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by LuAnne Thompson

It is iue‘" recognized by educators, po‘croloti ts,
and increasing numbers of furents, that children give adults

"' . ’-‘.~ ‘4
uzxnulfl‘ 3

many clues to their attitudes, feelings, and under

0)

B

through their dramatic play. Authorities suggest that a
normative standard would aka it easier to evaluate the dra-

matic play of an individual child. The primary purpose of
this study wa' s to cevelop a modified time sampling to - miique

for studying treachool c

*

iildron's dramatic play. Further

refinement and subsequent use of this techni-que might obt in

E:-

in orzufition whichc ould be used to establish a normative
standard of complexity of dramatic play of preschool chil-
dren.

Dramatic play was defined as all instances in which
the child through overt behavior dramatized or enacted per-
sonal experiences from real life situations or fantasy in-
terpretations of real life situations. In this study, five
components of coupleyitv--tne1c, activities, time of enact-
ment, role, and other ch ldren involved-—were observed and

analyzed. Seven subjects, three girls and four boys, in

the three and four veer old nursery scaool groups at Campus

T -. m a”. \'
may 118 ihUH‘LISC‘vu

rool, State University of New York, College of Education
at Buffalo, were selected. T‘ez reiwr esented a two-and-one~
half year age span from three years to five and one-half
years. The subjec

- - a “a 2 ~ w .. .4— .- -1_
is were observed at approlinauely monthly

intervals duri I‘g a six :1onth period, for a total of 450

’4

.1.
minus

(D
(A

, during fift;y-one observati_cns. LuoelV'tLOHD of
dramatic play were made in the nursery school during the
free-play period. A modified time sampling technique was
used to secure data.

The technique develOped in this study was produc-
tive in collecting information which described various
degrees of complexity of dramatic play, in all but one of

b

the stated components oi

L

con Hvle Kit}, namely, variety of
activities.

The choice of he1ne varied with the are level,
housekeeping being the theme most often engaged in by th
youngest children and occupational and vicarious themes
most often by the older children. However, it is ikely
that a sex factor also entered in, since no girls were in-
cluded in the two older age levels. When toys and girls
were compared, the preportion of housekeeping themes de-

creased and occupational and vicariou themes increased

[0

with age of boys; whereas, for girls, the preportion of
housekeeping themes increased and occupational and vicari-
ous themes decreased with age. Choice of theme in this
study appeared to have been affected by the maturity of

the child with the accompanying development of identifies

LuAnne Thompson

tion with like-sexed adults and their activities and with
the widening environment of home and community including
mass communication media of television, books, and movies.
Activities were observed a; d recorded in order to
better determine th e: :tent to which the theme was devel-
oped. Housekeeping activities were then grouped into cat

gories. However, the observer found it difficult to iden-

£1.

tif" and categorize occupational an vicarious experience
activities because of a child's unrealistic concepts in
these areas. There was no art arent trez1d in the number of
activities per observation. Greater variety f housekeep-
ing activities occurred at the lower ag 8 levels while
greater variety of vicarious activities occurred at tae
older age levels. The occugational theme was not well
develOPed in terms of activities at any age level.

The time required for the enactment of an indivi—
dual thene tended to increase with the maturity of the child.
Percentage of total time spent in enactment of the house

keepirg theme decreased as children matured, while percent-

FJ

age of total time spent in ena ctrm11t of the occupational
and vicarious themes increased as the child grew older.

The child's roles an d personificat ions were closely
related to the theme of play. There was an i1 mc1 ased
incidence of a subject's verbally nanina his role in the
play w th increased maturity of the child, Icssitly indicat-
ing a developing awareness of the role which he was play-

ing, as well as increased langua;e develOpnent.

(
g,

The number of children involved in the enactflent

L-

of a theme tecded to increase with the ma urity of the

child.

The develOping trends of complexity of drametic

play as indicated in this study war ant fvrther investiga-

tion.

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LuAnne Thompson

P
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(I)

Suamitted to the College of Home Economics

icni an State Lniversity of Agriculture and

Applied Science in partial fulfillment of
he requirements for the degree of

Department of Home

1

management and Crild Ievelor.‘nent

1“”
JD

Qfi1r1‘rr“ M *H“ :11. 1-rrnq
'JLL.1\.'...L..:...:";: 1".)

I especially r.ish to tha.k my advisor, Dr. Eernice
Eor§”a an, of the Department of Ho e Management and 3 ild
Develop:nent, College of Home uquufliCb, Jict‘“3n State
University, for her initial confidence and inspiration and
continued guidance and encouragement in the deveIOpment
and completion of this research.

To t 'e teachers of ti e Hoze Economics Laboratory
Preschool, Kiss Grace Harrison, Mrs. Vonceil Zankel, and
Miss “ary Rose Fra dy, I express my appreciation for the
Opportunity to gr ow in uncezstandin" of young children
thrOJgh teaching under their leadership.

\

he five judges of the validity of the components

of w1pler it of dramatic ‘lay gave of their time and ex-
. 8
periei nee to provide th necessary ratings. They were:

Mrs. "vani inkle, Lursery School teacher at Bowling Green
State University, Ohio; Kiss Grace Harrison, Director of

the Home Economics laboratory Preschool; Kiss Petty Garlick,
Director of the Spartan Nursery School; Dr. Haydean Hash

of the Department of Teacher Education, and Dr. Mary Haworth
of the Department of Psychology, all of Michigan State
University.

I also wish to thank Miss E:rily Hobbs, teacher at
the Home Economics Laboratory Preschool and Dr. Alice
Thorpe, Head of the Department of Home danag eraent and Child
Development, in addition to Dr. Berni e Bergman and Dr.
Mary Haworth, for serving on my graduate committee.

I appreciate having been allowed to conduct my
research during my first year of teaching. Er. Ruth
Suga.rman, Principal of Campus School, State University of
New York, College oi Education, at Buffalo, made th is
possible.

(1')

For the typing of the m
Patricia Halligan.

nuscript, I thank Miss

And finally to my friends and colleague who gave
advice and encouragement when it was sost necessary, thank
v n
JCJ o

TATLE CF CCITLTTS

Page
LI ST 01:? T Afibt“ 1:53 0 I O O O O O O O O O O I O O 0 v
Chapter
I . 1::TFLCRTCIIQI‘ O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O l
Purgose of Study
Definition of Lraratic Play
Plan of Study
II. REVIEI CF IITEFZHVLZ . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Imagination
Dramatic Play
Choice of Play Heterisls and Activities
ttention Span
Children Involved
III. PROCELCILL‘S o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 CO

Selection and Validity of Criteria
Teth od of ObserVation
othcd of Analysis

IV. COIJLCE ON AID AIAL‘S IS 0? DAT . . . . . . 37

Time ar d Place of Study
eclectilr of at jects

Period of ObseI-vation
Categories of Tnezces and holes

F— ww-T—-_-r‘vfl
V. I .LL.»'J.MUQ o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0

lb
(fl

Description of
“a c

the Level of Complexity
of ern 1

av of Each Subject

F .
Sally 36-42 h3nths
Jim 327-115 1113111338
Sandy 41-;c months
Sell}! 4i?-SO ungths
Ji 1 4-‘f-F-‘10 mar: hs
Harv SC-co ionths

\

Sandy 51 months
Bruce 51-54 months
Jon 54-59 months
Paul 60-64 months

DeveIOpment of Trends of Complexity,
in Terms of Criteria, Over Two and

One-half Year Span

Variety of Themes
Variety of Activities

Time Required for Enactment of a Theme

Variety of Roles or Identifications

and Personifications
Number of Children Involved

VI. CONCLUSIONS AED hECOIfiENDATICNS .

Summary and Conclusions
Limitations of This Study

Recommendations for Further Study

APPEIq-DIXES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

A. Plan of Study and Rating Sheet as
Submitted to JUdges

B. Manual of Directions

C. Floor Plan of Nursery School Room
D. Schedules of Activities

E. Chart of Intervals of Observation

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . .

iv

Page‘

86

96

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Judges' Ratings of Complexity Components . . . 51

2. Summary of Dramatic Play of Sally, 56-42
months, During Eight Observations . . . . . 46

5. Summary of Dramatic Play of Jim, 57-45
months, During Eight Observations . . . . . 49

4. Summary of Dramatic Play of Sandy, 41-46
months, During Six Observations . . . . . 51

5. Summary of Dramatic Play of Sally, 47-50
months, During Five Observations . . . . . 54

6. Summary of Dramatic Play of Jim, 48-50
months, During Five Observations . . . . . 56

7. Summary of Dramatic Play of Mary, 50-55
months, During Four Observations . . . . . 58

8. Summary of Dramatic Play of Sandy, 51
months, During One Observation . . . . . 59

9. Summary of Dramatic Play of Bruce, 51-54
months, During Six Observations . . . . . 61

10. Summary of Dramatic Play of Jon, 54-59
months, During Two Observations . . . . . 65

11. Summary of Dramatic Play of Paul, 60-64
months, During Five Observations . . . . . 65

12. Distribution in Five Age Levels of
Variety of Themes Enacted . . . . . . . . . 75

15. Distribution in Five Age Levels of
Variety of Activities Enacted . . . . . . . 76

14. Distribution in Five Age Levels of
Time Spent in Enacting Themes . . . . . . . 79

15. Distribution in Five Age Levels of
Variety of Roles, Identifications,
and Personifications . . . . . . . . . . . 85

V

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTI ON

Purpose 9_1_' Study
The significance of children's play is fast becom-
ing appreciated by increasing numbers of adults. Psychol-
ogists have long been aware of its potentialities in the
study and therapy of disturbed children. Teachers and
parents alike are becoming aware of the great value of play
as a form of expression of children who, as yet, have
limited command of language. As the awareness of the
values of children's play has progressed, a greater need
has been felt for a normative frameworkzwithin which to
better interpret the "language of play." Erikson has
stated:
If we can establish the language of play with
its various cultural and age dialects, we may be
able to approach the problem of why it is that
certain children live undamaged through what seem
to be neurotic episodes, and how early, neurotic
children have indicated that they have reached a
deadlock.1
Studies have been made in various areas of play

activity in an effort to understand this "language of
play-'

 

1Erik H. Erikson, ”Studies in the Interpretation
of Play,” Genetic Psychology'lonogragg, XXII (1940), 561.

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Alschuler and Hattwickl have studied extensively children's
art and its relation to personality. A.vast number of
studies of other aspects of children's art, from 1928-1949,
have been compiled by Goodenough.and Harris.2 Harriet
Johnson3 and Marjory Bailey‘ have written of the develop-
mental stages in block building.

In spite of the extensive norms which.have been
organized for these constructive activities of play, it
appears that there is a lack of study of the dramatic play
of preschool age children. That this is an important lack
is apparent when one realizes that dramatic play, more than
any other type, is, as Hartley, Frank and Goldenson state,
'a mirror of the child."5

...specialists such as Susan Isaacs, Erik Erikson,
and Margaret Iowenfeld have found in it [dramatic
pla a means by'which.the child works out his

dif iculties for himself so that he can meet the
challenge of his world with confidence.6

 

1R. H. Alscmler Yand L. w. Hattwick, Paintin and
Personalit 4, A Stud of1 Children (Vol. an 3
finiversity of 'j’c'fiicago

2F. L. Goodenough and D. E. Harris, "Studies in the
Psychology of Children's Drawings,“ Psychological Bulletin,
XLVII (1950), 569-435.

aHarriet u. Jehnson, Children in the Nurse School
(New York: The thn Day Company, I925), pp. ”151-515.

‘MarJory‘W. Bailey, 'A.Sca1e of Block Construc-
tions for Young Children, Child Development, IV (1955)
1 1-59.

smth Ee H‘rt1.yp h'rODCQ Ks Frank. m ROert Me
Goldenson, Understandi Children's Play (New York:
Columbia University ress, I952), p.

61bid., p. 17.

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For this reason it may Ce t at through a child's dramatic

play adults on n test see haw the chill's life is icing.

Hartley, Frank, and Goldenson further state that,

The importance of some ki d of ror-iuivc frame-
WCrk tv which to examine the play of tne irdi-
vi dual c hild cannot be overemphasized. To
assess any child's general or mo+entarv status,
his te cher needs to know what most clildren do
at given ges or w 'thin certain aye rgnzes. In
dramatic play hi "o..1 1d re *zire norms for such
elements as on flexitJ, emotional toning, type
of role played varia ions in situations, levels
" hil-

3
at wh-ich the child participates, and other e
dren involved. 1

This study 'as limited to the factors of complexity
of dramatic play. Th purpose of this study was to develop
a technique for assassin

cempleaity of drarm tic play of

nursery school children.

Definition of Dramatic Fla

4

 

As used in thi study, drama tic play was defined
as all instances in wliich the cli ld through overt behavior
dramatized or enacted personal experiences from real life

ituations or fantasy interpretations of real life situa-

tions.

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tation in dramatic form, which micht include playing-at-a-

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uer persons, and personifica

This excluded the following isolated instances of

imaginative behavior: (1) construction activities involving

——— ..-—-

 

lIbid., p. 22

4

merely the use of raw materials, e.g., making a duck out
of clay'or a train out of tinkertoys without then using
them in play, (2) conventional games of social imitation
or learning, e.g., playing Farmer in the Dell, (5) make-
believe use of objects which consisted of only renaming or
re-identifying objects, e.g., calling a block a baby, (4)
spoken fantasies, teasing, and nonsense words, without
action, e.g., saying, 'I dreamed I was a fireman and..."
The above expressions of imagination--simp1e constructions,
conventional, imitative games, and "pretend" verbalisa-
tions--were excluded because of their simplicity and lack
of development into a dramatic activity in which the child

himself became involved.

Plan _c_>_f_ Stud 1
Prerequisite to a study in the complexity of

dramatic play was the determination of its components.
Therefore, five specific, measurable criteria of complex-
ity of dramatic play were set up.1 They were as follows:
(1) the variety of themes in dramatic play of nursery school
children, (2) the time required for the enactment of a
theme, (5) the variety of roles or identifications and per-
sonifications involved within the dramatization of a theme,
(4) the variety of activities involved within the drama-
tization of a theme, (5) the number of children involved

in the dramatization of a theme.

 

1See Selection of Criteria, Chap. III, p. 30.

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'wquld vary with the iniividuelfis t: id of exp;rience,
the researcher posed the following questions:

of theses. Will the tote hunter of

 

 

 

various themes incresse with the maturity of the child?
2. Time reiuired for ensetwen 3: there. Hill
time required for the enactment of an individual theme
increase with the maturity of the child?
3. Vsrietv 2: roles or identifications end {er-

 

sonificetions. Bill the number of various roles and per-

 

sonifications within the drsmst nation of a theme increase
with the maturity of he child?

4. Vsriety of ectiViti 8. Will the nutter of varied

 

 

activities within a there increase with the maturity of th

Chi 16 ?

 

5. Number of children involved. Hill the number of

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children involve
the maturity of the child?

Data on these criteria of complexity were secured by
observation, using a modified tine sampling technique. Two
questions concerning the technique were posed also, namely:

1. Could the designated components of complexity
be identified in the play si ustion and recorded meaning-
fully?

2. Could the technique be productive in securing

data which could be used to describe levels of ccmnlexity

of dramatic play?

6

Answers to the questions concerning the technique
and the components of complexity were sought and from the
data collected a description of the trends in the develop-
ment of complexity of dramatic play of children represent-
ing the age span, three years to five years and six months,
was made.

The information derived from such limited observa-
tion was not meant to be conclusive evidence of the de-
velOpmental stages of complexity of dramatic play, but
rather indicative of the effectiveness or non-effective-
ness of this method as a technique for measurement of such
complexity. Loomisill in reference to her technique for
observing the social behavior of nursery school children,
emphasised that only after an instrument is deve10ped and
much experimental work is repeated under various conditions
can there be even a tentative statement of the norms in

the behavior measured by the instrument.

 

1
Alice larie Loomis,Ԥ,Techni us for Observin
firm-9755

the Social Behavior of Nurser c iIdren New ork:
Teachers CoIIege, EoIEmEIa University, I531), p. 84.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The role of dramatic play in the imaginative life
of the child may be partially revealed by a study of com-
ponents of complexity--theme, role, activities, time, and
children involved. The present study attempts to develOp
a technique for identifying and recording information which
can be used to describe deve10ping levels of complexity of
dramatic play. Although there exist few studies of dra-
matic play, related factors have been investigated in ex-
perimental and free play situations. Such investigations,
providing specific information about isolated factors
related to dramatic play, are included in the following

review of literature.

Imagination

 

The imaginative tendencies of early childhood are
characteristic of the child's age and are expressed in the
young child's play. The pattern of imaginative behavior,
according to Rand, Sweeny, and Vincent,1 begins gradually

at about one year to eighteen months for most children.

