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A STUDY OF SOCIAL GROUPINGS
OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF M. A.

Margaret Cawood
1930

 

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L.)

A 31*th OF SOCIAL GROUPINGS or
PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

by

MARGARET CAWOOD

A Thesis submitted to the Committee on
Advanced Degrees in Partial Fulfillment
for the Degree of Master of Arts.

Department of Sociology

Approved

 

 

Chairman of the committee
on Advanced Degrees

Michigan State College

1930

IHBSIs

ACKNOW'EDGMENT

This study could not have been made without
the cooperation of the Home Economics Department
of the Michigan State College which directs the
Preschool in that institution. Miss Catherine
tiller, the teacher in charge of the preschool,
gave Splendid cooperation at all times.

Above all I am indebted to Dr. Eben Mumford,
Dr. C. R. Hoffer, Professor J. F. Thaden, and Mr.
P. T. Yuan of the Sociology Department of Michigan

State College for their help and encouragement.

Margaret Cawood

94628

Table of Contents

Chapter Page
I. INTRODUCTION 4
A. Purpose and method. 9
II. TIRE IE GROUPS 1?
A. The amount of time each child was
observed.

B. The percentage of time in free play
and the frequency of group formations. 19
C. The percentage of time in groups. 22

III. SIZE OF GROUPS 27
A. The average size of the group
formations.
B. The frequency of the different sizes

of groups. 32
C. Size of the group in relation to the
number of minutes in the group. 36
IV. MIN’TES IN ROVPS 38
A. Average number of minutes in each group.
V. COHPOSITIOE OF THE GROUPS 42
A. Composition by sexes.
B. Group combinations. 45
C. Composition by ages. 51
VI. ACTIVITIES AND PLAY MATERIALS FOUND IN
THE GROUPS 55
A. Number of times play materials were
used.
B. Percentage of time that certain play
materials were used. 59

C. Number of times certain activities

were a part of the social situations. 62
D. Play materials and activities in re-

lation to the socialization of the

child. ' 66
VII. SUMMARY ST-TBLERTS 68
BIBLIOGRAPH 70

APPEIDIX 76

Chapter I
INTRODUCTION

The physical deveIOpment of the child has been studied
in all its various phases so that one may know what a normal
physical deveIOpment is. After years of examination, it is
possible to determine what children of a certain age and
height should weigh. This information is particularly val-
uable in relation to child welfare and health education. A
little later in point of time but with the same earnestness
and skillfulness the psychOIOgists have sought to understand
the mental and emotional development of the young child.

They are discovering its normal mental and emotional reactions.
Such information is also exceedingly valuable and useful
though possibly not as objective as the physical standards.

The social develogment of the child is closely related
to its physical and mental deveIOpment. Until recently this
field of child life has been unexplored and facts pertaining
to it will remain unanswered until more studies have been made.
A knowledge of the social develOpment of the child can be
gained by studying its behavior under ordinary circumstances.
In the past, our information about normal social development
has been obtained by studying the abnormal. For example,
firs. H. W. Hallory, Psychiatrist State Hospital, University
of Hichigan, who has had several years eXperience with unad-
justed and handicapped children, has collected some valuable

information concerning the social deveIOpment of such children.

Her studies and others of similar nature are showing the
importance of knowing more about the needs of the child so he
may not become unadjusted. The present tendency is toward a
scientific study of the usual or normal modes of response.
The statement has often been made that the early years
are the habit-forming years and that development occurs more
rapidly in the preschool age(l)than at any other time.
William James says that plasticity varies inversely with age.
“There is the common tendency for development to slow down as
age proceeds. This tendency has been summarized by Minot for
physical growth in the following words: 'The time required to
accomplish a change of a given extent increases with the age
of the organism. The older we are the longer it takes us to
grow a definite proportionate amount.’ Sanford affirms that
the sane law is true also of mental growth. Gesell remarks
that there is an analogous concentration of mental growth in
infancy. The older the child getsi the longer it takes to
develop a proportionate amount."(2 The above quotations
seem to substantiate the statement that physical and mental

growth progresses most rapidly at the preschool age. It

seems logical to assume that social development follows this

 

(l) The term "preschool age" refers to the years of life
before attendance at kindergarten or first grade.

(2) Hollingworth, H. L. - Mental Growth and Decline,
pages 380 and 381.

-6-

general tendency also. most of the studies concerning the
rate of social development have been cross-sectional and
certain stages of it have gained considerable attention,
notably the "gang age" and the adolescent period. The whole
span of social development has not been analyzed in a genetic
way and further generalizations are not warranted until more
studies have been made. If, as present evidence indicates,
foundations for socialization are laid early in life, then
the importance of the preschool period in relation to social
development is obvious. Social contacts, particularly the
contacts with equals, are a necessary part of normal social
development. It is through group life that an individualmwwwwfl
learns to enjoy others and to share the fruits of companion-
ship. "When a child reaches the age of two years, it is no
longer enough for him to make a fine high pile of blocks;

his satisfaction is incomplete until he has called his hand-
work to someone's attention and tasted the sweets of feeling
his enthusiasm shared and his achievement commended by a
sympathetic audience.”(3)

Few people have studied the child in group life, whether
under controlled conditions or during his leisure time activ-
ities. There is a paucity of data concerning the child's
social development in relation to an effective adjustment to
other personalities. Such adjustments are made very early in

life. It may be too late even to wait until the child enrolls

 

(3) Fenton, Jessie C. - The Practical Psychology of
Babyhood, page 314.

in the kindergarten to discover his shortcomings in this
respect. Social habits formed.before school age are probably
the most influential factors in later develOpment. A child
may have to Spend the rest of his life breaking down habit
which originated in preschool days.(4)

One of the greatest opportunities for studying the child
has developed within the last few years, - namely the pre-
schools. Wherever they are established on a scientific basis,
research programs have been started and new techniques for
studying the behavior of children are being deveIOped constantly.
Only a few of the representative research centers can be men-
tioned here. Earlier studies, as has been indicated, placed
the emphasis on the physical and mental development of the
child. The Child Welfare Station at the University of Iowa
is distinguished for research along this line. The individual
growth curves and the records of Baldwin and Stecher have a
permanent value.(5) Later studies at this station contain a
larger element of the social aspects, notably, Marston's study
on "The Emotions of Ybung Children" and Ethel Verry's investi-
gations of free play activities in terms of social behavior.
Another important tendency in the analysis of social behavior
has centered around the study of language. This approach had

its impetus from the series of researches carried on at the

Jean Jacques Rousseau Institute in Geneva, culminating in

 

(4 ) Sayles, Mary B. - The Problem Child in School, passim.
(5) Thomas, W. I. - The Child in America, page 496.

Piaget's work. Comprehensive researches of language are now
in progress at the following centers: Merrill-Palmer School
in Detroit, the Bureau of Educational EXperiments of New
Ybrk City, and the Institute in.Minneapolis.(b) Other experi-
ments have been carried on for some time at the Institute of
Child Welfare at MinneapoliS'under Anderson and Goodenough.
They have two main projects under way, a controlled and an
observational study. The controlled study is being made by
Marjorie Walker. The observational study (by Mildred Parten)
is on “The Role of Socialization and the Formation of Social
Groups Among Pre-School Children“ and has extended over two
years. The observation was made during the free play hour.
The procedure consisted in observing each child for one
minute each day during this period, rotating the time.(7)

One conclusion of this study is embodied in the following
statement, "The most significant fact which comes out of
these observations is the fact that if we take a particular
child and record his relationship to the group, we find that
in 95% of the situations with which he is presented in the
play situations, he is the dominating or leading individual,
whereas another child under the same conditions is found to
be in.the dominating or leading position only 5% of the timefg)
These one minute observations are being tested in the same

school by observing each child during a long period and com-

paring the information of the two studies. New techniques

 

(6) Ibid. - report on pages 534 - 557.

(7) Ibid. - pages 519 - 521.

(8) Anderson, J. E. - The Genesis of Social Reactions in the
Ybung Child, in the Unconscious; a Symposium, page 81.

for studying social behavior are being deve10ped at Columbia
University. The nursery schools connected with the Child
Deve10pment Institute at Teachers Cellege provides a very
desirable laboratory. Miss Ruth M5 Hubbard has develOped a
method.of studying spontaneous group formations and a few
preliminary results have been presented.(9) In Russia, a study
of spontaneous groupings of children of preschool age was made

(10)
in 1937 o

The observational part of the present study was made at
the same time as those mentioned above, but entirely inde-
pendent of them. References to the other studies will be made
wherever the data can be compared with information derived in
this investigation.

