issue5
Pages716-720
Publication date2021-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7594 • E-ISSN: 1464-066X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ijop.12752
PMID33686689
OpenAlexW3133998948
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited15

Engagement in sociodramatic play has been shown to positively impact young children's learning and development. By definition, this type of social play occurs in groups; however, research to date has primarily sought to understand sociodramatic play engagement by focusing on individual factors. Little work has considered the role of the peer group in sociodramatic play engagement. This concurrent correlational study investigated relations between types of peer group membership and the amount of children's sociodramatic play engagement, using hierarchical cluster analyses, chi‐square tests and multiple regression to analyse naturalistic data of preschoolers' free play. Findings suggest that membership in a highly cohesive peer subgroup may be important for sociodramatic play engagement. This study illustrates how social ethological perspectives can be useful for understanding social play in early childhood

Developmental psychology · Multilevel model · Peer group · Peer relations · Child Therapy and Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Social Psychology

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