 

1Winifred Rand, Mary E. Sweeny, and E. Lee Vincent,
Growth and Development 2: the Young Child (5th ed.;
Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1953), p. 554.

 

7

It then mounts rapidly to three or four years and remains
at a fairly high point for several years until around ten
to twelve when it tapers off in the child's adjustment to
a real world.

Jersild1 suggests that pretending and imitation
may occur before a child is able to talk and tends to in-
crease between two and four years of age. Changes occur
in the amount of make-believe, the language, the activities,
and the themes of play. He names the functions of make-
believe as follows: to deal with the world in a freer man-
ner, to reason on a lower than usual level of concentra-
tion, to allow one to be illogical and inconsistent, to
combine fragments of ideas, to manipulate ideas which one
only partly grasps, to mold the world nearer to one's lik-
ing, to conquer fears, to rid oneself of irritations and
to overcome conditions in real life that are disturbing.

Griffith's2 study of imagination in early childhood
states that observers have noted, but usually misunderstood,
children's long periods of daydreaming, their tendency to
invent imaginary companions, to construct a world of fairy-
land in which to retreat from the world of sense, to drama-
tize in play scenes they have remembered, and to murmur

aloud long conversations with toys and with absent, though

 

lArthmr T. Jersild, Child Psychology (3rd ed.;
New Yerk: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1947?, pp. 417-21.

2Ruth Griffiths, A Study of Imagination 3g Early
Childhood (London: Kegan Paul, French, Trubner & Co. Ltd.,
1955), p. 6.

 

 

 

.\

visualized, objects or persons. She states that two
divergent explanations of the meaning of child fantasies
have been offered, namely: (1) It is a preparation for
adult life, an exercise in preparation for real achieve-
ment. (2) It is a temporary refusal to face reality, the
psychoanalytic view. She concludes that the function is

to provide the normal means for the solution of problems

of development in early childhood. The problem is attacked
indirectly, is often disguised by symbolism, and the sub-
ject is only vaguely aware of the and towards which he is
striving. The problem is resolved gradually by a series

of successively imagined solutions. The result of the
process is found both in an acquisition of information by
the subject and also the more prominent feature of a change
in mental attitude. The change of attitude is usually from
a personal and subjective point of view to a more social
and objective one.

A presentation of various theories, studies, and
thought on the subject of imagination from preschoolers to
maturity is given by Markey.1 She includes Sherman's view
that some children should be encouraged to daydream for the
sake of stimulating creative imagination since "ability to
combine imagination with reality is probably the cause of
the productivity of the gifted." Less intelligent chil-

dren had fantasies more rarely, according to Sherman.

 

1Frances V. Markey, ”Imagination," Psycholggical
Bulletin, XXXII (1955), 212-56.

 

10

Markey reports that Jersild, Markey, and Jersild also sup-
ported the finding in their statement that more intelligent
children have more daydreams, and added that younger chil-
dren.have fewer daydreams, usually of play, while older
children dream of heroism. Daydreams have more resemb-
lance to wishes than fears. Kirkpatrick's view, states
Markey, was that three to six years is predominantly the
time in which free play of the imagination is contrasted
with fixed sensory experiences of the immediate environment.

Through the previous studies we see that an aware-
ness of and interest in the study of imagination in the
19203 and 19503 brought some results. Very briefly, find-
ings indicated that very young children showed signs of
imagination and that as the understandings of reality
deve10ped the imaginative behavior decreased. However, the
imaginative behavior had provided important functions in
intellectual, social, and emotional deve10pment.

Markey,1 in her study of imaginative behavior of
preschool children, defined imaginative behavior as "all
instances in which the child through.language or overt
behavior dealt with objects, materials, activities, and
situations as though they had properties or attributes
other than those which they apparently or actually seemed

to possess." She then obtained data on the frequency and

 

1Frances V. Markey, "Imaginative Behavior of Pre-
school Children," Child DevelOpment Monographs (No. 18:
New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, 1955).

 

 

PV

11

content of imaginative behavior as related to differences
in (1) age, (2) sex, (5) I.Q., and (4) socio-economic
status. Fifty-four subjects, twenty-two through fifty
months old were observed during ten, fifteen-minute periods,
over a span of several months. Observations of free play
were supplemented by experimental situations in which an
effort was made to stimulate overt imaginative behavior in
response to a controlled situation. The observer used a
modified diary record, observing the subject and also tak-
ing notes on other children in contact with him, teacher's
suggestions, notes on participation and leadership. The
items observed and recorded were as follows: (a) imaginative
situation, (b) name of the child who initiated imaginative
play, (c) names of individuals participating in play, (d)
materials and equipment used in connection with play, (8)
general behavior, (f) overt behavior indicating imagina-
tion, (g) verbalizations, (h) refusals of suggestions of
games, and (i) teacher's role.

Markey's results showed individual and group dif-
ferences. (l) Chronological age was more closely related
to leadership in imaginative behavior than to total amount
of imaginative behavior. (2) With increase in age, there
was a tendency towards increase in imaginative behavior
score. (5) Versatility of imaginative behavior, as indi-
cated by total number of different situations in which the
child participated, and leadership in group imaginative

play apparently were somewhat more highly co-ordinated with

l2

chronological age than were originality in imaginative
behavior or total imaginative behavior. (4) Findings with
respect to sex differences were not consistent. (5)
Chronological age and mental age were positively correlated
with observed imaginative behavior. These scores are some-
what more highly co-ordinated with mental age than with
chronological age. (6) There was some evidence that among
children over three years of age, children of the pre-
dominant sex in a nursery school group exhibited more
imaginative behavior than children of the sex which was in
the minority, due to the fact that they played primarily
in sex groups. Markey found that it was possible to
classify categories of imaginative behavior into sequences.
Imaginative naming and use of objects and personification
were predominantly characteristic of the imaginative acti-
vities up to three years of age. At three years and over,
there was more use of constructive activities with raw
materials, dramatic play, and elaborate imaginative situa-
tions. Dramatic play, in which the child assumed a role,
occurred at thirty-six months and showed consistent increase
in occurrence through fifty months.

From the general study of imagination of young
children evolves an interest, among observers, in dramatic
play. Among children, dramatic play seems to increase in
occurrence through.the preschool years and is easily

observed by adults.

I.

15

Dramatic Play
1

 

According to Johnson,

Dramatic play should be regarded as one of the
methods of establishing one's relation with
the world in which one lives and of expressing
the feeling, the emotion, which is aroused by
contacts and experience.

2

Lerner and Murphy also relate dramatic play to reality by

saying:

Eliminating family experiences as too obviously
projective in one way or another, we may say that
we have not found a child who played garbage man,
aviator, or going to South America, who did not
have some important roots in his experience for
this activity--either in participation or in
terms of identification with a relative or figure
in his story. The content of a child's play
always represents something that he has taken in,
however reorganized, distorted, or colored it may
be by his own projection of it.

5

Johnson states that it is in the process of making an

event "his own" that a child may call upon fantasy rather

than fact. Heffernan4

in work with kindergarten children
found that every experience extending into the community
tended to increase the child's perception and to provide

background for increasingly meaningful and satisfying

play.

 

1Harriet M. Johnson, "Dramatic Play in Nursery
School," Progressive Education, VIII (1951), 19.

2E. Lerner and L. B. murphy, "Methods for the
Study of Personality in Young Children," Mono ra h of the
Societ for Research in Child Development (VoE. VI, No. 50;
1941), p. 49.

 

 

3Johnson, p. 18.

4Helen Heffernan, "Dramatic Play in Kindergarten,"
Grade Teacher, LXXV (February, 1958), 14.

14

In miniature the child is able to recreate for himself the
world of reality, get inside the world, identify himself
with it, understand it, and control it.

That a child's dramatic play is linked to reality
is irrefutable. Boat and Martin1 studied the role of
dramatic play in the young child's clarification of reality.
Their assumption was that the young child has two worlds
of equal importance, the world of fantasy and the world of
reality, and that reality is clarified through imaginative
play. Their problem was to attempt to determine the roles
and significance of play in the child's growth and under-
standing. Specifically, they sought answers to whether the
child could distinguish between reality and fantasy in his
dramatic play. Also, they asked whether the child's con-
cepts of physical, social, and moral reality and thought
processes and reasoning were clarified through dramatic
play. The subjects were nineteen children in the five year
kindergarten. The procedure included planned experiences
of trips, movies, filmstrips, pictures, toy models of
trains, grocery store, and animals. Data concerning the
train, grocery store, and animal themes plus housekeeping*
were collected for twenty days. Data were recorded in a
modified diary form and a tape recording of language. The
researchers concluded the following: (1) Children infre-

quently demonstrated distinct recognition between reality

 

1T. K. Boat and C. I. Martin, "Role of Dramatic
Play in the Ybung Child's Clarification of Reality,"
Elementary School Journal, LVII (February, 1957), 276-80.

 

15

and fantasy. (a) Concepts of physical reality were clari-
fied and extended. (3) A great deal of the content of
their dramatic play was given to playing out social roles
and clarification of social reality. (4) They explored
and clarified rudimentary concepts of good and evil. (5)
Concepts of cause and effect and ability to reason hypo-
thetically were clarified through dramatic play.

This supports Biber gt Ell who state that for
seven-year—olds the bandit and cowboy replace the fireman
and policeman of earlier years because, "the fireman,
policeman, and family doctor and their social functions
are now understood too clearly and accepted too implicitly
as part of the everyday world, to be apprOpriate vehicles
of fantasy release. The children turn instead to the dimly
understood figures of bandit, cowboy, and Indian, who can
still be treated as archetypes for villainy, bravery, or
masterfulness."

Educators, psychologists, and greater numbers of
parents are beginning to recognize the role of dramatic
play in a child's deve10pment. However, they need access,
say Hartley, Frank, and Goldenson,2 to objective evidence
concerning elements of complexity, emotional toning, type

of role played, variations in situations, levels at which

 

lBarbara Biber, et a1., Child Life 32 School, A
Study'gf g Seven-Year-Old Group TNew Ybrk: E. P. Dutton
and Company, Inc.,19425.

 

 

2Hartley, Frank, and Goldenson, pp. 22-25.

.5

1‘

(i

16

the child participates, and other children involved, in
order to examine the play of the individual child. Markey's
study of imaginative behavior of preschool children (as
presented earlier in this chapter) seems to be the only
normative outline of dramatic play for the preschool years.
The present study of complexity of dramatic play
of nursery school children examines five components of
complexity: (l) the variety of themes in dramatic play of
nursery school children, (2) the time required for the
enactment of a theme, (5) the variety of roles and per-
sonifications involved within the dramatization of a theme,
(4) the variety of activities involved within the drama-
tization of a theme, and (5) the number of children involved
in the dramatization of a theme. A discussion of the

studies relating to these components of complexity follows.

Choice 2: Plgy Materials and Activities

 

In so far as the present researcher has been able
to determine, no studies of a child's choice of theme and
role in dramatic play have been made. However, a number
of studies have been made concerning a child's preference
for certain toys in terms of difference in age and sex.

Fridges1

measured the occupational interests of
three-year-old children by the child's preference in selec-

tion of toys and the time devoted to the interest. The

 

1K. M. B. Bridges, "Occupational Interests of Three
Year Old Children.” Pediatric Seminary and Journal 2;
Genetic Psychology, XXXIV (1927), 415A25.

 

,_ ...

17

play of six boys and four girls, two years and six months
through three years and eight months, was observed during
their one-hour free play period for an average of nineteen
days. The children's choices were between Montessori ap-
paratus, domestic toys, and other kinds of toys. The
Montessori cylinders, color matching, and building with
large bricks had strong appeal. Boys seemed to have more
singleness of interest and to prefer active, bodily actions.
Girls' interests were more diverse, and they enjoyed sit-
ting at a table with manipulative toys. The average length
of time spent at one activity was seven minutes for boys
and nine minutes for girls.

Benjaminl offered 100 subjects, fourteen months to
six years old, a choice of six toys: car, girl doll, horse,
vanity case of powder, airplane, and a boy doll. They were
allowed to play with them for thirty minutes and then to
choose one to keep. He found the following results: (1)
Three toys showed conclusive sex differences, whether
measured by final choice or by length of time with which
'child handled them during the play period: car was mascu-
line; girl and boy dolls were feminine. (2) Sex differences
in choice of car and of girl and boy dolls were found
throughout the various age levels. (3) In sixty percent
of the cases it was impossible to predict the final choice

from the amount of time spent in playing with particular

 

lH. Benjamin, "Age and Sex Differences in the Toy
Preference of Ybung Children," Journal 2; Genetic Psychology,
XLI (1932), 417-29.

 

18

toys.

The problem of what difference existed between
girls and boys in their choice of blocks as play materials
in early childhood levels was studied by Farrell.1 Her
subjects included thirteen groups of children, a total of
576, from three years through seven years and six months.
She used a questionnaire for background information and
then made ninety-two observations during the school year,
of self-chosen indoor activities. She found that twenty-
four percent of the boys played with blocks and that five
percent of the girls did. Of the total length of time re-
corded for block play, ninety-nine percent of it was re-
ported for boys and fiftybfive percent for girls. She
stated that there are possibilities that factors other than
sex differences may be influential in block play at early
childhood education levels.

2 attempted to investigate and analyze the

Brown
nature and extent of young children's preference for objects
and activities characteristic of their own or the appro-
priate sex. He assumed that whether a person is male or
female, socially and psychologically, (in terms of sex-role

behavior) is in large measure dependent upon learning,

environmental factors, and experiential development. His

 

1Muriel Farrell, "Sex Differences in Block Play in
Early Childhood Education," Journal 2: Educational Research,
LI (1957), 279-84.

 

2Daniel G. Brown, "Sex Role Preference in Young
Children," Psychologicgl Monographs, LXX (No. 421; 1956).

 

subjects were kindergarten children, seventy-eight boy and
sixty—eight girls, from five years and four months to Six
years and four months. A sex role preference scale, "It
Scale for Children," was used. It was made up of thirty-
six picture cards depicting various subjects, figures, nd
activities commonly associated with masculine or feminine
roles. The results sho.ed (1) Group sex-role patterns in
which there existed definite, relatively dichotomous sex~
role preference :attexns in boys and girls. (2) Mixed or ambi~
guous sex-role patterns in which accejttance of components of
both male and female roles was ts ice as frequent in girls as
in boys. (5) Inverted sex-role patterns in w hich some chil-
dren in both groups showed considerable inversion of sex-
roles, more frequent in girls than in boys. (4) masculine—
feminine role preference in which there was comparatively
greater preference of boys for masculine role than of girls
for feminine role. (5) Toy preference in which a greater

percents we of girls trm n boy, 5 preferred each of eight

female toy objects, while a greater percentage of boys than
girls preferred each of eight male toy objects.

Paula and Smithl studied the sex-role learning of
five-year-olds in terms of two aspects, his self-percegtion
in terms of complying with the apprOpriate sex role and his
perception of parental delineation of his .sex-role. Th

subjects included ten boys and ten girls who were only

 

lLydia Boyce la
Learning of Five Year Cl
IXXXIX (195 C), 105-17.

1 s and falter D. Sm
L

1
-L-
do ," Journal cf'\an‘

 

20

children and ten boys and eight girls who had one or more
older, like-sexed siblings and no older siblings of cppo-
site sex. They were shown three sets of pictures paired
for sex apprOpriateness and sex inapprOpriateness. The
four primary remilts were: (1) Boys tended to choose mascu-
line activities more often than did girls. (2) Only chil-
dren chose sex—apprOpriate activities more often than did
children with older like-sexed siblings. (5) Children of
both sex groups perceived the parents as preferring the
activity apprOpriate for the child's sex more often than
preferring sex-inappropriate roles for the child. (4)
There was no difference between frequency with which only
children perceived parents as preferring sex-appropriate
roles.

The results of the studies of a child's choice of
play materials and activities in terms of differences in
age and sex may have inplications for the study of a
child's choice of theme, role, and activities, three com-
ponents of complexity of dramatic play in the present

study.

Attention Span

 

Time required for enactment of a theme is related
to the attention Span. Children's attention spans and con-
centration in play have been studied in experimental situa-

tions and in free play activities of nursery school classes.

21

The child's ability for attention and concentra-
tion in play was determined in an experimental situation

by Moyer and Gilmer.1

The subjects were 681 children from
eighteen months through seven years. The eXperimenters
observed one child at a time playing with six toys selected
to satisfy some needs of the child at any given age. Toys
were designed to cover as wide an age range as possible, to
involve some problem-solving motivation within the range

of children's abilities, and to be durable, safe, and at-
tractive. The researchers concluded that: (1) Attention
spans in children are measurable within certain definite
limits. (2) In relatively non-distracting play situations
the mean length of time children will concentrate in play
with toys depends primarily on the use of the right toy for
the right age. (5) The closer a toy comes to satisfying
the particular needs of the child at his or her develOp-
mental age, the higher will be the play value of the toy.
The data showed that there is no regular increase in atten-
tion Spans of children from year to year for toys specifier;
1y designed for maximum holding power.