1. Purpose and.Method.

The purpose of this study is twofold; namely, (1) to
analyze certain factors in the social groupings of preschool
children, and (2) to interpret the material thus secured in
relation to the school and the home.

Observations of social groupings among preschool children

were made in the nursery school of the Michigan State College

during the school year from October 1927 to June 1928 which

 

(9) Thomas, Dorothy S. - Child DevelOpment Monographs No. 1.
Some New Techniques for Studying Social Behavior, Chapter IV
(10) Janovskaja, Eugenie C. - Les Groupements Spontanes
d‘enfants a 1'age pres'colaire. Archeves de Psychologie
20, February 1927, pages 219 - 233.

- 10 -

included three terms or thirty-three weeks. The writer was
assisted in the observations by two Senior girls who had taken
at least one course in Sociology and a course in Child Study.
In the latter course, they were required to observe the pre-
school children and to make a personality study of one child.
In connection with this thesis each girl spent at least two
hours a week observing and in return received six college
credits. All of the children in.the nursery school at the
beginning of the study were observed the first term. Of these
fourteen children, twelve remained in the school for the second
term, and ten for the third term. Three new children were
added the second.term so that a total of fifteen children were
observed. In the third term only those who had been observed
either the first or the second term were considered, making a
total of thirteen. In other words, ten children were observed
for the full time, five for two temps and two for one term.
Nine out of the seventeen children were boys.ranging in age
from two years ten months to four years nine months. The
girl's ages ranged from one year ten months to four years
three months. The median age of the period while the child
was under observation was used in all cases where age was con-
sidered. Visits to the children's homes were made in the
majority of cases and contacts were made with the other parents.

A Few specific facts about each child follow:

-11-

 

flame of :Xedian: :Ages of brothers and:Fathers'
Child : Age : Sex :sisters in Oct. 1927:0ccupations
:‘ltr.-II10.:
Jack :4 - 9 : boy : Eone :Sec. of M.S.C.
: Al‘klfflni
Junior :4 - 7 : boy : Bro. - 2; sis. - 1 :Doctor
Sylvia :4 - 3 : girl: Sis. - 6; sis. - 8 :Hother-teacher at
:I'sIoSoCo
Ruth :3 - 11: girl: Sis. - 9; bro. - 6;:Pr fessor at
2 818. "' 6 WGBKS : 231.8000
Richard :3 - 8 : boy : Hone :Real estate
Norman :3 - 8 : boy : None :Civil Engineer
Betsy :3 - 8 : girl: None :Bank Cashier
Patricia :3 - 5 : girl: Hone :Salesman
Bob :3 - 5 : boy : Bro. - 2 months :Professor at
. M.S.C.
Katherine:3 - 3 : girl: Sis. - 10; bro. - 7:Dean of M.S.C.
Rally :3 - 1 : girl: Hone :Auto Insurance
Philip :3 - O : boy : Sis. - 10 :Bldg. & Supplies
John :3 - 0 : boy : Bro. - lO; Bro. - 8:Professor
Jim By. :2 - 11: boy : Bro. - 4; sis. - 1 :Doctor
Jim Sh. :2 - 10: boy : Bro. - 23; sis.-2l;:Colonel at
: bI‘Oo " 15; 101‘0.-14 : I-IOSOCO
Valerie :2 - 0 : girl: None :Brick business
Kargaret :1 - 10: girl: Bro. - l5; sis.-12 :Lawyer (deceased)

The nursery school at the Michigan State College is
located on the second floor of the Home Economics building.
A kitchen, bathroom, and cloakroom adjoin the main room. The
children are usually brought to the school by the parents;
entering between 8:30 and 9:00 o'clock in the morning. The
first thing they do is to remove their wraps. Each one is

taught to be as independent as possible in this performance.

- 12 -

A separate locker is provided for each child which is marked
by a particular picture. One may look for a ship and another
for a bright red ball. The same markers are used on the wash
cloths tlat hang in the bathroom. Before entering the play
room each child visits the nurse who examines him for early
symptoms of contagious diseases or bad colds. After these
preliminary activities, the children spend about an hour and

a half in the playroom Where they are not directed. During
this time they have an Opportunity to play with those they
have learned to enjoy most. Much of this tine is Spent playing
with toys. The children find these toys behind bright colored
curtains where they are kept when not in use. The toys are
not kept on cpen shelves because they want to encourage a
correct sense of values. At the beginning of this period,
small glasses of water are placed on a low table and the child-
ren are encouraged to drink before playing. About ten o'clock
they are each obliged to get a rug, also marked with the same
picture as the washcloth and the locker. These rugs are
placed in a circle in front of the piano by the children.

Then follows a variety of'activities, such as singing, story
telling, dramatics, and conversation. While they are being
thus directed orange juice in which is placed one spoonful

of cod liver oil is being prepared. From the circle they

pass or skip to the tables. Three children sit at a table
with one adult. The adults are Home Economics students
enrolled in the Child Study Course. One child from each

table serves the others. After this, they all pass to the

bathroom and then get ready to go outdoors. By this time it

is nearly eleven o'clock so another period of about three-
quarters of an hour is available for free play before lunch.
The play ground Occupieo a small piece of land which is
enclosed on the sides adjoining the building. While the
children are outside under the care of adults, tables are
arranged for lunch and the cots set in place. then the meal
is completed, each finds the cot bearing his or her mark.

They are all required to sleep or lie quietly for an hour.

At the close of this period the children put on their shoes
and drink a glass of milk. Then it is tine for the parents

to take them home. The children usually depart between 3:30
and 4:00 o'clock. This is not a complete picture of one day
in the nursery but it gives some idea of the amount of time
that the children can spend in spontaneous groupings. Kore-
over it shows the number of different adult personalities with
whom the children make daily contacts. The child study class
with ten to fifteen members is required to spend certain
periods in observation and in the performance of assigned
work. Besides the students, specialists, workers and visitors
are present at various times. A larger number of observations
in this study were made while the children were indoors be-
cause that tine was the most convenient for those making the
records. If a child entered school after this play period,

he could not be observed that day and was considered absent

in that observational report even though he might have been

present for the rest of the day.

- 14 -

(11)
A blank was devised for the use of each observer.

The headings of the vertical columns in order were these, -
date, number of minutes observed, minutes child was in free
play, size of the group, minutes in the group, what they-do,
and names of the children in the group. One blank was used
for each child. Each observer was assigned from four to six
children. Absence of children changed the number observed
from day to day. In the column headed "number of minutes
observed" was recorded the tine the observer entered the

room and the time she left. In the column headed "minutes
child was in free play" was recorded the time he was observed
minus any time he was not able to be in free play. Hours for
observation were chosen which offered the largest amount of
time for free play. In the "size of group" column was given
the number in each group formation. Under "minutes in the
group" was placed the time interval, followed by the minutes
in the group. An ordinary wrist watch was used and groupings
under five minutes duration were not considered in this study.
In the column headed "what they do" was placed the chief
activities of the group members or the toys with which they
played. Under "names of children" was placed the names of the
children in the group with no regard as to what each was doing.
An attempt was made to discover which child was the leader in
each group but the task was considered too difficult in this
study due to the fact that more than one child was being ob-

served by each person.

 

(11) See appendix for schedule showing one day's observation
or two different children.

- 15 -

For the purpose of this study a "social grouping" was
defined as a group of two or more children playing together and
showing interest in the same project. The following are ex-
amples of group activities:

1. Engaging in conversation
2. Looking at the same picture book
3. Playing with the same toy

4. Playing with different toys while working on
the same project

5. Taking turns on the slide
6. Swinging another child
A child who participated in the following activities was
not considered as a member of a group:
1. Watching a group

2. Assisting an adult or in a group sponsored by
an adult

3. Playing in the same sandpile with different
toys and showing no interaction

4. Sitting on the floor beside the group but not

showing any outward cooperation or conflict
with it

The term "preschool age" refers to the years of life before
attendance at kindergarten or first grade. This period varies
according to the school entrance age established by law in the
different sections of the country. It ranges from five years

to eight years. However, the preschools which have been
I established so far have adOpted arbitrary standards about the
age limits. These vary according to circumstances such as:
facilities for preper care of the children and the purpose of
the school. When the Michigan State College nursery school first

started, children under five years of age were admitted, but

-16..

at the present time, with a long waiting list, preference is
given to those between 18 months and four years. Special pre-
ference is given to the younger ones.

The words "free play" as used in this study mean the play

time in which the children are free to choose their own activ-

ities.

-17..

Chapter II
TIXE IN GROUPS

A. The Amount of time each child was observed.

The number of hours each child was observed depended
largely upon two factors, first his enrollment in the nursery
each term and second his presence in the school when the ob-
servations were being made. Table number one gives this in-
formation for each child by terms as well as the total for the
three terms. Ten children were enrolled in the school all of
the terms, five were enrolled two of the terms and two were
enrolled but one of the terus. The children were observed on
an average about the same number of hours each term ranging
from 24.2 hours to 25.8 hours. However, there is a considerable
difference when hours of individual observations are considered.
In the first term, the hours ranged from 17.5 to 56.5; in the
second term 9.0 to 44.0 and the third term 16.0 to 56.0. The
total number of hours observed ranged from 17.5 hours to 116.5
hours with 61.5 hours as the average number of hours for all
children. The child who was observed the largest number of
hours was only absent twice when records were collected. host
of the absences were due to sickness. Hally who was absent 31
times and Katherine who was absent 1? times had the mumps.

Bob who was absent 1? times had the chickenpox. The rest
suffered with colds or sore throats. A few of the children
came late, especially in the winter term, and thus diminished

the number of records which could be procured from them.

-18..

Table Number I

The Number of Hours Each Child Vas Observed

an... a- «— ~--~-“--------‘ ---~--“ “u- ‘~~- - ~~~--‘-“~~n---‘--m~u~m---u-

 

: :Number of hours ob-:Tota1 :Ave. no. :No.times ab-
Names :Median: served by terms :No. ofzhours ob-zsent when
of the : Age :-------------------:hours :served :observations
children:yr.-mo; 1 : 2 : 5 ubsmved:each tarm:were made
Jack : 4 - 9: 51.5: 14.5: 26.0 : 72.0: 24.0 : 10
Junior : 4 - 7: 24.0: 51.0: 51.0 : 86.0: 28.5 : 21
Sylvia : 4 - 5: 56.5: 44.0: 56.0 : 116.5: 58.8 : 2
Ruth : 5 -11: 25.5: 17.0: ~--- : 40.5: 20.2 : 28
Richard : 5 - 8: 25.5: ----: ---- : 25.5: 25.5 : 7
Norman : 5 - 8: 28.5: 26.0: 16.0 : 70.5: 25.5 : 19
Betsy : 5 - 8: 18.5: ----: 51.0 : 49.5: 24.8 : 11
Patricia: 5 - 5: ----: 17.5: ~~-- : 17.5: 17.5 : 22
Bob : 5 - : 22.5: 55.5: 21.0 : 76.8: 25.6 : 17
Katherine 5 - 5: 24.0: 51.5: 27.0 : 82.5: 27.5 : 17
Rally : 5 - : 22.6: 15.0: 10.0 : 45.6: 15.8 : 51
Philip : 5 - : ----: 54.5: 24.0 : 58.5: 29.5 : 9
John : 5 - : ----: 59.5: 28.0 : 67.5: 55.8 : 7
Jim Sy. : 2 -11: 26.5: 15.0: 26.0 : 65.5: 21.8 : 14
Jim Sh. : 2 ~10: 21.0: 52.5: 28.0 : 81.5: 27.2 : 15
Valerie : 2 - 0: 18.5: 9.0: 16.0 : 45.5: 14.5 : 24
Margaret: 1 -10: 17.5: 30.5: ---- : 48.0: 24.0 : 16
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-19..

B. The percentage of time in "Free Play" and the number

of times in the group.

It was impossible to find any hour in the nursery school
program Which represented equal free play time for all children.
For instance, they were all required to drink a glass of water
when it was served. It was brought into the playroom about
nine o'clock and placed on a table. Until the children had
formed the habit, considerable time was often Spent in drinking
the required amount. The younger children usually took a
longer time than the others. If an adult took any part in the
group formation it was not considered.free play time and no
records were taken. The older children spent more time with
adults. The observational hours, as presented in Table number
one represent the full time that the children were watched
while Table number two shows what percentage of that time the
children were free to form spontaneous groupings. As was stated
before, 61.5 was the average number of hours which the children
were observed. During 79.2 percent of this time they were not
directed in any way. This represented an average of 48.7 hours

that records were taken for each child. Richard and Patricia

who were in the school one term Spent an average of 15.2 hours

in free play. Those who were in the school two terms averaged
58.5 hours. The percentage of the time observed spent in free
play ranged from 65.2 to 90.8.

Table number two also shows that the number of times each
child was in the group ranged from 14 to 285. The average

number of times all the children were in the group was 99.2

- 20 -
(12)

and the total, 1687. The study made in Russia included
888 groupings. When the total number of hours in group for-
nations was divided by the total number of times in the group
the results show that there were 2.0 groups formed on an aver-
age every hour. The figures ranged from .5 to 3.1 groups per
hour. There was a tendency for more groups to be formed per
hour by the older children. In measuring social participation
at the Institute for Child Welfare(13) the results showed that
on an average each of the eighteen children studied was in two
groups every fifteen minutes or eight groups every hour. The
present study included only groupings of five or more minutes
duration, so it might be assumed that the average of six

groups per hour more was made up of groups which lasted less

than five minutes.

 

(12) Janovskaja, E. C. - op. cit.
(13) Thomas, D. S. - Some New Techniques for Studying Social
Behavior. op. cit. page 81.

-21..

Table Number II

The Amount of Time In Free Play and the Humber
of Times in the Group

Names :Total no.of:¢of time ob-:No. of :Total :No. times in

 

of the :hours in :served Spentztimes in :hours in:group per hr.
childrenzfree play__:in free playzthe group:group :of free play
Jack : 57.1 : 79.5 : 149 : 56.7 : 2.7
Junior : 60.9 : 70.8 : 145 : 42.8 : 2.4
Sylvia : 90.5 : 77.7 : 285 : 57.8 : 5.1
Ruth : 51.5 : 77.5 : 88 : 15.6 : 2.8
Richard : 17.0 : 72.5 : 22 : 5.6 : 1.5
Horman : 51.5 : 72.8 : 95 : 19.0 : 1.8
Betsy : 51.5 : 65.2 : 79 : 16.9 : 2.5
Patricia: 15.5 : 77.1 : 14 : 2.5 : 1.0
Bob : 66.5 : 86.6 : 154 : 27.4 : 2.0
Katherine 71.2 : 86.5 : 185 : 42.1 : 2.6
Hally : 55.5 : 77.9 : 57 : 6.0 : 1.0
Philip : 55.1 : 90.8 : 79 : 15.8 : 1.5
John : 56.4 : 85.6 : .102 : 19.1 : 1.8
Jim Sy. : 46.5 : 71.0 : 71 : 14.0 : 1.5
Jim Sh. : 70.2 : 86.1 : 157 : 52.1 : 2.2
Valerie : 55.2 : 80.9 : 18 : 5.6 : .5
Margaret: 40.8 : 85.0 : 51 : 5.0 : .8
ESEQimZméééié'"? '''' $§i2"‘2"'i8§9"§ """"""""""""

C. The Percentage of Time in Groups
Before the child has reached the nursery school age, he has
develOped certain social reactions. "Sometime between eighteen
months and three years, true social behavior develops and chains
of response of both the linear and circular type described by
Allport put in their appearance. The transition from what might

be called the non-social stage to the social stage takes lace

6

very gradually, the rudimentary responses appearing within a
(15)

few months after birth." What a child's reaction shall be

at any given time(is largely a question of what he has learned
6

throug} practice. ) f the child has had little Opportunity

to play with another child he cannot be expected to desire his

company. He would.rather play pith an adult because that is

what he has practised. However, the nursery school presents

a situation where the stimulations are so tremendous the every

child becomes a part of a group of equals or nearly equals.