2

Meyer and Gilmer also made an experimental study

of preschool children's preferences for block shapes and

 

1KennethE. Meyer and B. vonHaller Gilmer, "Atten-
tion Spans of Children for Experimentally Designed Toys,"
Journal 2: Genetic Psychology, LXXXVII (1955), 187-201.

 

2Kenneth.E. Meyer and B. vonHaller Gilmer, "Experi-
mental Study of Preferences and Uses of Blocks in Play,"
JOurnal.2£ Genetic Psychology, IXXXIX (1956), 5-10.

 

22

sizes used for play in a relatively non-distracting situa—
tion, the frequency of individual block usage, and a
measurement of attention spans. The subjects were eighty-
seven boys and girls who were, three, four, and five years
old. The children were observed playing with 500 blocks,
of ten different sizes and shapes. The researchers found:
(1) a consistent preference in choice of shape and size,
(2) older children making more structures, (5) greater
variety of names given by older children to structures,
(4) mean attention spans of 22.5, 25.3, 28.8 minutes, for
three, four, and five year olds, respectively.

Thompsonl trained a twin to modify her play be-
havior with respect to attention characteristics. Specifi-
cally he" trained her to channelize her play, to keep her
at whatever task she started, to prevent her more rapid
activity shifts, to minimize her postural activity diver-
sions, and to help her relate her activities into an
organized whole. Twins, three years and seven months old,
were brought to the clinic for forty-five minute play
periods, twice a week, for a total of twenty-five periods.
One twin was put into a room supervised by a neutral adult.
The test twin was in an identical room supervised by an
adult who gave encouragement lavishly, helped her when she

encountered a task beyond her knowledge or ability,

 

lH. Thompson, "The Modifiability of Play Behavior
With Specific Reference to Attention Characteristics,"
Journal 2: Genetic Psychology, LXXXIX (1945), 165-88.

 

l‘

23

suggested further activity whenever she started to divert,
and accompanied any denial with a positive suggestion. The
researcher concluded that: (1) Play behavior observation
may be used to study attention characteristics. (2) The
duration, variation, and tempo of the focus of attention
in unrestricted activity are fundamental and individual
characteristics, which persist from age to age. (3) Sc0pe
of attention can be restricted by training. (4) An indivi-
dual may give evidence of being disturbed by this restric-
tion in scope if training is prolonged. (5) Even though
modifications in scOpe may be imposed by training, the in-
dividual tends to revert to previous attention patterns in
a relatively novel situation.

Eighty children, forty subjects two years old and
forty subjects four years old, were observed by Herring
and Koch,1 to discover whether any relationship exists
between the interest span of preschool children in a play
situation and the following variables: age, sex, time of
day, type of toy, length of occupation under a general
situation, and intelligence as measured by a standardized
test. The playthings were new to most children and suffi-
ciently interesting to keep subjects occupied for one hour.
Some of the results were as follows: (1) Average interest

span of young children increased somewhat with age. The

 

1A. Herring and H. L. Koch, "A Study of Some
Factors Influencing the Interest Span of Preschool Chil-
dren," Journal 2: Genetic Psyphology, XXXVIII (1950),
249-79.

 

24

interest Span, as measured, was revealed to be a function
of the type of toy offered for play and the age of the
child. It was somewhat longer for boys than for girls.
(2) The attraction power of a toy was not a perfect index
of its power to sustain interest. (3) Variability shown
among interest spans of the individual was as great for
younger as for older children. (4) There was no significant
relationship between interest Span and intelligence. (5)
Children did not amuse themselves with toys of their own
choice any more sustainedly during the first than during
the second half hour.

In these studies play was observed sometimes in an
experimental situation and sometimes in a free-play situa-

tion, but always with selected play materials.

Children Involved

 

Play materials affected the social behavior of the
child as well as his attention span.

Types of social behavior observable when two chil-
dren were provided with blocks or clay as materials and
variations of social behavior in these types of play cor-
responding to age differences were studied by'Undegraff
and Herbst.1 Twenty-eight children, seventeen boys and

eleven girls, from two years and six months to four years

 

1R. Updegraff and E. K. Herbst, "An Experimental
Study of the Social Behavior Stimulated in Ybung Children
by Certain Play Materials," Journal 2; Genetic Psychology,
XVII (1933), 372-91.

 

25

and two months of age, were observed playing with clay and
blocks under experimental conditions. All behavior, either
positively or negatively social, was recorded on an observa-
tion blank. Differences in social behavior with clay and
blocks were generally; (1) Two-year-olds watched partners
more during clay than block play. (2) Three year olds'
social behavior was quite similar during play with clay

and blocks. (3) Clay seemed to encourage watching and
imitating activity. Children took suggestions and conversed.
(4) Blocks fostered more mutual activity in use of mater-
ials than did clay. Chronological age influenced social
behavior as follows: (1) Ybunger children paid less atten-
tion to partners than did older children. (2) Older chil-
dren were more conscious of partners and shared each others
interests for longer time. (5) Older children were more
cooperative. (4) Three—year-olds offered more verbal sug-
gestions for new uses, accepted more suggestions, conversed
more, than did two-year-olds.

An experiment in block play as a socializing medium
among first graders was made by Johnson.1 Twenty-two chil-
dren were allowed a block play period following discussion
of the community. In teacher interviews during the first
month and again five months later all children named Speci-

fic buildings they liked to construct, indicating some

lLois v. Johnson, "A Study of Socialization in
Block Play," Journal pf Educational Research, L (1957),
623-260 '

 

26

degree of planning. The extent to which children carried
out verbal plans increased during five months from seventy-
three percent to ninety-one percent. The children's ex—
pressed liking to have others visit their constructions
increased from ninety-two to 100 percent. Their expressed
liking to visit others increased from seventy-seven to 100
percent.

The sex difference in social acceptance and partici-
pation of preschool children was studied by McCandless and
Marshall.1 The subjects were twenty-four boys and twenty-
four girls in three newly formed preschool groups. Five
measures of social acceptance and participation including
subjects' verbal choices, teacher judgments, and observed
behavior revealed that: (1) Girls had higher sociometric
scores than boys. (2) No significant sex differences
existed in teacher judgments of social acceptance, observed
social acceptance, degree of social interaction with peers,
or degree of dependence on adults. (5) Majority of nega-
tive correlations between measure of dependence on adults
and both sociometric scores and peer interaction scores
were significantly larger for girls than for boys. (4)
Progress of acquaintance in nursery school groups did not
demonstrably affect the sex differences in sociometric

Scores 0

 

lBoyd R. McCandless and Helen R. Marshall, "Sex
Differences in Social Acceptance and Participation of Pre-
school Children," Child Development, XXVIII (1957), 421-25.

 

27

Koch's1 study of 560 five-and six-year-olds to
determine the effect of siblings on the child's preference
of playmates concluded that the characteristics of the
sibling are related to the type of associates a child has
as well as to the playmate preferences he develOps. The
results showed that: (1) As the sib age difference in-
creased, mibjects reportedly played less frequently with
their sib's friends. (2) The number of playmates a child
listed did not correlate to a significant degree with any
of the sibling characteristics studied. Girls generally
named more friends than boys. (5) Playmates, preferred
playmate, best friend, were most frequently of about the
subject's own age, but among playmates of dissimilar ages
there was a higher incidence of older than of younger,
relative to the subject. (4) Chosen children were more
frequently those of child's own sex than of Opposite sex.

Stott and Ball2 checked records of sixty children
for a ten year period, from two or three years old to over
thirteen years old, to study the consistency and change in
ascendance-submission in the social interaction of children.
They concluded that readiness of the organism is the first

requisite to social interaction. Children must learn to be

 

1Helen L. Koch, "The Relation in Ybung Children
Between Characteristics of Their Playmates and Certain
Attributes of Their Siblings," Child Development, XXVIII
(1957), 175-202.

2Leland H. Stott and Rachel Stutsman Ball, "Con-
sistency and Change in Ascendance-Submission in the Social
Interaction of Children," Child Development, XXVIII (1957)
259-72.

 

 

28

socially responsive and interactive. The amount as well
as the quality of social behavior they develop would seem
to depend Upon environment. In the nursery school situa-
tion with its abundant Opportunity for social experience,
patterns and varieties of interactive behavior develop
rapidly.

It was among preschool children that Partenl
established the six categories of social participation as
unoccupied, onlooker, solitary, parallel, associative, and
co-Operative. She observed each of forty-two children for
one minute daily at the same hour every day, over a period
of four months.

Green2 discusses the progression of group play at
length in her study on group play and quarrels among pre-
school children. She found the amount of group play in-
creased with age, the size of the group in which the chil-
dren played increased with age, interest in other children
made its most marked development between the ages of three
and five and dramatic play was the most social activity in

3

which these children engaged. In Green's study of friend-

ships and quarrels she makes the point that though.the

 

1Mildred B. Parten, "Social Participation Among
Pro-School Children," Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology, xxvu (193W, 45-69.

 

2E. H. Green, ”Group Play and Quarreling Among
Preschool Children," Child Development, IV (1955), 502-07.

 

5E. H. Green, "Friendships and Quarrels Among Pre-
school Children," Child DevelOpment, IV (1935), 257-52.

 

29

friendship indices increase regularly with age, that from
two to three years of age the increase is due to an in-
crease in number of friends, hut from three to five it is
due to increase in depth of friendship. She states, "The
tendency for children to decrease the number of different
companions as they grow older, and at the same time to in-
crease the frequency of their companionship with a few
individual children, suggests that develOpment in social
relations,like that in physical motor and mental traits,

proceeds from general to specific."

CHAPTER III
PROCEDURE

Selection and Validity 2; Criteria

Hartley, Frank, and Goldenson,1 discuss the value
of normative standards of dramatic playtz From their'writ-
ing, supplemented by discussion with teachers in the field
of child deve10pment, and after preliminary observation,
five criteria were set up which.were thought to be measur»
able components of complexity of dramatic play. They'were:
(l) variety of themes and time required for enactment, (2)
variety of roles or identifications and personifications,
(5) variety of activities, (4) uses of language, (5) number
of children involved.

These criteria, with.the plan for study, were sub-
mitted to five Judges who were asked to rate each component
as a measure of complexity.3 The Judges were representative
of three nursery schools, one at Bowling Green State Uni-
versity, Ohio, and two at Michigan State University, and
the Departments of Teacher'Education and Psychology at

 

1Hartley, Frank, Goldenson, p. 16.
2See Chap. I, p. 2.

3Plan of Study and Rating Sheet as Submitted to
Judges, Appendix.

30

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31

Hichigan State University. They were considered quiified
to rate the validity of each component because of their
professional training and interest in’and experience with
children.

The ratings of the components of complexity by
five Judges are shown in Table 1. They used a 0-5 rating
scale: 4-5 being a Judgment of excellent validity, 5-4
good validity, 2-5 average validity, 1-2 fair validity,
0-1 poor validity.

TABEE 1
JUDGES' RATINGS 0F COMPLEXITY'COMPONENTS

 

 

= “3:: v m
Components of Judges' Ratings Aver- Evalua-
Complexity age tion

 

J.1 J.2 .133 3.4 J.‘

 

Variety of themes

and time re-

quired 4.5 4.5 5.75 2.5 4.0 5.85 Good
Roles , ident ifica- Ex-

tions, and per- cel-

sonifications 4.5 4.5 4.25 4.5 4.0 4.55 lent
Variety’of Excel-

‘Otivitio. 4e5 4e5 4e25 3e5 SeO 4e55 lent

Uses of language 2.5 4.5 4.5 m0§5 - 3.00 Good

 

Number of chil- Excel-
drCn 4e5 4e5 4e5 4.5 4e25‘4e45 I‘D:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0n the basis of the Judges' recommendations,
"Uses cf Language” component was eliminated. Two Judges

gave it a poor rating. One Judge was unable to rate it.

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32

Comments and suggestions included: "Some very complex
dramatic play could proceed with no language at all."
”...you need to increase the number of language categories.
...if some items are scored, all items must be scored.”
”This [language rectal-7 is confounded with several other
factors.”

With the exception of the criterion, "Uses of
Language,” no single rating was below 2.5, average validity.
0n the basis of the averages of the Judges' ratings of one
good and three excellent, the other four criteria were
considered valid.

Variety of themes and time required for enactment
were made separate components, as they were not neces-
sarily related or dependent upon each other.

After revision, five specific criteria retained
were as follows: (1) the variety of themes in dramatic
play of nursery school children, (2) the time required for
the enactment of a theme, (5) the variety of roles or
identifications and personifications involved within the
dramatization of a theme, (4) the variety of activities
involved within the dramatization of a theme, (5) the
number of children involved within the dramatization of a
theme. These five criteria were Judged to be some valid
‘indications of complexity of dramatic play which could be

observed and recorded.

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33

Method 2; Observation

With the selected criteria of complexity of dra-
matic play established, it was necessary to deve10p a
method of observation which would be reliable; that is,
it would produce uniform results when used repeatedly by
the same observer,or among several simultaneous observers,
or by persons who wished to repeat the experiment.

J'ahoda1 suggests that in descriptive studies, which
are structured only in broad terms, a method of systematic
observation of small groups be used. These observations
may be coded afterwards to permit the establishment of well
defined forms of behavior which.can be recorded more
speedily and more comprehensively.

In the collection of data a modified time sampling
method was used. Wright2 describes time sampling as

...a closed procedure which fixes attention of
observer and analyst upon selected aspects of the
behavior stream as they occur within uniform and
short time intervals. The length, spacing, and
number of intervals are intended to secure repre-
sentative time samples of the target phenomena.
As a rule, with exceptions, descriptive categories
are coded in advance for quick and precise Judg-
ments in the field and later efficient scoring.
In this study descriptive material was recorded which was
then categorised to provide a subsequently more refined and

efficient method of recording.

 

IMarie Jahoda, Morton Deutsch, and Stuart 1!. Cook,
Research Methods in Social Relations, Part One: Basic Pro-
cesses (New Ybrfii—The Bryaen Press, 1951’, pp. 133315.

23erbert P. Wright, "Observational Child Study,“
Handbook of Research Methods 12 Child Develo ment, ed.
FauI fi. lfiisen (New YbrE: thn Wiley'& Sons, Inc., 1960)
p. 95.

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34

A series of time samples were then simultaneously
recorded by the researcher and two trained observers. The
three observers not three days, at weekly intervals, mak-
ing two, fifteen minute observations, each day, for a total
of six observations. A comparison of records was made and
a discussion of differences was held following each day's
observations. After final comparison of records and dis-
cussion of differences, a manual of definitions and direc-
tions for observation was developed. The terms used in
stating components of complexity were further defined for
increasing reliability of observations.

‘ghgmg. The theme was defined as the core around
which the play was organised. Examples: housekeeping,
doctor play, fireman play.

Playigg-at-a-role or identification. Playing-at-

 

a-rcle and identification were used synonymously. Playing-
at-a-role was defined as the enactment of a role as a
form of pretense. This identification was usually with a
person who was not present. Example: conversation in
houseplay, 'I'm mother; you be the big sister.”
Personification. Personification was the attribu-
tion of personal nature or characteristics to inanimate
objects or abstract notions. Therefore, personification
generally needed an obJect which was being personified.
Example: A boy, seeing toy soldiers floating in a tub of
water, cried: “They say 'Help'.‘ He was personifying the

inanimate soliders.

 

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35

Children involved. All children in the immediate
social situation in which the enactment of the theme was
in progress, who did not refuse to participate, and were
not excluded from the participation by the subject being
observed, were considered involved in the dramatic play.

a child's overt behavior may or may not have indicated his
involvement.

Using the manual of Directions1 the researcher and
one trained observer simultaneously made three, fifteen-
minute observations. Their records were almost identical.
Although.all the observations for'the collection of actual
data.used in analysis were made by the researcher, it was
felt that the period of trial observation and revision of
directions helped to clarify terms and methods and so make
it possible to record the same components on repeated

observations.

Method 2; Analnis
A method or analysis of the diary records of each
subject was devised to provide a means of evaluating the
complexity of dramatic play in terms of the criteria
selected. Themes, roles and personifications, and acti-

2The

vities were identified, categorised, and totaled.
time required for the enactment of a theme and the number
or children involved vere also totaled.

1Manual of Directions, Appendix.

2See teategories or Themes and Roles, Chap. IV.
pp. 41-44.

p.

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the questions C”Mcerh-ht the lite “A'ronnuss of sunglex-
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i y.~ lie CSJSlOEJmhL or tlchuo or comp exity Ll cal —

I "‘5. h’ '1‘“ ‘e ‘ ’ 'A P ' —.
Ate cf tn's- bears to five

an one—half year. of age was described.