It is surprising how Quickly they become adjusted to the re-

quirements of group life. When groups are mentioned in this

paper, it is understood that they are the Smaller Spontaneous

groupings within the larger nursery school group. How much

time a child spends in these more intimate social Situations

is the theme of this section.

 

(l4) Refers to free play time.

(15) Anderson, John E. - The Genesis of Social Reactions
in the Young Child, in the Unconscious.

(16) Ibid., page 84.

-25..

Table number three gives the percentages of time spent
in the group by tenns. The first term the children Spent on
an average of 22.9% of their tide in a group. The figure had
increased to 44.5% the second term, and to 62.2% the third
term. The percentage of time for three terms which all the
children Spent in the group was 45.5. Those who spent all
three terms in the nursery were in groups on an average of
48 percent of their time. Similar results were found at the

(17)

Institute of Child Welfare Research where the children
observed Spent about 50 percent of their time in social
Situations. An increase in the time Spent in the group from
term to term was true for all children except Junior and
Katherine. The considerable decrease that Katherine showed
the third term might be explained by the fact that she had the
mumps which caused her to be below normal physically. Although
Junior made a slight decrease the third term, he had already
attained close to the maximum percentage of time Spent in the
group the second term. The greatest amount of time spent in
the group was reached.by Sylvia the third term. She was the
oldest girl in the nursery and has two sisters at home. One
is two years older and the other four years older. They were
her constant companions as well as neighbor children of her age.
Horeover, Sylvia was ‘nly absent two days during his year in
the nursery. Valerie spent the least amount of tine in the
group. She is an "only" child and never played with other

children until She came to the nursery. Her attendance was very

 

(17) Thomas, D. S. - on. cit. page 81.

J.

-24...

irregular and as a result her progress in socialization was
slow. By way of comparison Iargaret has the same age as Valerie
when they entered but the former Spent twice as much time in the
group the first term and three times as much the second term.
Margaret has a brother 15 years old.and.a sister twelve years
and attended a little more regularly. The amount of time that
Jim Sh. spent in the group the third term was a great increase
over what he had Spent the preceding terms. He has more
brothers and sisters than any other child in the school. However,
they are all considerably older than Jim so his problem in
socialization on entering was: getting acquainted with his
equals. Here again, the family pattern had an influence.
Seemingly every child acquires a slant toward life due to his
place in age among brothers and sisters or‘as an "only" child,
and carries it.with him to newzsocial situations.

One would expect the older children to spend more time in
groups than the younger children. This statement was found to
be true. A correlation between the ages of the children and
the percentage of tine spent in the group was + .77 i .07.

18

The Institute for Child Welfare Research reported that

the child with higher chronologic

$11

1 age and mental age seems
to spend a larger percentage of time in social situations.
These results cannot be taken as absolute measures of
the social behavior of all preschool children because the
number of children observed is too small. However, the in-

dividual averages in this study were based on many records

 

(18) Ibid., page 85.

Table Humber III

Percentage of Time in the Group

Na.tzes of the: Median: Percent of free p1ay:Total percent of

 

 

children : Age : tine in the group :tiie in the group
:yr.-mo.: 1 : 2 : 3 :
Jack : 4 - 9 : 41.4: 77.0: 79.5 : 64.2
Junior : 4 - 7 : 45.5: 80.2: 78.6 : 70.4
Sylvia : 4 - 3 : 33.1: 69.5: 82.6 : 63.8
Ruth : 3 - 11: 24.1: 80.4: ---- : 51.3
Richard : 3 - 8 : 21.2: ----: ---- : 21.4
Norman : 3 - 8 : 17.1: 50.2: 50.5 : 36.9
Betsy : 3 - 8 : 27.7: ----; 72.9 : 54.0
Patricia : 3 - 5 : ----: 17.0: ---- : 17.3
Bob : 3 - 5 : 18.1: 40.8 61.8 : 41.1
Katherine : 3 - 3 : 37.6: 5.2: 54.5 : 59.3
Kelly : 3 - 1 : 10.9: 17.6: 31.9 : 17.0
Philip : 3 - 0 : ----: 25.9: 35.9 : 29.8
John : 3 - 0 : ----. 22.2 55.2 : 41.1
Jim Sy. : 2 - 11: 12.1: 27.4 49.2 : 30.1
Jim Sh. : 2 - 10: 10.0. 37.5 81.4 : 45.8
Valerie : 2 - 0 : 2.9. 4. : 22.6 . 10.2
Margaret : 1 - 10: 4.2: 15.6 ---- : 12.2
;;;;;;E""Z2’3’2‘5“2"5‘2’72“;;TBE"83.1%”? """" 15:5 """""

over a long period of time. It seems logical to conclude
therefore that preschool children tend to spend more time in
group life as association with other children increases and
as they grow older. The fact that the children become better

acquainted may have an influence in this connection.

Chapter III

SIZE OF GROUPS
A. The Average Size of the Group Formations

The reactions of the child to other individuals present
one of the most important problems in his whole development.
The factors which may be involved in any situation are so
complex that little has been done toward the actual collecting
of data. In searching for factors that could be studied in
an objective manner, it was logical to assume that the size
of the group formations might tell something about the child’s
socialization. It is significant to know how many children a
child will choose to play with at one time. The average size
of the group formations recorded in this study was 2.8 I .03.
This information for each child and how it varies from term
to term appears in Table IV. The average for all children was
2.6 i .04, the first term, 2.8 i .04 the second and 5.0 t .05
the third. This increase is significant as is indicated by
the smallness of the stanlard error of these averages. When
the figures for each child were examined, there were four,
Hally, Philip, Jim Sh. and.margaret who did not show this
regular increase. However, this may be accounted for by the
fact that three of them had figures above the average the first
term they were observed. The lowest average size of a group
for any one term was 2.2 and the highest 3.5.

(19)
In the Institute for Child Welfare Research where

eighteen children between the ages of one year nine months

 

(19) Thomas, D. A. - op. cit. page 80.

to three years three months were observed the average size

of the group has found to be 3.04. In the Bethlehem nursery
where seventeen children between the ages of one year six
months to four years two months were observed the average

81: e of the group was 3.40. It is significant to note that
there were approximately the same number of children con-
sidered in the present study as in these two studies. The
difference in the average size of the group is probably due
to the fact that only groups of five or more minutes duration
were considered in the present study.

There is no evidence to show that age makes any
appreciable difference in the size of the group. The cor-
relation between age and this factor in the present study was
t .31 i .15. Although the ages of the children in the Beth-
lehem sold ool had a wider ra nge tqan those in the Institute

(20)
nursery the size of the group did not vary to any great extent.

The averag e size of the group was also correlated with
the number of times a child participated in a group. The
correlation thus secured was +.41 t .14 which is of doubtful
significance. When the same factors were considered at the
Institute and Bethlehem nurseries there was no evidence of

relationship shown. Tie Institute re correlation of

m

d
l

t‘J (D

or? )
-.40 t .14 and the Bethlehem -.25 3 .16.

The percentage of tin1e s aent in the group was also
correlated with the size of group. The result in this cal-

culation was 4.43 t .19. It is impossible to draw any con-

 

(20) Thomas, D. S. - oo. cit. pap :e 81

J.

(21) Thomas, D. S. - op. cit. pa ge 82- 83 o.

Table Number IV

The Average Size of the Group

---------------------—.-------------.----------‘--------------’------

 

 

Names of the: Median : Average Size of group by terms:Ave. size
children : Age : l : 2' : 3 :for all Terns
Jack : 4 - 9 : 2.7 : 2.8 : 2.9 : 2.8
Junior : 4 - 7 : 2.6 : 2.8 : 2.8 2.8
Sylvia : 4 - 3 : 2.7 : 3.0 2.9 : 2L9
Ruth : 3 - 11 : 2.4 : 2.9 : --- : 2.8
Richard : 3 - 8 2.5 : ---- : --- : 2.5
Norman : 3 - 8 : 2.7 : 2.9 : 3.5 : 3.0
Betsy : 3 - 8 : 2.3 ---- : 3.1 . 2.9
Patricia : 3 - 5 : --- : 2.8 : --- : 2.8
Bob : 3 - 5 : 2.7 : 2.9 : 3.3 : 3.0
Katherine : 3 - 3 : 2.6 : 3.0 : 3.0 : 2.9
Hally : 3 - 1 : 2.4 . 2.2 : 2.8 : 2.4
Philip : 3 - 0 : --- : 3.0 : 2.9 : 3.0
John : 3 - 0 : --- : 2.5 : 2.8 : 2.7
Jim Sy. : 2 - 11 : 2.6 : 2.7 : 2.9 : 2.8
Jim Sh. : 2 - 10 : 2.9 : 2.6 : 2.8 : 2.7
Valerie : 2 - 0 : 2.3 : 2.8 : 2.7 : 2.6
Margaret : 1 - 10 : 2.8 : 2.7 : --- : 2.7

: :2.6 t .04 : 2.8 *.04 : 3.0 2.05: 2.8 1.03

- 30 -

clusions from this figure. Koreover, with the same number

of cases, the Bethlehem nursery reported a correlation of

only ‘.49 1 .13. The Institute nursery with only one more
case, showed a relationship at variance with the above figures.
It reported a correlation of * .52 * .12.(“2) It appears

that further study is necessary in order to make any definite
statements in regard to this relationship.

The fact that the small child plays with one other child
more often than a larger number does not mean that a single
playmate will suffice. One of the great advantages of the
neighborhood play group and the nursery school is the contacts

which they afford with varying personalities. "The study of

normal as well as abnormal psychology shows that the earlier

a child makes its social contacts and feels itself an inte-

gral part of a community the easier does its adjustment come
(25)
to the requirements of adult life." However, it does not

seem necessary to provide a half dozen companions at one time

 

in order to meet the demands of the socialized preschool child.

If he chooses either two or three more often than any other

numbers, it would.seem that three ought to furnish a basis for
his social functioning. When the child is old enough.to under-
stand.end.develop a game he may demand more companions at one
time. After all, one must recognize that there are types of
experiences that are suitable to the level attained.

From the preceding data the following conclusions con-

cerning the children in the Michigan State College Nursery

 

2) Ibid.
3) Baldwin and Stecher - Psychology of the Preschool child,
page 253.

(2
(2

- 31 -

school may be drawn: first, the average size of the group was
approximately 3.0; second, the size of the group increased
from term to term. How much fiiis increase is due to the fact
that the children were better acquainted and how much is due
to the increased time in socializing situations is not known.
In all probability both factors are responsible. Third, age
had little influence in determining the size of the group;
fourth it is doubtful if the average size of the group for

each child was influenced by either the average percentage of

time in the group or the number of times each was in social

situations.

-52-

B. The Frequency of the Different Sizes of Groups.

Further analysis of data presented in tables number V
and VI show the frequency of different sized groups and the
percentage each one is of the total number. The largest
number of children in a spontaneous grouping which lasted five
or more minutes was eight. As the size of the groups increased
the frequency of their occurrence decreased. There mere 828
groups which had two members representing about half of the
total number. The figures show 500 groups with three members
which was about 30$ of all the group formations. There were
less than one half as many groups with four members as there
were with three. Only 7.4% of all the groups had five or more
members. The nursery school of the Bureau of Educational
EXperinents, flew York City, has definitely limited the size
of the entire group to eight children. It is interesting to
note that they have limited the number of children in the
entire nursery school to a figure which was not exceeded by
any of the 1687 spontaneous groupings in this study.

Table VI reveals more clearly the individual differences.
The percentage of groups with two members ranged from 89.2 to
67.7. In all cases except one there was a larger percentage
of groups of two than of any other one size. In this one
instance 44.4% of the groups in which Valerie was present had
two members and 50.0% had three members. There vas no available

data which would prove that this deviation mas nothing more than

a matter of chance. The gradual decrease in the percentages

as the size of the group increased held true for each individual.

-33-

Judging from this data, it vmuld seem that preschool
groups of children lasting five or more minute have reached
the saturation point as far as numbers are concerned.when
eight members have been included. The figures also warrant
the conclusion that as the size of a group increases the
frequency of its occurrence decreases. The analyzed records
show that a preschool child tends to Spend half of his time
in groups with one other p rson. Or, in other words, he is
just as apt to be in.a group with just one person as he is.

apt to be in all the other sized groups combined.

- 54 -

Table Number V

The Frequency of the Different Sizes of Groups

Names of : Median : The Size of Group in which child participated
Children : Age : 2 : 3 7‘ 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8 : Total

 

Jack : 4 - 9 : 77 : 42 : 20 : 6 : 2 : 1 : l : 149
Junior : 4 - 7 z 77 : 40 : 17 : 7 : 3 : 0 : l : 145
Sylvia : 4 - 3 : 121 : 98 : 41 : 19 : 5 : 1 : 0 : 285
Ruth : 3 - 11 : 44 : 28 : '10 z 5 : l : 0 : 0 : 88
Richard : 3 - 8 : 12 : 8 : 2 : 0 : O : 0 : O : 22
Norman : 3 - 8 : 45 : 23 : l4 : 7 : 2 : l : 1 : 93
Betsy : 3 - 8 : 37 : 23 : l5 : 2 : 0 : 1 : 1 : 79
Patricia : 3 - 5 : 8 : 3 : 2 : 0 : l : 0 : 0 : 14
Bob : 3 - 5 z 61 : 33 : 27 : 9 : 2 : 1 : 1 : 134
Katherine: 3 - 3 : 82 : 55 : 28 : 14 : 3 : l : 0 : 183
Hally : 3 - 1 : 25 : 8 : 4 z 0 : O : 0 : 0 : 37
Philip : 3 - O : 31 : 28 : 15 : 3 : l : l : 0 : 79
John : 3 - 0 : 57 : 30 : 9 : 2 : 3 : 1 : 0 : 102
Jim.Sy. : 2 - 11 : 40 : 17 : 8 : 3 : 3 : 0 z 0 : 71
Jim Sh. : 2 - 10 : 87 : 45 : 15 : 7 : 1 : l : l : 157
Valerie : 2 - O : 8 : 9 : 1 : 0 : 0 : 0 : O : 18
Margaret : 1 - 10 : l6 : 10 : 4 : 0 : 1 : O : 0 : 31

Table Number VI

Percentage of Group Formations which were
represented in the Various Sizes

Names of : The Size of the Group in which the child participated

 

children 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8
Jack : 51.7 : 28.2 : 13.4 : 4.0 : 1.3 : .7 : .7
Junior : 53.1 : 27.6 : 11.7 : 4.8 : 2.1 : .7
Sylvia : 42.4 : 34.4 : 14.4 : 6.7 : 1.7 : .4

Ruth : 50.0 : 31.8 : 11.4 : 5.7 : 1.1 : :
Richard : 54.5 : 36.4 : 9.1 : : : :
Norman : 48.4 : 24.7 : 15.0 : 7.5 : 2.2 : 1.1 : 1.1
Betsy : 46.8 : 29.1 : 19.0 : 2.5 : : 1.3 : 1.3
Patricia : 57.2 : 21.5 : 14.2 : : 7.1 : :

Bob : 45.5 : 24.6 : 20.1 : 6.7 : 1.5 : .8 . .8
Katherine: 44.8 : 30.1 : 15.3 : 7.7 : 1.6 : .5 :
Hally : 67.6 : 21.6 : 10.8 : : z :
Philip : 39.2 : 35.4 : 19.0 : 3.8 : 1.3 : 1.3 :

John : 55.9 : 29.4 ‘ 8.8 : 2.0 : 2.9 : 1.0 :

Jim Sy. : 56.3 : 24.0 : 11.3 : 4.2 : 4.2 : :

Jdm Sh. : 55.4 : 28.7 : 9.6 : 4.5 : .6 : .6 : .6
Valerie : 44.4 : 50.0 : 5.6 : : : :
Eargaret : 51.6 : 32.3 : 12.9 : z 3.2 : :

------------------- .----—----------------------*‘-------“-------

I
(3}
C ‘-

I

C. The Size of the Group in Relation to the Minutes in
the Group.

In connection with the study of the size of the group,
the question arises as to its relationship to the minutes Spent
in each group. This infonuation is presented in table number
seven. The number of minutes in each group extended from five

minutes, which was the minimum recorded to sixty minutes. All
the data was grouped according to five minute intervals except

in the case of the 5 - 10 interval which had six minutes. The
average size of the group for each of these interval periods
varied from 2.0 to 3.0 but there is no consistent trend. The
correlation of the size of the group and the number of minutes
in the group was found to be -.10 t .02, and is therefore of
doubtful significance. It seems that it is a matter of chance
that groups of five or more members did not extend as long as
groups of less than five. Evidently other factors besides size
of the group have been influencing the number of minutes spent
in each group. For instance interest in play material is
probably one of the factors which causes the child to remain in
one group longer than another. The five groups of eight members
which existed 26 to 30 minutes were interested in placing chairs
in a row and playing train. Children's interests as develOped

through play material will be presented in chapter six.