 

1See Description of the Leve l of Coz.p1ex
Dramatic Play of Each Subject, Chap. V, pp. 45-2

3 concerning five components of com~
F‘le Xit I], 01181? e I , I.“ e E e

'2
USee Leve10pment of Trends of Complexity, in
Terms of Criteria, Over Two and One-half Year Span, Shag.
\7 r~v~ F7_‘...:,
0 ff. .2 Use.

CHAPTER IV
' COLIECTION AND ANALYSIS or DATA

2229;9ng

The observations in this study were made in the
nursery school of the Campus School, at State university
of new York, College of Education, at Buffalo. Observa-
tions were begun in December 1957, after school had been
in session three months, and continued at monthly inter-
vals through.lay 1958, with supplemental observations from
October 1958, through.January'1959.

The nursery school room was large and divided into
play areas to make it possible for active play in the
housekeeping and large block areas and still prevent inter-
ferences with areas of comparative quiet for art activities,
table toys, and books.1 The housekeeping and large block
areas were the settings for most of the dramatic play.

The schedule of activities provided for a daily
indoor free play period of about fortybfive minutes, upon
the children's arrival at nursery school.2 During this
period adult direction was at a minimum although.adu1ts

occasionally were asked to Join in the play and did so for

 

1Floor Plan of Nursery School Room, Appendix.
ZSchedule of Activities, Appendix.

57

e...—

 

\'1'

3|:
I

58

short periods of time.

Since the campus school was used as a laboratory
for the college students there were many students in and
out of the nursery school. There was one permanent teacher,
a new student teacher each nine-week period, and from one
to five participating students at a single time. In
recognition of this situation, when the children's play
seemed to be unduly influenced by the presence of many
adults the researcher discarded the observation.

The children who attended Campus School were, in
general, representative of the upper middle and upper
socio-economic groups, according to Cattell's Metric Scale
of Social Status.1 Fifteen, three-year-old children,
eight boys and seven girls, attended from nine to eleven
o'clock in the morning, and eighteen, four-year-old chil-
dren, nine boys and nine girls, attended from one to three

o'clock in the afternoon.

Selection‘gg SubJects
From the thirtybthree children enrolled in the
Campus lursery School, ten children were selected for
study» They were chosen according to chronological age
so that there were two children from each of five, six-
month.leve1s, from three years to five years and six months.

Attempt was made to select subjects whose birthdays were

 

1Raymond B. Cattell, "The Concept of Social
Status," Twentieth.Centur Ps cholo , ed. P. L. Earriman,
(New York: PhiloSOpHIcaI iiBrary, Igi6), p. 141.

 

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59

closest to the beginning of the age range which they
represented.

The plan of selection approximated a longitudinal
study of preschool children. A longitudinal study has the
advantage of measuring the persistency or a pattern of be-
havior over a span of time. Since a true lagitudinal
study was outside the scope of this research, its approxi-
mation was chosen, with awareness of the limitations due
to sex differences, individual variation in rates of
maturation, and unreliability of chronological age as a
single criterion of maturity level.

In the final data, the available subjects' ages
approximated a longitudinal study as follows:

 

36-42 mo. 41-46 mo. 47-51 mo.

 

Girls 51 mo.
50-53 ”e

57": 1.00 48-50 mOe 54-59 m0. 60’6‘ m0.
Boys 51-54 mo.

 

Three subjects were from families in the Upper
Class, Social Grade II; two subjects in the Upper, Middle
Class, Social Grade III; and two subjects in the Upper,
liddle Class, Social Grade IV.

Period'gg Observation
Monthly observations were begun in December 1957,
and continued through May 1958, with supplemental observa-
tions.rrom October 1958, through.January 1959. They were

 

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40

made at intervals, representing twenty-three of the thirty
months span from three years to five and one-half years.1

A fifteen minute interval was selected as the unit
of observation time. During each.interva1 all dramatic
play of the subject was observed, and in one observation
dramatic play may have continued for a maximum of fifteen
minutes, or it may have been of shorter’duration if the
subject ceased his involvement in dramatic play before the
fifteen minute period was terminated. Attampt was made to
secure two, fifteen-minute observations, or a maximum of
thirty minutes per month, of each child, for each of six
months. This would provide a total of twelve observations
of dramatic play over a six-month.period, for each of ten
children.

Obligations of the teacher-observer, absences of
subjects, and programming to accommodate college students
made the full realization of this aim impossible. To com-
pensate for absences of subjects, age fortybseven months
through fifty-one months during the initial six-month
period, subjects of this age range were observed for four

months the following year, October 1958, through January

1959. This provided a total of 450 minutes of Observations,

divided among seven subjects, and representative of a

thirty-month span.

 

1Chart of Intervals of Observation, Appendix.

 

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41

Categories 2; Themes and figlgg

After data were collected by observation and
recorded as time samples, it became possible to organize
data within categories for more reliable evaluation of
descriptive information.

Themes were identified either by the role, e.g..
Zorro, mother, which the subject played; or by the specific
environmental setting or construction, e.g., hollow block
zoo, rocking boat, doll house, around which activity cen-
tered. They tended to be of two types: (1) realistic,
imitative, adult,activities concerning the home and occu-
pation and (2) vicarious experiences which were childish,
imaginative interpretations on,movies, television shows,
or stories.

After recognising these two types of play, the
researcher organized the various themes according to the
following classification: (1) housekeeping, e.g., caring
for baby, cooking, (2) occupational play, e.g., building
a house, delivering milk, driving a bus, (3) vicarious
experiences, e.g., chasing ghosts, flying like Superman.

Upon analysis of data, it became evident that
houseplay was the most highly developed type of dramatic
play. This is understandable when one realizes that young
children are most aware of this activity because it is

closest to their realm of living. Hartley1 states,

 

1mm: B. Hartley and Robert a. Goldemon, The
Complete Book‘gf Children's Pla (New York: Thomas 5.
rows Company, 1557), pp. - 3.

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42

"...a game of house flourishes in short order. Each one
knows what it means to be a member of a family and each
can find a role to fit into." Due to the higher degree
of complexity and organisation of houseplay it was neces-
sary to further divide it into sub-themes. The following
is the list of sub-themes of houseplay and the types of
activities which they might include.

laundryb-sort, wash, iron, fold, and put away
clothes

lashing dishes-ostacking, preparing dishwater,
washing, wiping, putting dishes away

Cooking--getting out equipment, mixing, stirring,
baking, cooking, storing or serving food

Cleaning (care of house)--getting out equipment,
sweeping, washing, lepping, moving furniture, straighten-
ing, or putting away, repairing

Child careo-dressing, putting to bed, feeding,

baby

Social interaction--going for walk, shopping,
telephoning

Care of person-~dressing up, washing hands, sleep-
ing, eating

‘Due to the imitative qualities of much.of the
children's houseplay, houseplay activities were fairly
easy to recognise as relating to real-life activities, and
therefore were grouped according to the preceding cate-

gories.

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43

The children's concepts of occupational activities
were less realistic and, consequently, more difficult for
adult observers to recognize, name, and categorise. For
this reason the sub-themes were not pro-determined but
named as they occurred. The variety of occupations ranged
from milkman, and helicopter, to “automatic window” cpera-
tion. Ten occupational sub-themes were observed. After a
greater number of observations of occupational themes it
might be possible to group them further and so delimit the
number of possible sub-themes in the same way as house-
keeping sub-themes are limited.

Vicarious experience themes also varied and were
impossible to pro-determine. Therefore submthemes of
vicarious experiences were also named as they occurred.
Ten vicarious sub-themes were observed.

The various roles and personifications were
organized according to the following classification.

1. Family members, e.g., mother, sister, father,

baby

2. Occupational workers, e.g., milkman, fireman,

cowboy

3. Fictitious personalities, e.g., Zorro, ghosts

4. Animals or live creatures, e.g., lions,

elephants, snakes

5. Vehicles of transportation, e.g., boats,

snowplows, trains

It was possible to describe in comparative terms, the

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44

level of complexity of dramatic play of each of the

subjects, by using these categories of themes and roles.

CHAPTER V
FINDINGS

Description 2; the Level 9; Complexity 9;
Dramatic Play g£_Each.Sub1ect

Sally

Biographical.Data

Sally, an adapted girl, was observed when she was
thirty-six.through forty-two months old, and again when
forty-seven through.fifty months old. She had two brothp
era, one, three and one-half years older, and one, three
years younger. Her father was a college graduate and a
lawyer. Her mother had attended business college and was
a housewife. The famil 's socio-economic status was Upper
Class, Social Grade II.

Description ‘91 Teacher

Sally was an energetic, physically active child.
Her attention span was becoming longer in self-directed
activities but was still relatively short in directed
group activities or story time. She was quite gregarious
and enjoyed dramatic social play with both girls and boys.
She was friendly with and trusting of adults. Although
she usually solved her own problems, she came for help
when necessary. Being independent seemed very important
to her and she tried many things which were too difficult
for her. She enjoyed teasing and being mischievous.
Although agreeable when reproved by an adult, she did not
always change her behavior. Ber language development was
good. (Her mother seemed to set high.atandards for her
and to be discontented with Sally's behavior. She often
frowned at Sally.)

 

ICattell, p. 141.

45

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46

TABLE 2

SUMMARY'GF DRAMATIC PLAY OF SALLY} 36-42 mo.
DURING EIGHT OBSERVATIONS

 

 

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 65 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

23 Cooking 5
24 Cleaning 5
16 Diahwashing 4
10 Laundry l
21 Social 5
8 Child care 2
5 ' Care of person 2

TOte Aete 105

 

Roles: Family member: Mother or daughter

 

N. of other children: Range: 1-4 per 1 obs.
Total: 23 in 8 obs.

Theme: Occupational Time: 2 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.
‘_§ Milk delivery 1
Tot. Act. 5

 

Roles: Occupational worker: Milkman

 

N. of other children: None

 

0.

Cl

 

47

Description‘gg‘branatio‘glgy
Thirty-six through.rortybtwo months of age

Sally, from thirty-six through.forty-two months of
age, participated in dramatic play for a total of sixtyb
seven minutes during eight observations, over a six-month
period (December 2, 1957, through May 28, 1958). The
housekeeping theme predominated while the occupational
theme occurred once. She was usually a family member and
during occupational plsy an occupational worker.

The theme for eight observations and a total of
sixtybrive minutes was housekeeping. Iithin the theme, a
total or 105 activities was observed. Sally's role as
family member was often designated as that of mother or
daughter. The number or other children involved in Sally's
play in any one situation varied from one to four, a total
or twentybthree during the eight observations.

During one observation, Sally was involved in the
theme or occupational play for two minutes. Her rive
milkmen activities included collecting 'empty' bottles and
then delivering milk to the refrigerator. lo other chil-

dren were involved.

Jim
Biographical.Data

Jim, a boy, was observed when he was thirty-seven
through.forty~three months or age and again when forty»
eight through.rifty months of age. He had two sisters,
one, two and one-half years older and the other, five
years older. His father was a college graduate with a
Bachelor of Science degree, and a salesman. His mother

 

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48

had attended college for one year and was a housewife.
The socio-economic status of the family was classed as
Upper, Middle Class, Social Grade IV.1
Description by Teacher

Jim had become quite sociable since the beginning
of the year. He had formed two quite fast friendships
and seemed to enjoy other children's company as well. His
play was rough.and consequently he was often careless with
equipment and headless of his and other people's safety.
Hewever, he was usually responsive to adult guidance. On
occasion he had been unexpectedly shy or sensitive to
adult reproach. His attention span was short and his in-
terests were varied.
Description gg‘Dramatic Play
Thirty-seven through.forty-three months of age

Jim, from thirty-seven.through.fortybthree months
of age, participated in dramatic play for a total of fifty-
four minutes, during eight observations, over a six-month
period (December 5, 1957, to lay 28, 1958). His play con-
cerned two themes in which he assumed two major roles.

During six observations, totaling fortybthree
minutes, the theme was housekeeping. lith a total of
seventybsix activities, Jim engaged in from one to three
sub-themes during any one observation. His role during
each of the observations was that of a family member which
was not further differentiated. One one occasion he was
also an occupational worker, a doctor. A total of ten
children engaged in his six housekeeping play situations,

the number varying from zero to four in any one observation.

 

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49

TABLE 3

SUMMARY OF DRAMATIC PLAY OF JIM, 37-43 mo.
DURING EIGHT OBSERVATIONS

W I—
L

 

I

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 43 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

 

 

27 Cooking 3

22 Cleaning 3

4 Dishwashing 2

13 Social 3

4 Child cars l

6 Care of person 2
Tot. Act. 76
Holes: Family member:

Occupational worker: Doctor

N. of other children: Range: l-4 per 1 obs.

Total: 10 in 6 obs.

 

Theme: Occupational Time: 11 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

 

 

2 Helicopter l
7 Fireplay 2
_§ Construction 1
Tot. Act. 14
Roles: Occupational worker
N. of other children: Range: l-2 per 1 obs.

. Total: 4 in 3 obs.

 

50

Occupational play was the theme for eleven minutes,
during three observations. He played the role of occupa-
tional worker during all of the fourteen activities. There
was a total of four other children included in the three

occupational play situations.

Sandy
Biographical Data

Sandy, a girl, was observed when she was fortybone
through.forty-six months of age and again when fifty-one
months of age. She had three siblings: a sister two years
older, a sister four years older, and a brother seven
years older. Her father was an English.teacher in a pri-
vate boy's school and held Bachelor of Arts and Master of
Arts degrees. Her mother was a college graduate with a
Bachelor of Arts degree and a housewife. The family's
socio-economic status was Upper Class, Social Grade II.1

Description by Teacher

Sandy was an enjoyable, happy, gregarious girl.
She had socialized with one or two special friends since
September and had been responsible for organising much of
- the group play. Her friendly acceptance of other children
had made her a leader. She was aware of her surroundings
and capable of talking intelligently about them. She had
shown a particular interest in books, “reading," and house-
play. She was quite cautious in climbing, balancing,
Jumping, and other active physical play. One favorite
activity'was dancing with.the dancing skirts, during which
she combined creativity with imitation.

Description of Dramatic Play
Fortybone through forty-six months of age
Sandy, from fortybone through forty-six months of

age, participated in dramatic play for a total of fiftyb

eight minutes, during six observations, over a five month

 

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51

TABLE 4

SUMMARY'OF DRAMATIC PLAY'OF SANDY} 41-45 mo.
DURING SIX OBSERVATIONS

._ g m

 

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 35 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

23 Cooking 2
4 Cleaning 1
2 Dishwashing 1
4 Laundry l

20 Social 4
5 Child care 1

‘_§ Care or person 2

Tot. Act. 63

Roles: Family member: Mether or daughter

 

f

N. of other children: Range: 0-5 per 1 obs.
Total: 10 in 4 obs.

Theme: Vicarious Experiences ‘ Time: 23 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

8 Whale chase l
_1_g Cowboys 2

Tot. Act. 22

.Roles: Fictitious personality: Whale chaser, Zorro,
Lone Ranger

N. or other children: Range: 1-3 per 1 Obs.
Total: 6 in 3 obs.

 

.

52

period (December 9, 1967, to lay 5, 1958). Her play was
developed around two themes in which she assumed two major
roles.

Housekeeping was the theme during four observations
for a total of thirty-five minutes. Sandy's play involve-
ment varied in time from relatively short (three minutes)
to very long (play in progress when observation was begun
and still in progress when fifteen minute observation was
terminated). Within the theme of houseplay she engaged in
all seven sub-themes. There was a total of sixtybthree
housekeeping activities during the four observations. Dur-
ing each of the observations, Sandy was a family member,
'either a mother or a daughter. She played with a total of
ten children in four housekeeping play situations with the
number in a single observation varying from none to five.

Vicarious experiences was the theme for three
observations and a total of twentybthree minutes. The sub-
themes were varied. The sub-these of one vicarious exper-
ience might be called whale chase. The eight activities
within the sub-theme included: getting in the boat, Jump-
ing out of the boat and running from the whale, sitting on
the ladder where the whale can't catch.then, running back
to boat, moving whale (wheelbarrow) away.from boat, get-
ting gun (block), shooting with gun, and putting gun away.
The sub-theme on two succeeding days was cowboys. There
was a total of fourteen activities varying fro: shooting

and galloping to making a bed of blankets on the floor and

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53

sleeping. Eight whale-chase activities and fourteen cow-
boy activities gave a total of twentybtwo for the two
vicarious themes. Sandy played the role of a fictitious
personality in each of these sub-themes. She was a whale
chaser in the boat sequence and Zorro and The Lone Ranger
while playing cowboys. She played with a total of six
children in the three observations.

Sally1
Description‘gngramatic.glgz
Fortybseven through.fifty months of age

Sally, from forty-seven through.fifty months of
age, was observed five times for a total of sixtybseven
minutes. During this three-month.period (October 20, 1958,
through January 19, 1959), she participated mostly in the
houseplay theme and once in an occupational theme. Her
role was a family member in both themes.

The sixty minutes of houseplay during the five
observations contained 115 activities in six of the seven
sub-themes. Her role as family member varied, including
mother, baby, daughter, and sister. She played with
thirteen children during the five observations, the number
varying from one to five per observation.

The occupational theme, lasting for seven minutes
during one observation might be sub-titled heusebuilding.
The five activities were simple building procedures by

 

18ee Sally, Chap. v, p. 45.

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54

TABLE 5

SUMMARY’QF DRAMATIC PLAY'OF SALLY, 47-50 mo.
DURING FIVE OBSERVATIONS

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 60 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

7 Cooking 2
19 Cleaning 3
19 Dishwashing 4

8 Social 3
11 Child care 1

‘_§1 Care of person 5

Tot. Act. 115

 

Roles: Family member: Mother, baby, daughter, sister

 

N. of other children: Range: 1-5 per 1 obs.
Total: 13 in 5 obs.

 

Theme: Occupational Time: 7 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.
5 1

Tot. Act. 5

Holes: Family member: Baby

 

N. of other children: Total: 4 in l obs.

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55

Sally who defined her role as that of baby. There were
four other children involved in the development of the
theme.

Jim1
Description 2; Dramatic 31.1.95
Forty-eight through fifty months

Jim, from forty-eight months through fifty months,
was observed five times, for a total of forty-five minutes,
over a three-month period (October 50, 1958, through
January 19, 1959). There were three themes, during which
he assumed two roles.

Housekeeping was the theme for one observation of
five minutes. Jim was a family member who was involved in
four activities of dishwashing. He played by himself.

Occupational play included thirty-three activities
in the development of three sub-themes, during the three
observations, totaling thirty-one minutes. There were
fourteen fireplay activities, eight construction activities,
eleven ship activities, each occurringin separate observa-
tions. He was an occupational worker and played with a
total of five other children during the three occupational
play situations.

Vicarious experiences were bombing I'ghosts" and
war, for a total of nine minutes during two observations.

There were nine activities of bombing ghosts and six war

 

13» Jim, Chap. v, p. 47.

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56

TABLE 6

SUMMARY OF DRAMATIC PLAY OF JIM, 48-50 mo.
DURING FIVE OBSERVATIONS

-:
.—

 

 

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 5 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.
é, Dishwashing l
Tate Aete 4

 

Roles: Family member

 

H. of other children: None

—'__

Theme: Occupational Time: 31 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

14 Fireplay 1
8 Construction 1
'1; Ship 1

Totallot. 33

 

Roles: Occupational worker

 

N. of other children: Range: 0-5 in l obs.
Total: 5 in 5 obs.

Theme: Vicarious Time: 9 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

 

 

9 Bombing ghosts l
6 ‘War . 1
Tot. Act. 1'5
Roles: Occupational worker: Bomber man
H. of other children Range: 1-2 in l obs.

Total 5 in 2 obs.

 

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57

activities in separate observations. Jim was an occupa-
tional worker in each sub-theme: once a "bomber man.”

once undefined. Three other children participated in this
dramatic play.

Mary
Biographi cg; Data

Mary was observed when she was fifty through
fifty-three months of age. She had one brother, one year
younger. Her father was educated at the United States
lerchant Marine Academy and was field representative. Her
mother had acollege education and was a housewife. The
family's socio-ecplnomic status was Upper, liddle Class,
Social Grade III.

Description :91 Teacher

nary was a very happy and enjoyable child. She
was very friendly and accepting and the children liked
her. She seemed capable of solving social problems which
arose. Houseplsy had been a favorite activity and she
was quite imaginative in dramatic play. She seemed to
organise much of the play in the doll area. She was self-
assured and made contributions to group activities and

discussions. She was eager and willing to participate in
the activities of nursery school.

Description 9;; Dramatic 22.31
Fifty through fifty-three months of age

lary, from fifty through fiftyothree months of age,
participated in dramatic play for a total of fifty minutes,
during four ebservationsfover a three-month period
(December 5, 1957, to larch 3, 1956). Her play was limited
to the theme of housekeeping during which she was a family
member.

lcattell, p. 141.

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58

The fifty minutes devoted to housekeeping were
divided among six of the seven sub-themes vith a total of
eightybfive activities in the four observations. During
each.of the observations, Mary was a family member, either
a mother or a daughter. She played with a total of ten
children during the four housekeeping play situations.

TABLE 7

SUMMARY OF DRAMHTIC PLAY'OF MARY} 50-53 no.
DURING FOUR OBSERVATIONS

“.._-...,— W

 

 

Theme : Hon sekee ping Time : 50 min .

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

28 Cooking 3
24 Cleaning 3
ll laundry 1
13 Social 2
3 Child care 2
6 Care of person 2

Tot. Act. 85

 

Roles: Family member: mother or daughter

 

N. of other children: Range: 2-4 per 1 obs.
Total: 10 in 4 obs.

 

Sandy1

‘Qgscription‘gg Dramatic Play
Pirtybone months or age
Sandy, fifty-one months of age, was observed once

for ten minutes on October 21, 1958. She was involved in

13.. S‘my, Chip. V, pe 50e

 

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59

the theme of housekeeping play and assumed the role of
family member. During the theme she carried out nine-
teen activities and she played with four other children.

TABLE 8

SUMMARY OF DRAMETIC PLAY OF SANDY} 51 mo.
DURING ONE OBSERVATION

 

 

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 10 min.

.4.

N. of Activities in I. of Obs.

7 Cooking 1
7 Dishwashing l
5 Care of person 1

Tot. Act. 19

 

Roles: Family member

 

H. of other children: Total: 4 in l obs.

 

Bruce
Biographical.Data

Bruce was observed when he was fiftybene through
fifty-four months of age. He had one brother, two years
younger. His parents were divorced during the time of
the study; His father possessed a Bachelor of Arts degree
and was a manufacturing business executive while his
mother also possessed a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a
housewife. The socio-economic status if the family was
Upper, Middle Class, Social Grade III.

Description 131 Teacher

Ewuce was an affectionate, sensitive boy. His
attention span was short and his interests were varied.

ICattell, p. 141.

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60

He seldom participated in the vigorous and active play of
the other boys. He seemed to prefer playing doctor, pour-
ing water, or looking at books. He showed much creativity
in his response to music, recognised rhythms in everyday
sounds, picked out tunms on the piano, etc. His play had
been limited to a couple of special friends. Without them
he was at a loss and became quite unhappy. Be especially
liked to be recognized before the group--sing a song, show
and tell, etc. He was very friendly with adults and formed
close attachments to them.

'Description of Dramatic‘glgl
Fifty-one through fifty-four months of age

Bruce, from fiftyhone through.fifty-four months of
age, was observed participating in dramatic play six times
for a total of fiftybone minutes, over a five and one-half
month.period (December 4, 1957, through.May 21, 1958).
During these observations he assumed two major roles in
the development of three themes.

The housekeeping theme occurred three times for a
total of twenty-eight minutes and thirtybfive activities.
Bight other children were involved in the three housekeep-
ing play situations.

Occupational play was the theme for two observa-
tions with.a total of eleven minutes. There were ten train
activities and six doctor activities. Bruce's occupational
roles were ticket man and doctor. He played with seven

other children during the two occupational themes.

Dramatiaation of prisoners in a fort was the action
of the twelve minute observation of the theme of vicarious
experiences. There were twelve activities during which
Bruce was an occupational worker, apparently a prison guard.
Five other children participated in the enactment of the

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61

‘TABIE 9

SUMMARY'GF DRAMATIC PLAY OF BRUCE, 51-54 mo.
DURING SIX OBSERVATIONS

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 28 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

15 Cooking 1
11 Dishwashing l
9 Social 2

Tot. Act. 55

Roles: Family member

 

N. or other children: Range: 0-4 per 1 obs.
Total: 8 in 3 obs.

 

Theme: Occupational Time: 11 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

10 Train 1
6 Doctor 1

Tot. Act. 16

Roles: Occupational worker: Ticket man, doctor.

 

N. of other children: I Range: 1-6 in 1 obs.
Total: 7 in 2 obs.

 

Theme: Vicarious Experiences Time: 12 min.

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

l§_ Prisoners in fort l
TOte ‘Cte 12

 

62

TABLE 9 Continued

Roles: Occupational worker: Prison guard

 

N. of other children: Total: 5 in l obs.

 

Jon
Biographical Data

Jen was observed when he was fiftybfour through
fiftybnine months old. He had one brother, two and one-
half years older and a sister, two years younger. His
father was a lawyer with both.a Bachelor of Arts and a
Bachelor of Laws degree. His mother had a Bachelor of
Arts degree and was a housewife. The family's socio-
economic status was Upper Class, Social Grade 11.1

Description by Teacher

Jon seemed an unusual child. He was extremely
curious about the "whys“ of things. He meditated about
statements and related them to his previous knowledge.
'Turtles' eyes are shaped like keyholes.‘ ”A.toad's skin
and bones are loose." He had a very retentive memory.

He often offered suggestions about solving problems in
play and group activities. At times he showed concern
over maintaining his "manly” status-~"Girls do that.

It's sissy stuff." He set high social goals for himself
and when frustrated (e.g., told by friends that he cannot
play with them) he became quite tense and excited. ‘lhen
tense he masturbated and talked excitedly. He played with
the recognized leaders and led as well as followed in
their play. (His mother had commented about his extreme
competition with older brother. He often played with
brother's friends and he frequently fretted that he wanted
"to learn something'--to write, add, speak French, etc.)

Description 25 Dramatic'glgz
Fiftybfour through.fifty~nine months of age

Jon, from fifty-four through fifty-nine months,
participated in dramatic play for a total of thirty minutes

 

11bid.

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63

during two observations, Decenber 9, 1957, and May 7, 1958.
His play developed one theme, while he assumed two roles.
The dramatization of the vicarious experiences
thene involved nineteen wolf activities for fifteen
minutes during one observation. In a second observation
of fifteen minutes there were ten snake and two :00 acti-
vities. Jen assumed the role of two animals or live
creatures, a wolf and a snake. and the role of an occupa-
tional worker, a hunter. There were five other children
involved in the enactment of the vicarious theme in two

observations.

TABIE 10

SUMMARY OF DRAMATIC PLAY OF JON, 54-59 no.
DURING TWO OBSERVETIONS

 

Theme: Vicarious Experiences Time: 30 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

19 ‘lolf l
10 Snake 1
2 Zoo 1

Tot. Act. 31

 

Roles: Occupational worker: Hunter
Live creatures: weir, snake

 

N. of other children Range: 2-5 per 1 obs.
Total: 5 in 2 obs.

 

 

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64

Paul
Biographical Data

Paul was observed when he was sixty through sixty-
four months of age. He had one sister, three and one-half
years older. His father and mother both had college edu-
cations. His father was a sales representative and his
mother a housewife. The sooio-economic status 0 the
family was Upper, Middle Class, Social Grade IV.
gescnpt ion 39; Teacher

Paul was a very mature, independent child. He
assumed responsibility for his actions and responded
readily to adult reasoning. However, he was often less
tolerant of other children's less nture behavior and was
sometimes dictatorial in his demands upon them. When
fru stated he would strike out. His physical deve10pment
was extremely good and he enjoyed active play. He also
showed real mechanical ability. He had a ready sense of
humor which was occasionally turned into silliness when
encouraged by his friends.
pescription 2f_ Dramatic Play
Sixty through sixty-four months of age

Paul, from sixty through sixty-four months, was
observed engaged in dramatic play for a total of thirty-
nine minutes during five observations, over a three-and-
one-half-month period (January 10, 1958 through April 29,
1958). He develOped three themes and assumed three major
roles.

He participated in ten activities in the house-
keeping theme during one observation of two minutes. He
was a family member and included one other child in his
housekeeping play.

1Ibid .

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I
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u .- .. .-.. ... . . f .
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t ' ' ~ I .' _. s o , .“ . l . . ' .
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I o - ‘ .
‘ . w - , . u ' 0 . l w '.- '
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I ‘ Q s w
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J I I l I _, . . ‘ .J I. “f .

 

 

~ ~ I . .
.‘ ' . ' .. r‘ - u . _
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I ' ' . l I \_ ‘I I ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ d ‘w. Al '
.
w u e . . _ Q ‘
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' ... ‘ ". ‘ .' J, .I . - ‘.' -' l ' . ». . . n , ‘. ‘ n ‘
v ‘ - fl ‘ . ' v '-
5 ‘ V ._ .. , _ f‘ . , -.. ..y - ,- :2 ‘-., . ‘3,. .1-
1‘ ’I . ~ ' r I | \, ‘ . - '. y ‘
A b . V ‘ I - -. ‘ w
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- . . . - I ., ., . -, - u ' . n. . n . e -. " a
,-
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' ' ‘L ‘ . 43". . , v [I , I - l ‘, - =1 ,1.
‘ ' ' . . . ~ I. . Al A . . .
.~ . .
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O ' . . . I. ‘. .. ‘ ‘ .
" ' ‘- "°‘ "' - ... - ‘ ,_ ..,.. --..«I._s'.n..........‘ .. . -e In ...... .- e- - w .- ... — .. ......, -,..

use. .A '.—

65

TABLE 11

SUMMARY'QF DRAMATIC PLAY OF PAUL, 60-64 mo.
DURING FIVE OBSERVATIONS

 

 

M a

Theme: Housekeeping Time: 2 min.

 

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

5 Cooking 1
5 Cleaning 1
2 Dishwashing 1

TOt e ACt o 10

 

Roles: Family member

 

N. of other children: Total: 1 in 1 obs.

 

Theme: Occupational Play Time: 17 min.

 

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

9 Construction for boats l
.42 Automatic window 1

Tot. Act. 13

 

Roles: Vehicles of transportation: Snowboat, street
cleaner, plow, fast-moving boat
Occupational worker

#44

N. of other children: Range: 3-4 per 1 obs.
Total: 7 in 2 obs.

Theme: Vicarious Experience Time: 20 min.

 

.Q

I

 

66

TABDE ll Continued

N. of Activities in N. of Obs.

9 Cowboy 1
lg Good and bad buys 1

Tot. Act. 25

 

Roles: Occupational worker

 

N. of other children: Range: 4 per 1 obs.
Total: 8 per 2 obs.

 

Seventeen minutes were spent during the two
Observations of occupational play, in nine activities mak-
ing constructions for boats, and four activities with.sn
"'automatic window.” During the boat sub-theme Paul per-
sonified a snowboat, street cleaner, plow, and fast-moving
beat, all vehicles of transportation. In the second theme
he was an occupational worker. He played with.seven chil-
dren in the two occupational play situations.

The theme of vicarious experiences, observed for
twenty minutes during two observations included nine cow-
boy activities and sixteen ”good” and 'bad buy" activities.
During each sub-theme Paul was an occupational worker.
Eight other children were included in the two play situa-

tions.

(I

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h 1; Va v“ p m ‘AL a f‘ ‘1 ..41- «v m l. -'
LCV€*Q£:VA .1 Ci TL Yes Ci Vv ,...€.‘.t.t4\L, ll’l -LIJ'E Cf pi.tCI"lFt,
.- ", 1:} I". a I5 V“ ... Q .._ ,‘

LVL? m o "no L‘e—leli ,eor with

4—

 

The greoeding descrigtiuns of the levels of com-
plexity of dramatic play were presented in terms of indi-
vidual subjects. CLservations of izdividvsl subjects were
also grouped according to are levels in order to rrcsert

the develogz';ert of trean of complexity in terms of cri-

teria. The total two end one-half year eran was diviée G
into five intervels, ea 01;. six: months ii; length. L the

H,
p.
e

st interval, thirty-six through forty-one months, three

ubjects, two girls and o: e bo:,, were oLserveo tlirte en

to

times. At the seconj lLtCPVEl, fcrty-two throvgh forty—
seven ment? is, three suL 'jccts, two girls and one boy, were
observed eleve n times. At the third interval, forty—eiéht
throu gh fift'uu.1ee months, five su‘je Lets, three girls and
two boys, were observed eighteen times. At t;e fourth,

fifty—four throvgh fiftv-nire morth interval, two boys were

0

observed four times; and st tee fifth interval, from uixty

t rouglisixtg—five m‘oths, one boy was observed five times.
The followi '4; is a discussion of do‘VClOLEICIlt of

trends of -om,leliuy of diam etic play over the two and one-

half year span, in terr. :3 of’ the criteria--there, activities,

Q Q

time, roles, and on ldren involved.