Table Humber VII

The Size of the Group in Relation to the
Minutes in the Group

--- -----------------------‘.-- -—----------—-----------¢~------—----

Group

: 10 : l5 :

30

.--M“------~------~-----‘-‘------‘----’~---‘Ifl-----“--“----‘“-~ -

: 468 : 125:
: 319 : 91:
: 147 : 39:
: 6l : 15:
: 26 : 1:
: 3 : :

O.

105:
85:
25:

6:
1:
6:

.0

36-: 41-: 46-: 51-:56-:

4O : 45 : 5O : 55 :60 :Total

12 . 19 : 5 : 2 : 4 : 828
7 : l : 4 : : : 500
3 : l : : : : 232

O.
O.
O.
.0

2.6: 2.1: 2.4: 2.0:2.0: 2.8

-------------------“-----------no-------------------—-----------—.

(24)

Interval one minute longer.

Chapter I V
MINUTES IR GROUPS

A. Average number of minutes in each group.

The growing realization that behavior is largely determined
by the process of social interaction has turned our attention
to a study of the time the child spends with his fellow play-
mates. From this vieWpoint, it is important to study how logg
a child will remain in a group with his equals. The figures
for the average number of minutes in each group are presented
in Table eight. The children in this study remained in each
group on an average of 11.8 minutes. In the study of Spon-
taneous grouping of children of preschool age made in Russia,
more groupings lasted ten minutes than any other period.(25)
Table number eight gives the average number of minutes in each
group by terms. It was found that on an average the groups
lasted 9.7 minutes the first term; 10.8 minutes the second;
and 14.9 minutes the third. In other words, the children
tended to remain longer in each group as the time in the nursery
school increased. When the figures for the different individuals
were examined, the deviations from the above trend were too
small to be of significance, excepting the figures for Jack.
The average length of time he spent in each group decreased
the second term. Possibly the fact that he spent twice as much
time in group situations during the second term as compared

with the first may account for this<ieviation. most of the

children made a greater increase the third term. This may be

 

(25) Janovskaja, E. C. - 0p.cit.

due to three factors: first, the children were more settled
in nursery school routine; second, they were better acquainted;
third, they were a few months older.

The data in Table number eight show also a relationship
between the ages of the children and the average number of
minutes each Spent in a group. This correlation was computed
and it was found to be & .56 I .11. When the individual
cases are studied the records indicate that age was an im-
portant factor in determining the length of time spent in any
one group. The highest average of 17.7 has made by Junior
whose median age was four years seven months. The lowest
average of 9.2 was made by Jim Sy. whose median age was two
years eleven months. The averages for the different terms
show an even greater variation. For instance, the lowest
average in any one term was 6.3 for a child two years old while
the highest average was 21.1 for a child four years seven
months. There was also a positive relationship between the
average length of time Spent in the groups and the number of
times in the group. This correlation was found to be + .55
i .11. In other words, children who played in many groups
tended to remain in each group longer.

Fron these data, it appears that the length of time a
preschool child will stay in any one group varies according to
age. As a rule, the older the child the longer he is apt to
remain in each group. Age may not be the only influencing
factor for it may be presumed that in a nursery school situation

the child will remain in each group longer as he gets better

acquainted. In an attempt to objectify studies of social

- 4o -

Table Number VIII

The Average minutes in the Group

 

James of: Median : By terms

children: age : l : 2 : 3 : Total
Jack : 4 - 9 : 14.4 : 11.2 : 17.9 : 14.8
Junior : 4 - 7 : 14.1 : 17.3 : 21.1 17.7
Sylvia : 4 - 3 : 9.7 : 11.7 : 14.0 12.2
Ruth 5 3 - 11 : 10.2 : 10.8 : ---- : 10.6
Richard : 3 - 8 : 9.9 : ---- : ---- . 9.9
Norman : 3 - 8 : 9.3 : 13.4 : 13.1 : 12.3
Betsy : 3 - 8 : 10.2 : ---- : 13.8 ° 11.6
Patricia: 3 - 5 : ---- : 10.0 : ---- : 10.0
Bob : 3 - 5 : 10.2 : 10.8 : 15.4 : 12.3
Katherine 3 - 3 : 12.9 : 14.0 : 14.0 : 13.8
Hally : 3 - 1 : 8.3 : 7.9 : 15.0 : 9.8
Philip : 3 - 0 : ---- : 12.1 : 11.9 : 11.9
John : 3 - 0 : ---- : 8.7 : 14.2 : 11.2
Jim Sy. : 2 - 11 : 8.1 : 7.8 : 10.1 : 9.2
Jim Sh. : 2 - 10 : 6.3 : 9.3 : 16.3 : 12.3
Valerie : 2 - 0 : 6.3 : 6.5 : 16.5 : 12.0
Hargaret: 1 - 10 : 6.4 : 10.3 : ---- : 9.6

-41-

groupings it would seem important to appreciate the possibility
of more than one causal factor. For instance, the early hOme
environment is a tremendous influence and should never be over-
looked. Practically all of the child's tine is spent in the
home where the first lessons in socialization are laid. The
data also furnished the information that the child who was a
member of many groups tended to remain in each group longer
than one who was a member of few groups. This means that the
children who participated in many social situations were not
the ones who flitted from one group to another. They were
a;parent1y more socialized.and enjoyed spending a longer time

with their playmates.

-42-

Chapter V
Composition of the Groups

A. Composition by Sexes.

The children in the Michigan State College nursery are
usually about evenly divided between the sexes. When a boy
leaves the school, the directors prefer that the next child
entering be a boy. In the present study there were nine boys
and eight girls. The children were fairly evenly divided in
the age groups also. It seems then that each child had about
the same chance to play with one of the opposite sex. Table
number nine shows the composition of the groups by sexes.

Out of the 1,687 total groupings 900 or 55.5% were bisexual.
The boys were in social situations a total of 952 tines.

Only 48.5% of their groups were bisexual as compared to 59.6%
of the girls' grompings. In other words, the boys preferred
playing in a group with their own sex more often than the 26
girls did. This was also true in the study made in Russiaf“ )
where 61.68% of the groups in which the boys played were uni-
sexual while only 43.16% of the groups in which the girls
played were of the same sex. The same study showed 67.37% of
the total 888 groupings as unisexual while the present study
revealed only 46.7% which were unisexual. When the individual
Iflgmies are examined, there appears to be but one extreme case,
that of Richard. Of the groups to which he belonged 86.4%
were unisexual. There were three cases whose group relations
were about 33% unisexual and three whose group relations were

f o 1 ‘l ‘5' ° 1
at least 62% unisexual. Tne otner.iigures approx1mated tne

 

(26) Janovskaja, E. C. - 0p.cit.

-43...

average. Exactly one half of the groups Valerie was in were
bisexual.

These data show that both boys and girls tend to spend
considerable time in groups with the opposite sex. Five out
of eight girls were in social situations where boys were present
more than half of the times. On an average, the boys spent
their time in groups almost equally between the unisexual and

the bisexual.

-44..