Variety of Themes
(Teble 12)

There was no eviéence of a developing trend in the

average number of themes erected per an observation geriod

68

of eleven minutes.1

There were only four observations in
the entire age range, thirty—six through.sixty-five months,
during which more than one theme occurred in a single
observation. This may be accounted for by the limit of a
fifteen-minute sample of the individual's play, of which
the average time devoted to dramatic play, among all age
levels, was nine minutes. Attention spans of children in
this study, oven at thirty-six months, may have been suf-
ficiently deveIOped to enable them to engage in only one
theme for a nine-minute interva1.2
To compare further the developmental levels in
terms of variety of themes, larger samples of observations
were taken from each level. To secure the greatest total
number of minutes of observation common to all levels,

thirty-six minute samples were taken from each deve10p-

mental level. Four observation records of nine minute

 

1Observations were not of equal length. The
average number of minutes per observation varied at dif-
ferent age levels as follows: 7.8, 8.5, 11.1, 10, 7.8.
The greatest average was 11.1 minutes. In order to com-
pare the number of themes from various age levels, they
were equated according to the following formula:

Total themes in each level Greatest average number of _
Total minutes observation minutes of observation
at each level

Number of themes in an eleven minutes observation period.

(e.g., at thirtybsix through 14 X 11 g 1.52 themes in an
fortybone months intorva1--'IUI eleven minute
observation)

2366 p. 77 for further discussion of length of
time spent in one theme.

69

periods (the average number of minutes per observation at
all levels), representing different subjects, were selected.
The numbers of various themes in these samples were com-
pared. All three themes occurred at each level except the
first, where only two themes occurred. The housekeeping

and occupation themes occurred throughout the five inter-
vals of the two and one-half year age span. No vicarious
play occurred at the first level, but it did at the suc-
ceeding four levels.

There were also indications of trends in the per-
centages of dramatic play devoted to the specific themes
at various age levels. Percentage of total number of
dramatic play themes devoted to the housekeeping theme
decreased as the child's age increased. The percentages
were 78.6, 61.5, 65.2, 25.0, 20.0, at thirtybsix through
forty-one months, forty-two through forty-seven, forty-
eight through fifty-three, fifty-four through.fifty-nine,
and sixty through.sixty-five months, respectively.

The incidence of occupational play tended to in-
crease, though unevenly, with age, from 21.4 percent at
thirty-six through forty-one months to 40.0 at sixty
through sixty-five months. Other percentages were 15.4
at forty-two through forty-seven months, 21.1 at fortyb
eight through fifty-three, and 25.0 at fifty-four through
fifty-nine months.

The percentage of the total number of dramatic play

themes devoted to the vicarious play theme showed some

70

tendency to increase with the child's age. The percentages
increased rather irregularly from .0 at thirty-six through
fortybone months, 23.1, at forty-two through forty-seven
months, 15.8 at fortybeight through fifty-three months, to
a high of 50.0 at fifty-four through firty-nine months,
and then drOpped to 40.0 at sixty through sixty-five months.
It is possible to relate the deve10ping trends in

variety of themes to various aspects of the increasing
maturity of the child, using Landreth's1 definition of
maturation as,

... the total developmental process, which

obviously is a product of the interaction of

deve10pmental factors within the organism,

learning processes, environmental circumstances,

and inherited behavior capacities.
The change in emphasis of type of theme from housekeeping
to occupational play may have been also a factor of sex.
If both age and sex were influencing factors, increasing
maturity and accompanying closer identification with like-
sexed adults may have been reflected in a child's dramatic
play, and have caused an increased incidence of housekeep-
ing theme as girls matured, a decreased incidence as boys
matured; an increased incidence of occupational play as
boys matured, a decreased incidence as girls matured.

Hartley and Goldenson2 state, "From this time on [four

years olg7, as the sexes begin to go their separate ways,

 

1Catherine Landreth, The P5 cholo of Early Child-
hood (New Ybrk: Alfred A. KnOpT, IggEI, p. 251.

2Hartley and Goldenson, The Complete Book 22 Chil-
dren's Play, p. 95.

,9

I.

I.

71

boys and girls are apt to spend their imaginative lives

in different worlds." There were possible indications of
these influences in the percentages of time devoted to
various themes when computed according to boys and girls.
There was a consistent decrease in frequency of the house-
keeping theme as boys matured-~66.6, 66.6, 50.0, 25.0, 20.0
percents, from lowest to highest levels, respectively.
There was some increase, though uneven, in frequency of
housekeeping theme as girls matured-~87.5 percent at
thirtybsix through forty-one months, 60.0 at forty-two
through fortybseven months, and 100.0 at forty-eight
through.fifty-three months. There were no girl subjects
in the last two levels. Occupational trends were as
follows: boys' percentages increased with age-~55.5, 55.5,
40.0, 25.0, 40.0; girls' percentages decreased with age--
12.5, 10.0, 00.0. lack of girl subjects at the last two
levels hindered comparisons of results in terms of influ-
ence of sex.

A widening environment may also have been a causal
factor in the trend of selection of themes. The house-
keeping theme for both boys and girls, predominated at the
early age of thirty-six through forty-one months, at which
time the child usually has been almost exclusively in the
home with his mother and her activities. As the child's
environment normally widens there was a greater proportion
of occupational themes and finally a larger proportion of

dramatization of vicarious experiences, perhaps due to

72

developing imagination and exposure to television, books,

1

and movies. Hartley and Goldenson support this when they

say,

Naturally their [four year old§7 play reflects what
they see going on about them, plus what they have
heard about, or come to know through radio and
television and these samplings will largely rein-
force them in their natural inclination toward
traditional roles--with, or course, a few modern
wrinkles added.

Due to the small number of subjects and limited
minutes of observation there was not sufficient data to
justify such generalizations concerning incidence of theme
and causal factors at this time. However, these trends
seemed to warrant further investigation.

Variety of Activities

(Table 15)
There was no apparent trend in the average number

2 The

of various activities per eleven minute observation.
greatest number occurred at the thirtybsix through forty-
one month interval and the least number at the fifty-four

through fifty-nine month level.

 

lIbid.

 

2Observations were equated to provide for compari-
son of activities in the same manner as for comparison of
theme! 0

Tptal activities in each level X Longest average number of-
Total minutes o?:OBservation minutes of observation
at each level

 

Number of activities in an eleven minute observation

(e.g., at thirty-six through forty-one month interval--
172 X 11 _ 17 6 activities in an eleven minute observa-
IUl ‘ ' tion period).

75

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The trend in the percentages of the total number
of activities, devoted to activities within the various
themes, closelv resemblei the trerd in the occurrence of
the themes themselves. There was a general decrease in the
percentage of housekeeping activities as age increased and
a general increase in percentage of occupational and vicari-

ous experience activities as e e increased.

Cf

In an effort to @e ermine whether or not the variety
of ac titities within an inf f.vidual thezie in Jcated the com-
plexity of that trene's development, other comrarisons were
made.

When .h pe .“cente :es of total number of various ec ti-
vities witnin specific ther: es were compared with the corres-
ponding percentages of total number of various .hemes, the
following results we'e found: The pelcert'rc cf the tote 1

number of activitie es Cevotej to housekeeping was greater

then tLe percentage of the total number of thence devoted to

C')

have okceying, at the tn lowest intervals, thirty- ix
thrmigh fifty-three mont:s,1 At the two h‘gher a 6 inter-

vals, the rropcrti on of ecti vitie

LO

devoted to the housekeep-

‘

ing theme was the same or less than tne proportion of occur—
rence of nosseyecfinf theme in total themes. These relation-
ships of activities to these would app ear to ind iCate tLat

t

he lONGb t are l vels h housekeepinr treme was more com-

.J

plexl“ develcged tron at the hi"her levels. However, this

\

may rou be so much a iectcr of age or maturity as it is of

7

sex, since no girls were included in the two mi; ziest age levels.

 

C'r" TH: '10,.- 10 (war: 1'2
tJVd khaki-bu“: .555 L .I n-ke.

75

The percentage of the total number of activities
devoted to vicarious experiences was greater than the per-
centage of total number of themes devoted to vicarious
experiences at the two highest age levels (fiftybfour
through.sixty-five months). At the three lower age levels
the preportion of activities devoted to the vicarious ex-
perience theme was less than the preportion of occurrence
of the vicarious theme in total themes. This comparison
may indicate that at the higher age levels the vicarious
theme was more fully develOped in terms of activities than
at the lower levels. This could be stated only for boys
as there were no girl subjects in the two highest age
levels.

There was a consistently smaller preportion of
occupational activities than occupational themes at all
levels. This would appear to indicate that the occupa-
tional theme was less complex than housekeeping at the
lower levels and less complex than vicarious experiences

1 ask, ”How

at the higher levels. Hartley and Goldenson
many boys have any realistic notion of what their fathers
do when they leave the house for the day?”

Since insufficient data were available, the above
generalizations are tentative, but appear to indicate

desirability of further investigation.

 

1Hartley and Goldenson, The Complete Book 2;
Children's Play, p. 98.

 

 

76

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77

Time Required for Enactment of a Theme
(Table 14)

There were some inconsistencies in obtaining the
time factor in this study. Observations were begun when
dramatic play was already in progress. Recording was
terminated at the subject's ceasing of dramatic play, the
end of the fifteen minute observation period, or when play
was artificially interrupted by the end of free play period,
mistaken interference by college students, or by conflict-
ing responsibilities of the teacher-observer. Although
these inconsistencies could not be shown in Table XIV, the
writer will make explanation as the discussion proceeds.

It was noted that as the child matured there was a trend
toward an increased length of time to enact an individual
theme.

Within the thirty-six through forty-one month
period usually it was the child who terminated the dramatic
play. Two exceptions were when the observations were
interrUpted. The average length of time for enactment of
a theme at this age level was seven minutes with eight of
the thirteen themes requiring seven or fewer minutes.

At the forty-two through forty-seven month level
there was one observation which lasted the fifteen minute
period. There were eight instances of the subjects ter-
minating the play. These eight themes averaged six minutes.
The other observations were interrupted.

At the forty-eight through fifty-three month period

the average time was ten and one-half minutes for enactment

78

of a theme. Eight of the nineteen themes were still in
progress at the end of the fifteen minute observation
period. In one observation the child left one theme for

a second theme after five minutes, and the observation was
terminated after fifteen minutes of dramatic play although
there were two themes. In an additional six, the observa—
tions were artifically terminated, leaving only four occae'
sions when a child left dramatic play before the end of
fifteen minutes.

Within the fifty-four through fiftybnine month and
sixty through sixty-five month levels play continued
through.the fifteen minute observation period three times
and observations were interrupted in every other instance.i

Therefore, there does seem to be indication of an
increase in time required for the enactment of an indivi-
dual theme from about seven minutes at three to four years
of age to over fifteen minutes at four and one-half to five
and one-half years of age.

The time spent in the three themes seemed to follow
a trend. The percentage of total dramatic play devoted to
the housekeeping theme tended to decrease as the child's
age increased. The percentages were 91.1, 62.6, 71.0,
12.5, and 5.1, at thirty-six through fortybone months,
fortybtwo through.forty-seven, forty-eight through.fifty-
three, fifty-four through fifty-nine, and sixty through

sixty-five months, respectively.

I.

79

 

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80

The percentage of occupational play time tended to
increase with age, from 8.9 at thirty-six through forty-
one months to 45.6 at sixty through sixty-five months.
Other percentages were 12.1 at forty-two through forty-
seven months, 18.5, forty-eight through fiftybthree, 12.5
at fifty-four through fifty-nine months.

The percentage of time devoted to the vicarious
play theme showed some tendency to increase with the
child's age. The percentages increased rather irregularly
from 0 at thirty-six through forty-one months, 25.2 at
forty-two through forty-seven months, 10.5 at forty-eight
through fifty-three months to a high of 75.0 at fifty-four
through fifty-nine months, and then drOpped to 51.5 at
sixty through sixty-five months.

Variety of Roles or Identifications and Personifications
(Table 15)

The categories of roles and personifications--

(1) family members, (2) occupational workers, (5) ficti-
tious personalities, (4) animals or live creatures, and

(5) vehicles of transportation, were closely related to

the housekeeping, occupational, and vicarious experience
themes. Beth roles and themes were often identified by the
play objects which the children were using-~stethoscope,
doll buggy, milk carrier. If roles were not named by the
children involved in the dramatization of the theme, they
were identified by the observer and assigned to the

designated general category.

 

81

There was no consistent difference in the total
number of various roles played by subjects at various age
levels. The average number of roles per eleven minute
observation varied from 1.05 to 2.26 with no apparent
trend.1

When samples of observations totaling thirty-six
minutes were taken, two of the five categories of roles
occurred at the first interval (thirty-six through.forty-
one months) and at the third interval (forty-eight through
fifty-three months). Three categories occurred at the
other three levels. The data did not clearly indicate a
trend.

The role categories, family members and occupa-
tional workers, occurred in each age range. The percentage
of total roles devoted to playing a family member decreased
steadily from 75.3 to 12.5 over the five age levels. The
percentage devoted to playing occupational roles increased
irregularly with the highest percentages at the forty-
eight through fifty-three month, fiftybfour through.fifty-
nine month, and sixty through sixtybfive month levels.

The categories of fictitious characters, animals and live

1Observations were equated to provide for compari-
son of roles in the same manner as for comparison of themes
and activities.

Total number of roles in each level X Longest average
Total minutes of observation at 7* number of minutes 2
each level of Observation
Number of roles in an eleven minute observation (e.g.,
at thirty-six through forty-one months interval--

15 roles in an eleven minute observation)
mx 1]. Z 1064

 

82

creatures, and vehicles, each occurred once, at three dif-
ferent age levels. At the second level, forty-two through
forty-seven months, 25.1 percent of the total roles were
fictitious characters. At the ferth level, fifty-four
through fiftyenine months, 40.0 percent of the roles were
animals and live creatures. At the fifty level, sixty
through sixty-five months, 50.0 percent of the roles were
vehicles. When variety of categories at each level was
examined there was no clear-cut trend since two categories
occurred at the first and third levels and three categories
occurred at the second, fourth, and fifthlevels. The
possibility of occurrence of greater variety of roles as
age increases needs to be further investigated.

Sometimes a subject would name his own role in his
conversation during play. "I'm the Lone Ranger, you be
Zorro.” ”We're bombing mans." This direct identification
of his own role occurred with greater frequency at the
older age ranges than the younger. Only 18.9 percent of
the roles of subjects in the thirty-six through.forty-seven
month age ranges were verbally identified while at the
fifty-four through sixty-four age ranges the percentage was
55.8. This may indicate a growing self awareness of the
role which the child is playing, as well as his increasing
ability to use language.”

85

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84

Number of Children Involved
(Table 16)

Except at one age level, the average number of
children involved in the dramatization of all categories
of themes increased consistently as the age level in-
creased. The average number of children enacting a theme
increased as follows: 2.1 children at thirty-six through
forty-one months; 1.5 children at forty-two through forty-
seven months; 2.5 at forty-eight through fifty-three, and
at fifty-four through fifty-nine months; and 5.2 children
at sixty through sixty-five months. The range of number
of children involved in the enactments of a theme remained
similar at the various age levels.

When each category of themes was examined there
was no apparent trend of deve10pment in the range and
average number of children involved.

All children in the area of the enactment of a
theme who neither were rejected by the subject nor overtly
refused to play were considered as involved in the play.
No attempt was made to differentiate between parallel and
co-operative play. This may have been a factor in the lack
of a more apparent trend in the increasing number of chil-

dren involved in dramatization of a theme as age increased.

85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary‘ggg Conclusions

The primary purpose of this study was to develop
and refine a modified time sampling technique for studyb
ing pro-school children's dramatic play. Subsequent use
of this technique might obtain information which could be
used to establish a normative standard of complexity of
dramatic play of pre-school children.

That a need for such a normative standard existed
had been stated by noted authorities. Erik B. Eriksonl
related the understanding of children and prevention of
neuroses in children to an understanding of the “language

2 called dramatic

of play." Hartley, Frank, and Goldenson
play a “mirror of the child” and stated that there was a
need for norms for such elements of dramatic play as com-
plexity, emotional toning, type of role played, variations
in situations, levels at which the child participated, and
other children involved.

Components of complexity observed in this study

were theme, activities, time of enactment, role, and other

 

LErikson, p. 561.

2Hartley, Frank, Goldenson, p. 16.

86

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87

children involved. Observations of the subjects' dramatic
play were recorded as time samples. The theme, defined as
the core around which play was organised, was identified
either by the role which the subject played or by the
environmental setting or construction around which activity
centered. Activities were recorded as specific actions
which contributed to the enactment of a theme. The total
time within the fifteen—minute observation during which
the child was involved in dramatic play was recorded. The
subject's role was sometimes named by the child himself in
the play, but more often was assigned to general categories
by the observer. Children in the play area who were
neither excluded by the subject nor refused to play were
considered as being involved in the dramatic play.

The seven subjects, three girls and four boys, in
the three and four-year-eld nursery school groups at Campus
School, State University of new York, College of Education,
at Buffalo, New York, represented a two and one-half year
age span from three years to five and one-half years.
These subjects were observed at approximately monthly
intervals, during a six month period, for a total of 450
minutes, during fifty-one observations.

The modified time sampling technique developed in
this study was productive in collecting information which
described varied degrees of complexity of dramatic play, in
all but one of the stated components of complexity; namely,
variety of activities.

 

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88

The theme was a logical basic unit of dramatic
play which.was easily observed, identified, and recorded,
by the observer. The technique made it possible to
observe that the choice of theme varied with the age level,
housekeeping being the theme most often engaged in by the
youngest children, less often at the second and third age
levels, and least often at the two oldest age levels.
Occupational themes and vicarious themes occupied a greater
proportion of the dramatic play time among the older chil-
dren than among the younger ones. However, it is likely
that a sex factor also entered in since no girls were in-
cluded in the two oldest age levels. Ihen boys and girls
were compared, the proportion of housekeeping themes
decreased and occupational and vicarious themes increased
with age of boys; whereas, for girls, proportion of house-
keeping themes increased and occupational and vicarious
themes decreased with age. Choice of theme in this study
appeared to have been affected by the meturity of the child
witthhe accompanying development of identification.with
like-sexed adults and their activities and with the widen-
ing environment of home and community including mass com-
mnication media of television, books, and movies.

Activities were observed and recorded in order to
better determine the extent to which the theme was de-
veloped. Effort was then made to group activities into
categories. However, the observer found it difficult to

define an activity specifically enough to be consistent

 

 

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89

in recognizing some types and categorizing them. House-
keeping activities were readily observed and identified
because of their similarity to actual housekeeping acti-
vities. Occupational and vicarious experience activities
were difficult to observe and identify because of a child's
unrealistic concepts in these areas. Because of the dif-
ficulty in identifying an activity the modified time
sampling technique was not entirely satisfactory in col!
looting data on activities. There was no apparent trend

in the average number of activities per eleven minute
observation of the dramatization of a theme. However, when
the percentage of activities required to enact a theme was
compared with the percentage of occurrence of the theme to
total themes, the following trends were noted. Greater
variety of housekeeping activities occurred at the younger
age levels. Greater variety of vicarious activities
occurred at the older age levels. Sex as well as age may
have been a factor as there were no girl subjects at the
higher age levels. The occupational theme was not well
developed-in terms of activities at any age level.

Through use ofthe technique it was observed and
recorded that the time required for the enactment of an
individual theme tended to increase with the maturity of
the child. Percentage of total time spent in enactment of
the housekeeping theme decreased as children matured, while
percentage of total time spent in enactment of the occupa-
tional and vicarious themes increased as the child grew

Oldere

90

The modified time sampling technique made it pos-
sible to collect data which showed that the child's roles
and personifications were closely related to the theme of
the play. The role of family members occurred at each
level with the percentage of total roles devoted to family
members decreasing as the age increased. Other categories
of roles increased as age increased. There was an in-
creased incidence of a subject's verbally naming his role
in the play with increased maturity of the child, possibly
indicating a develOping awareness of the role which he was
playing, as well as increased language development. A
comparison of the variety of roles at the various levels
showed no trend consistent with age.

Through.use of the technique it was observed that
the number of children involved in the enactment of a
theme tended to increase with the maturity of the child.

0n the basis of use of this modified time sampling
technique in observing the seven subjects at intervals for
six months and recording dramatic play information, the
observer concluded that the technique was productive in
collecting data concerning varying degrees of complexity
of dramatic play in terms of theme, time of enactment,
role, and number of children involved. It was not as pro-
ductive in collecting data concerning the activities comp

ponent of complexity.

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91

Limitations _o_f_ .t_h_i_._s_ m

This study was planned for ten subjects to rep-
resent five age levels from three years to five and one-
half years old. There should have been one boy and one
girl matched for age representative of each level. Due to
the composition of the two nursery school groups being
observed and extended absences of three subjects, seven
children remained in the completed study with only boys
representing the four and one-half through five and one-
half ago levels. Consequently some of the trends found
may have been due to sex differences rather than age, or
maturity, levels.

A limitation of this study of a technique for
studying complexity of dramatic play'was the irregular
intervals between observations. Observations were to have
been made at regular intervals for the six month.period of
each level of development. Absences of children and
demands made upon the teacher-observer made the intervals
of Observation irregular. This limited the use of the
technique.

Within individual observations there was incon-
sistency in the length of observation. The study plan
provided for termination of an observation when a child
ceased his dramatic play or at the end of fifteen minutes
of dramatic play. At other times observations weré neces-
sarily terminated by the end of free play period, mistaken
interference by college students, or by conflicting

 

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92

responsibilities of the teacher-observer.

Analysis of activities was complicated by the
problem of identifying some types and the necessity of re-
defining an activity as the study progressed.

Limitations of number of subjects and observations
were fully anticipated when the study was devised, but
since the purpose of the study was the development of a
technique rather than the actual establishment of norms-
tive standards this limitation was not felt to be detri-
mental to the success of the study. Additional limitations,
produced by the inconsistency of time intervals of observa-
tion and lengths of individual observations, were not
desirable.

Although.the study was devised to be carried out
by an independent observer, it became necessary for the
researcher to assume responsibilities of teacher and
observer. In spite of the complications involved in such
a procedure it is perhaps a more realistic method in
present day research involving school children than is the
research.team. Because it is probable that more research
could be carried on with young children if the teacher
could use the technique with.her own classes, many of the
following recommendations would be usable by the class—

room teacher.

Recommendations for Further Study
It is recommended that a greater number of subjects,

equal numbers of boys and girls, matched for age,

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93

representative of each age level, be selected.

Due to children's absences and varying demands on
teacher's time it was difficult to maintain equal interb
vals between observations during the six month period of a
single subject. A cross-sectional selection of subjects
would minimize this limitation. Therefore, the researcher
recommends that the sex and age of the child being observed
be recorded for each observation and that records of
numerous children be accumulated over a period of time. In
this way equal numbers of records of boys and girls of each
level could be selected and arranged in order of age, with~
out the necessity of maintaining a rigid schedule of
observation of the original subjects over the six month
span. Although the cross-sectional approach.would be more
feasible in a classroom situation, there are advantages to
the longitudinal approach. If a number of boys and girls
could be studied over the two and one-half year span it
would provide a more developmental view of children's
dramatic play.

If the modified time sampling method is to be used,
the fifteen minute length should be maintained. Any single
observation which is terminated within the fifteen minute
period by any cause other than the subject's concluding
dramatic play should be discarded. This would provide
greater consistency of the time factor and make comparison

of records more reliable.

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... e the dramatization of some themes was not
comp etc d Wi thin tlo fifteen minute tide sex; 9, a pre-
fcrablo method f)? collectino data might be GVont sampling

Event sampling singles out natuzm 11y Sbereiduod be1svicral

events of one or anot‘i er cla~s and recorrs these events as

they arise end unfold.1 In this study the thczns was sccz:
to ho the core around thich dramatic play developed. There-

a?

fore, the theme would be the oven , and the length of the

observation WOlld d spend Upon the occ urrenie of, and the
length of, the theme on c ted. This would provide greater
information concerning the aeVoiojvent of length c-f time to

enact a theme as a coild' s maturity increased.

The rsscarchor recommends that the definitions as

[’0

presented in the ”shoal of Directions, be maintained.
These include definitions of he components of complexity
of dramatic p1ay—-thone, activities, time of enactment,
roles and personifications, and other children involved.

Additional effort needs to he made to identify: to
collect data on, and to categorize, activities for sub-
sequent analvsis. Iccausc oo‘seksoring was further dc-
veloped and more realistically portrayed by three to five
year old children, it was possible to identify housekeep—
ing activities and categorize them. Ybung ct illdl en's

dramatizaticns of occupations and vicarious experiences

 

 

 

Paul H. In] con (ed. ), Yandhock of Research Krthods
in Child Development (few Ybrk: John'tilev a Sons, Inc.,
'—’"._' i r‘rrt
15”: \j, 1.}. (U.

n
LTx¢-,

95

were less dschOpsd and loss realistic, making it difficult
to identify activities and impossible to categorise thsm.
Tho researcher suggests that this technique be tried with
oldsr children whose dramatizations of occupational and
vicarious experience themes might be more fully dcvs10psd
and realistic. This might provide groatsr information
which could be used to dovlep categories of activities

in the occupational and vicarious experience theme. Thom
tims sampling or event sampling might be used with pro-
school children with greater success in collecting informs-
tion concerning the sctivity component of complexity.

In this study, it appssrsd that various thsmss
dsvsIOpsd in complexity at varying rstss. Tbs housskssp-
ing thsmo bscsmo quits complex by tho third level (fortyb
sight through.fifty~thrss months) while ths vicarious ox-
psrioncs then. was only beginning to develop at the third
level. Therefore, analysis of complexity of drsmstic plsy
might be made in terms of sopsrsts themss rather than in
terms of s composite of tho thrss themes st specific sgs
lsvols.

When s satisfactory number of observations of
boys snd girls, mstchsd for sgs, rsprsssntstivs of each
sgs level, has been accumulated, appropriats tests of
statistical significance should be made. With this infor-
nation it would thsn be possible to sstsblish tho normative
standard of complexity of dramatic plsy of nursery school
children in terms of thsms, activities, time of snactmsnt,

role, and number of children involved.

APPENDIX A

Plan of Study and Rating Sheet as Submitted to Judges

96

97

39 Abbot Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

April 11, 1957

Mrs. Mary R. Haworth
Psychology Department
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Dear Mrs. Haworth:

I am planning my thesis outline for subsequent re-
search in the area of dramatic play of preschool children.
At present I have constructed hypotheses concerning five
measurable factors which I believe indicate the complexity
of dramatic play. If these factors are measurements of
complexity they might be used as part of a technique for
establishing a normative standard of dramatic play of
nursery school children.

In order to test their validity as measures of
complexity I am submitting my initial outline to five
Judges who I feel are qualified because of their interest
and experience with young children. I would appreciate
your judgments of the validity of each factor. The fol-
lowing is an outline of the purpose, hypotheses, and pro-
cedure of the research, and the rating sheet which I hOpe
you will return by April 18.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely yours

Lu Anne Thompson

Puryose:

General
Objective:

Definition:

N r
If”, ..3

TVESIS ‘iTi“‘

A Technique ior stsl Jlishinj a Kormative
Standard of Dram tic Ile;r of Horsery School
Children”
It is felt that there is a lack of study of the
dramatic play of freschool age children. Tiers
is no estsclished normative standcrd oi dra-
matic plat for use in appraisin: children's be—
havior. Tte inportance of this lack is made
clear by Lrikson's statement that, "If we can
establish the lan uage c play with its various

oiltural and age Cialects we nay be ab to

approach the protlem of why it is that :ertain
childien live one anaged thrcgih what seem to be
neurotic opiocces and lies earl3, neurotic chil-
dren have indicated the t t e3 have reached a
deadlock." 3.or“ative fraaeworxs help to
establish this "is: sage of play." Extensive
nor 13 have teen 011axiized for the cont ructive
f play such as block building, and
n5, but not for t i8 iaa inati ve or
3 activities.

To develop a technique f cs 1
normative stand'rd o dramatic pl’
school children.

Lra:nstic {l ay is defined as all instances in
which the chi thro1zgh language or overt
behavior dramw izes or rc-enacts personal ex-
periences in a1 life situations or fantasy
nterpre atior ns of real life Mtu tions.

L1 {‘1 :49
(0 Cf’ Cb r

t implies dramatization, construction or
representation in dramatic form, which may
in'lude playing- -at- -a- -role or ide1;tif cation
with other persons, and personification of
objects and materials.

This exclu des the follow ing isolate d instances
of imaginative behavior: 1. Constr~Mc ion
activities involving merely the use of raw

materia ; 2. Conventional "ames of social
imitation or lea rn' ng; 3. J1ice- elieve use of

objects which consist of onl3* renaming or re-
identif3ing 003 e cts; 4. Spoken fantasies,
teasing, and nonsense words.

*Iater on anred to: A Techniqje for Assessi;1~ Complexity of
DImetiC Play of jurser 3 School Children.

\HJ

Hypotheses:

99

It is hypothesized that the five specific
factors to be observed and recorded are
indicative of the complexity of dramatic
play and therefore can be assumed to show
increase in complexity as related to
chronological age levels.

1. Variety of themes: Although the type or
kind of theme—would vary with individual back-
grounds, it is felt that the variety of themes
would be an indication of complexity of dra-
matic play. The total number of various themes
at a given develOpmental level would increase
with chronological age. The time required for
the enactment of an individual theme would
increase with chronological age also.

 

2. Vsriet of roles or identifications and
personifications: In like manner, the Find of

 

rele would vary with.the individual but the
number of various roles and personifications
would increase with chronological age.

 

3. Variet of activities: The number of
activities within a theme would increase with
chronological age. ‘

4. Uses 2: langgage: M. S. Fisher in her
study, "language Patterns of Preschool Chil-
dren," found many criteria which show deve10p-
mental patterns in the child's gaining of
linguistic control. The following criteria
have been selected because of their relation
to the child's dramatic play and the ease with
which they may be observed and recorded.

8. Remarks made about other peOple increase
with age up to the fifth year and then
remain constant.

Remarks about objects decrease as age
advances up to the fourth year and then
remain constant.

b. Commands increase rapidly with age, arriv-
ing at a peak at the end of the fourth
year c

c. The use of the first personal pronoun in
the plural (we, our, us) increases with
age. .

5. NUmber of children involved: The number
of children-involved in the enactment of a

 

 

,y. . :.v||l\"|..

 

 

Procedure:

lOO

theme will increase with chronological age.

Subgects: Observations will be made of ten
chi dren, two representing each of five, six
month levels, from three years to five years
and six months.

Observations: There will be four, fifteen-
minute observations of dramatic play, two to
include language and two to include activities,
within a one week period for each of the ten
children.

 

101

EXAMPLES OF OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS
Observation and analysis including language

Jane: 4 years, 2 months

Theme: telephone conversation

Time: 2 minutes

Number of children and roles: Joanne, member of a family
Alice, member of a family
Jane, member of a family

Uses of language: ‘
a. Remarks about other peOple 235' Tmcmsvhnc
b. Commands \
c. Use of we, our, us (3

I'll git the clock and see what time it is
Dials telephone

What time is it? o\, a):

One to forty LM Quits, lemma \..\..

Hey, I'm going down the basement

H6110 C;\\Ao.~4‘ \Q‘O“\¢- \ 1mc0\MV\¢*t

Yes 6\\x&~r Y¢°Y\Q\ Iv:-

GOOdbye a\\tr ‘Q(°V\°\ Int.

I said what time is it?

I said what time is it?

It's one to forty 9¥5uk

H6110 S\\\¢( VC°Y\‘ xhc.

What do you want now? ciku ‘roY\€

I'll shbot you

Yes (A o: to \v.‘ 1mg.

I said... V \(

That wasn't the right time it was °Vs“
Six o 'clock you silly man \fifi Skgod 3h:-
Now listen man k “A AM, we we“- , C ”muck
If you say it the wrong time I'll kill you
Hangs up receiver

Observation and analysis including activities

Joanne: 4 years, 6 months

Theme: moving to California

Time: 2 minutes

Number of children and roles: Joanne, mother
Nancy, big sister
Alice, big sister
Jane, sister

Variety of activities:

"I'm goin' to California" .Slip§_1n§9_dr§§§.
Eats on shirt Steps into high_h§els_

 

102

 

 

_ngses_hgx fushes bed "going to California"

.Sits_nnlit ints_purse over shoulder

_Standup Mass: 1:12.- dress

Wt. .ThrowmunthLthhirtmer
screen

Rushes b§g_over to "California"

RATING SHEET

Please judge the validity of each factor according to the
following rating scale--4-5 being a judgment of excellent
validity, 5-4 good validity, 2-5 average validity, 1-2
fair validity, O-l poor validity. You may check any posi-
tion on the continuum. Example: 5 4 x 3 2 l 0 would
be a rating of 5.5, good.

 

If you feel that one or more of the factors is/are poor
measurement(s) I would appreciate a brief explanation and
suggestions for possible changes which might improve its
validity. Any additional comments Which you feel might be
beneficial would be welcome. I hepe you will find it pos-
sible to return the rating sheet to me by April 17.