Table Number IX

The Composition of the Groups by Sexes

flames of:Tota1 no.:No. of times:9ercent :No. of times:Percent
children:of times :groups were :bisexual:groups were :uni-

 

:in groups:bisexual : :unisexual :sexual
Jack : 149 : 79 : 53.0 : 7O : 47.0
Junior : 145 : 52 : 35.9 : 93 : 64.1
Sylvia : 285 : 190 : 66.7 : 95 : 33.3
Ruth : 88 : 50 : 56.8 : 38 : 43.2
Richard : 22 : 3 : 13.6 : 19 : 86.4
Norman : 93 : 54 : 58.1 : 39 : 41.9
Betsy : 79 : 41 : 51.9 : 38 : 48.1
Patricia: l4 : 6 . 42.9 : 8 : 57.1
Bob : 134 : 91 : 67.9 : 43 : 32.1
Katherine 183 : 106 : 57.9 : 77 : 42.1
Hally : 37 : 18 : 48,6 : 19 : 51.4
Philip : 79 : 53 : 67.1 : 26 : 32.9
John : 102 : 38 : 37.3 : 64 : 62.7
Jim Sy. : 71 : 23 : 32.4 : 48 : 67.6
Jim Sh. : 157 : 69 : 43.9 : 88 : 56.1
Valerie : 18 : 9 : 50.0 : 9 : 50.0
Margaret: 31 : 18 : 58.1 : 13 : 41.9
iSEéi""§"’i€§E"T""€566""‘Zmééié"I""E§§’""?"iéi§ """
§S§;""Z""§5£"l""£8£'""§‘TEET‘IQE'"”TEE """"
Girls : 735 : 438 : 59.6 : 297 : 40.4

-45-

B. Group Combinations.

The number of group combinations in this study were

almost countless. An attempt was made to tabulate the ones
that seemed most significant. Those group combinations in
which one child was found with any other child twelve times
or more were considered. The resulting list was still too
long for certain purposes so group combinations which occurred
twenty-five times or more were considered separately. It
could be assumed with safety that it has become a habit when
children are found in the same group at least twenty-five
times. The material will be presented in two forms. Those
which occurred at least twenty-five tines will be shown in
table ten. This table gives the total number of times, the
total number of minutes, and the percentage of group time
which each child spent in the same group with another child.
The same information is given for each child when in the
group with just one other child. There were nine children
with whom Sylvia played.at least twenty-five times. She
was in a group with Jack 73 timesaand_with Ruth and Katherine
61 and 60 times reSpectively. These figures represented the
total number of times these particular children were in groups
with Sylvia. When she played with just one other child,
Betsy had first place. Sylvia played with her twenty-three
times representing 9.2% of Sylvia's total time spent in the
group. Altogether she Spent about 1/3 of her time playing
with any "one" of the nine children.

There were five instances where a child played with

three other children in the same group twenty-five times.

-46..

Table Number X

Group Combinations

flame of :Children:Ko. of times each playedzho. of times each

child and: with :in the same group with :played with Just

total min: whom :the children listed : one other child

utes in each :No. of:Eo. ofizfi offigr- :no. of:no. ofizfi'of gr-

I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

group Aplayed : times:minutes:oup time :times :minutes:oup time
Sylvia : Jack : 73 : 836 : 24.1 : 18 : 205 : 5.9
3467 : Ruth : 61 : 727 : 21.0 : 11 : 146 . 4.2
: Katherine 60 : 736 : 21.2 . 7 : 110 : 3.2
: Bob : 46 : 566 : 16.3 : 7 : 73 : .2
: Betsy : 45 : 592 : 17.1 : 23 : 320 ' 9.2
: Norman : 43 : 539 : 15.5 : 10 : 130 : 3.7
: Jim Sy.: 36 : 361 : 10.4 : 5 : 36 : 1.0
: Jim Sh.: 28 : 388 : 11.2 : 7 : 100 : 2.9
: Junior : 25 : 211 : 6.1 : 1 : 10 : .03
Total : : 417 : : : 89 : 1130 : 30.33
Katherine: Ruth : 93 : 1376 : 54.4 : 40 : 699 : 27.7
2528 : Sylvia : 54 : '56 : 25.9 : 3 : 50 : 2.0
: Bob : 33 : 443 : 17.5 : 10 : 192 : 7.6
Total : ° 180 ‘ : : 53 : 941 : 37.3
Jim Sh. : John : 47 : 554 : 28.7 . 25 : 319 : 16.5
1928 . Jim Sy.: 3 491 25.5 : 21 : 286 : 14.8
: Sy1v1a : 28 : 428 22.3 : 5 : 85 : 4.4
Total : : 113 : : : 51 : 690 : 35.7
Jack : Junior : 71 : 1052 : 47.8 : 47 : 946 : 43.0
2199 : Sy1v1a : 43 : 576 : 26.2 : 12 : 235 : 10.7
: Ruth : 29 : 266 : 12.1 : 9 : 137 : 6.2
Total : ° 143 : ° ° 68 : 1318 ~ 59.9
Junior : Jack : 116 : 2214 : 86.1 : 65 : 1524 : 59.3
2570
Bob : Sylvia_: '40 : 485 : 29.5 : 6 : 52 : 3.2
1643 : Katherine 3O : 56 : 27.8 : 9 : 182 : 11.1
: Jack : 25 : 293 : 17.8 1 : 10 : .6
Total : : 95 - : : 16 : 244 : 14.9
John : Jim Sh.. 5O : 669 : 58.4 : 28 : 369 : 32.2
1146 : Jim Sy.. 25 : 225 : 19.6 : 12 : 95 : 8.3

Norman ': Sylvia : 35 : 431 : 37.8 : 11 : 133 : 11.7
1141

 

 

 

Ruth : Katherine 5 : 586 : 62.8 : 26 : 361 : 38.7

933 : Sylvia : 26 : 218 : 23.4 : 2 : 10 : 1.1

: Jack : 26 : 245 : 26.3 : 7 : 109 : 11.7

Total : : 103 ' ' : 35 ° 480 : 51.5

Betsy : Sylvia : 46 : 582 : 57.4 : 19 : 280 : 27.6
1014 :

Jiu Si. : Jim Sh. : 29 : 391 : 46.4 : 18 : 281 : 33.4

Katherine was in a group with Ruth 93 times and out of that
number they were alone forty tines. Katherine played 54 times
with Sylvia but was with her only three times when no one else
was present. She also played with Bob a great deal. Jim Sh.
Spent a large part of his time with John, Jim Sy. and Sylvia.
Jack also chose three peOple but he devoted most of his time
to just one of them for he spent 43.0% of his time with just
Junior. Junior reciprocated by spending 59.3% of his time
with Jack. Bob Spent more of his time with Sylvia, Katherine
and Jack. John was invariably in a group with Jim Sh. or Jim
Sy. Norman was only in a group with one child twenty-five
times and that was Sylvia. Ruth spent more than 1/3 of her
time with Katherine and about 1/2 with just three children.
The times they spent alone with certain children are perhaps
the most significant facts. Three of the children, Patricia,
Valerie and Hargaret were not in a group twenty-five times

with any other child.

-48-

In order to give a picture of the other outstanding
group combinations the percentages representing those which
occurred twelve times or more were placed in table number
eleven. The total percentages at the right of the table do
not equal one hundred because there was an overlapping in the
members of the groups. For instance, Jack spent 47.8% of his
group time in social situations where Junior was present but
Ruth might have been there part of the time too. Another
glance at table number ten shows that Jack spent 43.0fi of
his time with just Junior. Therefore the 4.7fi more time he
was with Junior, other children were present too. Each child's
presence in a group with a particular child was the result of
direct observation of the former. For instance, when Richard
was being observed he was in a group with Junior thirteen times
but it does not snow in the form for Junior because when he
(Junior) was being observed he was not in a group with Richard
twelve times.

Placing the figures as they are in table number eleven,
gives one a picture of the socialization of each child. Two
of the seventeen children, Valerie and Patricia were not in a
group twelve times with any other child. They are both only
children. Sylvia was in groups at least twelve times with
twelve different children. Katherine and Bob were next highest
with nine and eight respectively. In such a small group it
would be expected that those who played with many children
played with each other. Such was the case for there were only
two more children, Jim Sh. and Norman, who played with more

than six other children to any extent. There are six instances

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of children who spent more than half their time in groups

with one particular child being present. These combinations

are listed below:

Junior Spent 86.1 of his time in groups with Jack present
Ruth " 62.8 " her " " " " Katherine "
Richard " 58.7 " his “ " " " Junior "
Katherine " 54.4 " her " " " " Ruth "
Betsy " 57.4 " her " " " " Sylvia "
John " 58.4 " his " " " " Jim Sh. "

One significant fact the above list shows is that in
every case a boy was always present in a group with a boy
or a girl was always in a situation with a girl.

0n the whole, the figures reveal extreme variations in
the number of children that the different ones have chosen as
constant companions. In this study, the boys who had formed
outstanding combinations chose to be in groups with boys.
The girls chose girl companions. In nearly every case where

two children spent a great deal of time together they were of

about the same age.