Variety of themes .......... 5 4 5 2 1 0
Variety of roles or

identifications and......... 5 4 3 2 l O
personifications

 

Variety of activities....... 5 4 3 2 l 0
Uses of language............ 5 4 5 2 l 0

Number of children .
1nv01ve600000.00.90.00.00... 5 4 3 2 1 0

Comments: (you may use other side if you wish)

Lu Anne Thompson

39 Abbot Hall

Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

 

 

 

APPENDIX B

Manu al of Direct 1 ons

103

104

OfiERVAT I ON MAINAL

I. Definitions of terms

A.

Dramatic play.-4Dramatic play is defined as all

 

instances in which the child, through overt be-
havior, dramatized or enacted personal experiences
from real life situations, or fantasy interpreta-
tions of real life situations.

It implies dramatization, construc-
tion or representation in dramatic form, which
might include playing-at-a-role or identification
with other persons, and personification of objects
and materials.

This excludes the following in-
stances of imaginative behavior: (1) construction
activities involving merely the use of raw mater-
ials, e.g., making a duck out of clay or a train
out of tinkertoys without then using them in play,
(2) conventional games of social imitation or
learning, e.g., playing Farmer in the Dell, (3)
make-believe use of objects which consists of only
renaming or re-identifying objects, e.g., calling
a block a baby, (4) spoken fantasies, teasing, and
nonsense words, without action, e.g., saying, "I
dreamed I was a fireman and..." The above expres-

sions of imagination—-simple constructions,

0

B.

C.

105

conventional, imitative games, and "pretend" ver-
balizationso-are excluded because of their simpli-
city and lack of develOpment into a dramatic
activity in which the child himself becomes in-
volved.-

‘Ehggg.--The theme is defined as the core around
which the play is organized. Examples: housekeep-
ing, doctor play, fireman play.

Plavingegt-gfrole 23 identification.--P1aying-at-a-

 

 

role and identification are used synonymously.
Playing-at-a-role is defined as the enactment of a
role as a form of pretense. This identification is
usually with a person who is not present. Example:
conversation in houseplay. "I'm mother; you be the
big sister."

Personification.--Personification is the attribu-

 

tion of personal nature or characteristics to
inanimate objects or abstract notions. Therefore,
personification generally needs an object which is
being personified. Example: A boy, seeing toy
soldiers floating in a tub of water, cries, ”They
say, 'Help'!" He is personifying the inanimate
soldiers.

Children involved.--All children in the immediate

 

social situation in which the enactment of the
theme is in progress, who do not refuse to parti-

cipate, and are not excluded from the participation

'~

B.

C.

105

conventional, imitative games, and "pretend" ver-
balizations—-are excluded because of their simpli-
city and lack of deve10pment into a dramatic
activity in which the child himself becomes in-
volved.-

Thggg.--The theme is defined as the core around
which the play is organized. Examples: housekeep-
ing, doctor play, fireman play.

P1811DE'2Ef2f3212 23 identification.--Playing-at-a-

 

role and identification are used synonymously.
Playing-at-a-role is defined as the enactment of a
role as a form of pretense. This identification is
usually with a person who is not present. Example:
conversation in houseplay. "I'm mother; you be the
big sister."

Personification.--Personification is the attribu-

 

tion of personal nature or characteristics to
inanimate objects or abstract notions. Therefore,
personification generally needs an object which is
being personified. Example: A boy, seeing toy
soldiers floating in a tub of water, cries, "They
say, 'Help'!" He is personifying the inanimate
soldiers.

Children involved.-'A11 children in the immediate

 

social situation in which the enactment of the
theme is in progress, who do not refuse to parti-

cipate, and are not excluded from the participation

II.

III.

106

by the subject being observed, are considered in-

volved in the dramatic play. A child's overt be-

havior may or may not indicate his involvement.

Biographical data of subject

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Name of child

Sex of child

Birth date of child

Siblings and ordinal position

Intelligence (if it is possible to have child
tested)

Socio-economic status of family as determined by
Cattel's Metric Scale of Social Status, 1946.
Pertinent information which might affect child's
dramatic play

1. Physical capacities

2. Length of time in NUrsery School group

Recording of information during observation

A.

B.

Necessary environment for observation

1. Free play situation

2. A minimum of 5-6 children as potential
participants

3. Minimal adult interference

General preliminary information

1. Name and age of child under direct observation

2. Date

5. Significant supplementary items--to be related

by teacher

C.

l.

107

a. Change in regular routine, schedule

b. Emotional upsets

c. Play in progress

Brief notation of area of play and names of
playmates in area

Time when child being observed becomes involved
in dramatic play

At times play may be in progress at beginning

of observation

Recording dramatic play in diary form

Factors of complexity
a. Theme.--Record each individual theme with-
in the fifteen minute period
b. Activities within a theme
(1) Record each activity which contributes
to the theme during the fifteen minute
observation
(2) Repetition of an activity or continua-
tion of the same activity using dif-
ferent materials is recorded as one
activity. Example: A girl pours water
from pitcher to cups, from cups to
dish. She then wipes off the table and
returns to pouring. There are two
activities, pouring and wiping the

table 0

Vr'v HI.

 

 

(3)

(4)

108

The meaning of children's dramatic

play is not usually something which
they willingly share with adults.

Many of their seemingly meaningless
activities may contribute significantly
to their deveIOpment of the theme of
play, although the adult observer does
not recognize the contribution. To
avoid arbitrary analysis, only those
activities which were easily recognized
by the observer as contributing to the
theme were recorded. The child's con-
versation often clarified his actions.
Example: A child's spooning of water
from a bowl and a pitcher into his cup
might look like repetition of one
activity until he accompanied his
actions by, "A little sugar and now
some cream for my coffee." Then his
activities could rightfully be counted
as two activities.

It cannot be denied that language plays
an important role in children's dra-
matic play. Although the scope of this
research has not included content of
language as one of the factors of com-

plexity, it is believed that certain

C.

d.

109

functions of language could be in-
cluded as activities. Example: Greet-
ing, scolding the baby, talking on the
telephone, and making noises for guns
and machinery.

Time required for the enactment of a theme

(1) Record the time of the beginning and
end of each individual theme.

(2) Record time at five minute intervals
within the fifteen minute period.

(5) Cease observation at the end of
fifteen minute period or before if
child changes to another type of play
activity. Example: Observation is
ceased when child, who has been playing
fireman on the ladder, suddenly runs
to the art area to paint at the easel.
If he returns to dramatic play, con-
tinue observation until total of
fifteen minutes of dramatic play has
been recorded.

(4) Note cause for cessation of observation,
if fifteen minute period has not been
completed.

Playing-at-a-role or identification and

personification.--Record the role of the

child under direct observation. If the

 

 

IV.

110

specific role is not designated by the
children in play it will be necessary to
assign him a more general role, such as
family member, instead of father or baby.
Children involved.--Record names of chil-
dren participating in dramatic play with

child under direct observation.

Additional explanatory information

a.

Language which explains the purpose of the
activity in progress, or the role being
played, should be noted.

Notation such as "continues pouring and
serving tea" should be made When necessary
to explain unusual lapses of time.
Miscellaneous information which is perti-
nent to observation and analysis should be

recorded.

Analysis of diary record

A. Theme

1.

Identify themes by role, e.g., Zorro, Mother,

which subject in playing; or by the specific

environmental setting or construction, e.g.,

hollow block zoo, rocking boat, doll house,

around which activity centered.

Name themes according to classification

8.

Housekeeping, e.g., caring for baby,

cooking

 

It'll

111

b. Occupational play, e.g., building a house,
delivering milk, driving a bus

c. Vicarious experiences, e.g., chasing ghosts,
flying like SUperman

Write name in left hand margin of diary record,

Opposite onset of its occurrence.

B. Activities within a theme

1.

Underline verb and object, if there is one, to
designate activity. Sitting, standing, running,
etc., shall generally be considered as an
integral part of the activity it accompanies
and shall not be underlined, except in such
cases as it is clearly a separate activity.
Example: If a child runs across the room, pulls
out a chair and sits down to drink tea, during
houseplay, only drinking tea is underlined. If
a child is a lion and crawls slowly about from
child to child, roaring, both crawling and roar-
ing are underlined.
Group activities into sub-themes when possible
a. Housekeeping sub-themes
(l) Laundry-~sort, wash, iron, fold, and
put away clothes
(2) Washing dishes--stacking, preparing
dishwater, washing, wiping, putting
dishes away

(5) Cooking--getting out equipment, mixing,

112

stirring, baking, cooking, storing or
serving food
(4) Cleaning (care of house)--getting out
equipment, sweeping, washing, mOpping,
moving furniture, straightening or
putting away, repairing
(5) Child care-~dressing, putting to bed,
feeding baby
(6) Social interaction--going for walk,
shOpping, telephoning
(7) Care of persono-dressing up, washing
hands, sleeping, eating
b. Occupational activities not categorized
c. Vicarious experience activities not cate-
gorized
3. Bracket activities of same sub-theme and label
in left hand margin. When there is doubt as to
classification of a single activity, it is
counted as an activity of the sub-theme in
which the majority of activities occurs.
Example: A single activity of washing hands
might be included as "personal" if it is part
of getting ready to go for a walk, or as "dish-
washing" if it occurs while the subject is
washing and drying dishes.
C. Time required for enactment of a theme.--Write

number of minutes per theme and total number of

V.

113

minutes of observation in left hand margin.
D. Roles or identifications, and personifications
1. Name roles according to classification.
a. Family members, e.g., mother, sister,
father, baby
b. Occupational workers, e.g., milkman,
fireman, cowboy
c. Fictitious personalities, e.g., Zorro,
ghosts
d. Animals or live creatures, e.g., lion,
elephant, snake
e. Vehicles of transportation, e.g., boats,
snowplows , trains
2. Write name of classification in left hand
margin Opposite initial enactment of this role.
5. If specific role has been named by child,
include it in parentheses.
E. Children involved.--Write number of children
involved in left hand margin.
Example of diary record and analysis
Observation
SANDY
December 9, Monday, 13 minutes, ll activities
Sandy is playing with Missy. They are playing with
housekeeping equipment in front of the piano. Play

is in progress.

114

9:55 Dances around room carrying 2 hats and bandaid

box
flwwnAr\ Sleeps on steps of rocking coat-~much giggling
with Missy
("Let's go to sleep")
(FLet's go to the house")
Runs to doll corner
W on chair
{Picks doll up and ans off to piano carrying it
Spanks doll

 

Hands doll to Missy to be spanked
("You spank her.")

 

("She has to go to bed")

Starts to put doll on chair but walks about with
CM'\\A

Qav‘_5 doll, instead

Puts doll on piano bench and giggles with Missy
as Missy telephones the doctor

("Tell him the baby is sicki")

("Did you ask him?" as Missy hangs up)

Picks doll up and runs to doll corner, taking

 

 

 

 

tdoll to doctor (Debbie)
Hands doll to Debbie

("Ybu be the doctor okay? Baby is sick.")
Runs back to steps

(Short interruption of play to talk to Stuart
but Missy tells Stuart to go away-~"This is a

meeting.")

115

9:58 Picks up hat and_pujs_it_on_haad_

’Yksscwa\-\
Dialstlepimns

Sea;a\-3 __Pic
HAngs_np_as Missy says her arm is sick

YUKONA-\Sandy_lies down on step, sick
(Missy calls doctor)
Runs to doll corner with Missy and then back to
steps
Lies down
.(Talks with Stuart and argues, wants him to
leave)
(Interruption as she plays "peek" behind cup-
board, with Jackie)
(Missy says, "We both have a cold")

9:45 (Takes phone from Jackie and says, "Missy, you

be the doctor")
Telephones doctor from behind end of piano
("You be the doctor and I'll be laying down")
(Ricky joins carrying the stethosc0pe and

examines Sandy)

9:46 Play ended by announcement of clean-up time.

 

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\\ Act . A
\‘S M'\“ ‘ [W1Q\\\Q\P \ \QQ\ \Qm\)
vmm - a ma. mam e

 

axohico‘t_s

SockcA — s (I‘“\‘1.““W«D*V\M3

APPENDIX C

Floor Plan of Nursery School Room

116

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APPENDIX D
Schedules of Activities

117

118

CAMPUS SCHOOL
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS
BUFFALO

Three Year Old Nursery School, First Semester 1957

8:45-9:00
9:00-9:55

9:55-9:50

9:50-10:00

10:00-10:15
10:15-10:50

10:50-10:55
10:55-11:00
11:00-11:10

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
(beginning September 19)

Arrival, inspection
Free play (in various areas)
Blocks, Doll House, Sand, Art, Music, Books
Clean up and preparation for group activity
Clean up play areas
Toileting and wash hands
Gather in group as ready
Group activity
Music activity (Singing, rhythms, records,
etCe)
and/or
Special activity (Puppet play, science
activity, group game)
JUice and cookies

Quiet period (While children rest on rugs)

Rest
Story

Dress for outdoors
Outdoor play (Weather permitting)

Departure (Leave from playground)

This may be considered a framework for activity and

therefore is subject to change within the program.

Parents are invited to observe from the observation

room at any time.

Please observe arrival and departure times.

APPENDIX E

Chart of Intervals of Observation

.120

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sally Jim Sandy Mary
Months 11/10/54 10/22/54 5/22/54 9/12/55
55 12/2 - a min
(§_er.) 1215 -10 min -
57 1/5 - s mifi 12/5 - 97min
__g A 1g[5 - 5 min
__55 1429 - 7 min L510- 5 min
59 2/25 - 7 min 1751- 5 min
g/7 -12 min pg
40’ 5/4 - 5 min
5/7 -11 min
41 J, J 1279 -15 min
42 5/25- 5 min '1/25- 7 min
(gfiyrs.) 5125-11 min _ a
43 5/25-10 min 1750-12 min
2/5 - 5 min
44 '9/25-10 min
2/26- 5 min
45 pg
45 g 1? 5/5 -15 min
47 10(20-15 min -
48 11/24- 9 min 10/50- 7 min
11/5 - 6 min
, 11/20-15 min
49 12/17-15 min 7- m n
115 -15 min p ,gg
50 1719-15 min 1/19-15 min 12/5 -15 min
12/9 -15 min
51 I0721-10 mIn 71/10- 5 min
52
55 5/57-15 min
54
55
55
57
58
59
so
51
52
“’55“-

 

 

64

 

 

 

 

Bruce Jon Paul
Months 5/25/55 5/14/55 12/15/52

 

 

 

56
(5 Yrs.)
57
58
59
40
41
42
45
44
45
46
47
48
(4 Yrs.)
49
50 ‘
51 12/4 -10 MIR
52 WBZBI- 6 min
55 2A27-15 min
54 5[5 - 5 min 1279 -I5 min
55 gg
56 5/21- 5 min
57
58 L
59 5/7 -15 mifi
60
(5 yrs.) 1110 - 10min
61
62 2226 - 5 min
65
64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4f19-15 min
4/25- 2 min
4/29- 5 min

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Alschuler, R. E., and Hattwick, L. W. Painting and Per-
sonality, A Stud of Young Children. VoI. I and
II: University Cfiicago. 1947.

 

 

 

Biber, Barbara, et a1. Child Life lg School, A Study'gf
a Seven Year-old Grogp. New York: E. P. Dutton
andFCompany, Inc., 1942.

 

 

Griffiths, Ruth. A Study of Imagination in Early Child-
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EEdO, 1955.

Handbook of Research Methods in Child Deve10pment. Edited
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' Inc., 1960.

 

 

 

 

 

Hartley, Ruth E., Frank, Lawrence K., and Goldenson, Robert
M. Understanding Children's Pla . New Ybrk:
Columbia University Press, 195 .

 

Hartley, Ruth.E., and Goldenson, Robert M. The Complete
Book of Children's Pla . New Ybrk: Thomas Y.
CroweII Company,—I9

 

 

Jahoda, Marie, Deutsch, Morton, and Cook, Stuart W.
Research Methods 13 Social Relations, Part One:
Basic Processes. New York: The Dryden Press, 1951.

 

 

 

 

Jersild, Arthur T. Child Psycholo . 5rd.: New York:
Prentice-HalI, Inc., 1947

Johnson, Harriety M. Children in the Nursery School. New
Ybrk: The John Day Company, 1928.

 

 

Kirkpatrick, E. A. Imagination and Its Place in Education.
New Ybrk: Ginn Publishing Co., 1§20.

 

 

Landreth, Catherine. The Psychology of Early Childhood.
New York: Alfred A. KnOpf, 1958.

 

Loomis, Alice Marie. A Technique for Observing the Social
Behavior of NUrsery School ChiIdren. New York:
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121

 

 

122

Rand, Winifred, Sweeny, Mary E., and Vincent, E. Lee.
Growth and Development 33 the Young Child. 5th
ed.: Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1955.

 

 

 

 

Twentieth Century Ps cholo . Edited by P. L. Harriman.
New Ybrk: PthOSOph¥cal Library, 1946.

Articles and Periodicals

 

Bailey, Marjory W. "A Scale of Block Constructions for
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