I
U!
H

I

C. The Composition by Ages.

It would be interesting to know on what basis the children
have made their choices in selecting companions. From the

(27)
study of spontaneous group formations which was conducted
at the Child Development Institute of Teachers' College,
Columbia University, Kiss Ruth M. Hubbard has presented the
following information. "The correlation between each child's
chronological age and the average chronolOgical age of the
three children with whom he played the mast was + .09; the
correlation between each child's mental age (Kuhlnan test) and
the arerage mental age of the three children with whom he played
the mast was 4 .41." In the same study she correlated the
above factors concerning each child.and the averages of the
three children with whom each played the longest. The re-
lationship between the chronological ages was -.22 and between
the mental ages was +.62. From the above correlations Miss
Hubbard contends that children who play together in the

largest number of situations are not those of similar chrono-

logical ages but those of similar hental ages. Since the

 

probable error of the correlation o .41 is 2.13, (considering
18 cases were used), the conclusion she reached must rest on
the last correlation of +.62 with a probable error of g.10
(again, considering 18 cases were used.) However, she shows

in the same study that the correlation between the chrono-

logical and mental ages of these children was +.78 : .07.

 

(27) Thomas, D. S. - op.Cit. pages 83-84.

It was impossible in thisstudy to make any correlations
using mental ages because mental tests here not given to the
children. Nevertheless, it is possible to mane correlations
between each child's chronological age and the average age of
the three children with them each played the largest number of
times. It was found to be +.41 $.14. Due to the high probable
error this figure is of doubtful significance. There is also
some doubt as to whether an average of three may be truly
representative. Because of this fact, a correlation was com-
puted between each child's age and the age of the one child
with whom he played the largest number of tines. This figure
was *.62 i .10.

Judging from this data, it seems logical to conclude
that the children in the Hichigan State College nursery school
tended to play with children of about the same chronological
age. At least, wherever two children Spent a great deal of
time together they were about the same age. If it could be
shown that there was a high correlation between the chrono-
logical and the mental ages of the children as was shown in
Miss Hubbard's study, hen it could be said that the children
who play together in the largest number of situations are

those of similar mentrl ages.

- 53 -

Chapter VI

PLAY MATERIALS AXD ACTIVITIES FOUUD IN THE
GROUPS

A. Number of times play materials were used.

The social deveIOpment of the child is a gradual process.
The ease with which a particular child develops poise in his
relationships is largely determined by his previous eXperiences.
It is a wise parent or teacher who knows what eXperiences are
of most value. A normal child will attempt to eXperiment with
whatever material lies at hand. Harriet Johnson of the Bureau
of Educational Experiments of New York City has said, "The
introduction to a social life must be safeguarded just as
is the introduction to the physical environment. In having
the group together we are offering the children a chance for
experience in social contacts. As me assure them safety in
their physical experiences so we try to introduce them to 28
social contacts gradually and protect them at least for a time.")
In the nursery school in connection with the Bureau Kiss
Johnson has carried out this idea from the very start. When
admitting new children, she allows only one to enter at a time
so that each child will enter a somewhat integrated group.
Another way in which she has protected the children is to
consistently turn them toward play material. Quoting from her
paper again, she says, "It is not necessary to devise methods

of teaching children to use materials unless their natural

 

(28) Johnson, Harriet - The Educational Implications of the
hursery School. Reprint from Progressive Education -
Jan. Feb. Mar. 1925.

impulses have been seriously thwarted. If we find children
consistently failing to turn any part of the environment to
their play uses it is the choice of materials and the method
of presentation which must be challenged. But above all we
must define what we mean by profitable use of play materials.
We must ask ourselves by what stardard we judge children's
products. Year by year, as we observed our children in the
Bureau school, we have tried to keep interrogations rather
than theories in the forefront of our attention. We are more
and more impressed with the value which lies in a child's
orderly proaression through activities and concerns, - social,
emotional and physical - which are apprOpriate to his age
level. We feel that it nould.be dogmatic to list these age
level performances categorically. They show qualitative
rather than quantitative distinctions. Firthermor , our
judgnent regarding a child's product, whether it be expressed
through his muscles, through his social relationships, through
his emotional reactions or through his language must be based
29)
on the satisfaction which accrues to him.

Because of a recognition of the great value of play
materials in the deveIOpment of the child, an attempt was made
in the present study to list all the materials that were used
in each group. This information may be found in table number
twelve. The column at the right gives the total number of

times certain materials were used. Blocks were used more than

 

(29) Ibid.

U
0'1
(‘1
I

any other play material, totaling 518 times. Perhaps blocks
stand at the head of the list because they challenge the
creative ability of the child. The educational value of a
toy is largely determined by what the child is able to do with
it. The child soon finds out that two can build a bigger barn
than one in the same length of time. He also discovers that
he gets more real joy when his enthusiasm is shared. The
Michigan State College hursery school is equipped with the
plain wooden assorted blocks and the small colored cubes. It
is significant to note that blocks have been made larger and
lighter because they are more easily adapted to the larger
muscles of young children. So it is not surprising that the
assorted blocks vere used most frequently by the children in
this study. Other materials for which the large muscles are
needed such as the teeter, slide, and sand were used a grea
deal more than any other equipment in the outdoor play. They
would have been used more times than the pegboard or the shears
if the outdoor observations had been equal to the indoor.
The pegboard, shears and.beads are toys which demand hand and
eye coordination. They represented the second most popular
group of play materials. The children were allowed to take
small cars out doors but they were not used in a group any
more times than sand. The rest of the play materials are listed
in table number twelve according to the number of times they
were used.

Table number twelve also reveals a difference in the
number of times the materials were used by the boys and the

girls. For instance, blocks were used by the boys 348 times

 

 

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and by the girls only 170. The three oldest children used

the blocks more times than all the rest of the children put
together and two of them were boys. The two youngest were
girls and seldom used the blocks when in a group. Therefore,
the difference in the use of blocks by the boys and the girls
was probably due to the age of the sexes in this school.

There was a considerable difference in the number of times the
small cars and the truck were used by the boys and the girls.
In fact, boys used them more than four times as often as girls.
On the other hand, the girls used the tea set twice as many
times as the boys and the dolls five times as often. The boys
in a group played with a ball five times as often as the girls
while the girls used the clay four times to the boys once.
Paints were also used more often by the girls. Play materials
which were used less than ten times by all the children were
listed in the table under miscellaneous. It should be kept

in mind that these articles were also used many tides by the
children individually and that they do not represent all the
toys found in the nursery. Records were made only of materials
used in the group situations. All the play materials in the
Michigan State College nursery have been purchased with the
idea of giving the children an opportunity to express them-
selves in a variety of ways. The observations in this study

were started when the school had been established only three
months. Other materials of interest to children have been

added from time to tine.

3. Percentage of time that certain play materials were used.
The child who plays with certain toys over and over again
does so because of the great joy he derives from them. In part
A of this chapter, certain play materials were pointed out as
being popular with most of the children. At least, they were
used more times in the social situations. The question then
arises as to whether those toys that were used many times were
used for long periods. In other words, did the repeated use of
particular materials develop into habits? It was possible in
this study to compute the percentage of the time spent in
groups that each child played with blocks, pegboard, slide and
etc. The information is presented in table number thirteen.
On examination one idnediately notices that blocks are again
at the head of the list for they mere used longer than any
other toys representing 31.1% of the time. Only toys that
were used at least 2% of the time were placed in this table
but it is significant to note that they are the same toys that
were at the head of the list in table number twelve. Also
the differences in the percentages of the boys and girls show
the same tendencies as table number twelve. However, this
table brings out the fact that twelve toys were used 68.8%
of the children's time in groups. Each child used them more
than half of the time. The lowest percentage of time they
were used was 32.1 and the highest 89.1.
One can justly assume that children continually use certain

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-61-

The characteristic called "flitting“ or the short span interest
in materials was not characteristic of these children while in
groups. more than half of their time mas Spent with twelve
different toys and nearly one third with one toy. This seems
more significant when one stops to consider the number of

children using the materials.

C. Number of Times Certain Activities were a part of the
Social Situations.

Just as it is unnecessary to devise methods of teaching
children to use play materials, it is unnecessary to force
their social contacts. Even the youngest children shout for
glee at the sight of their kind. As soon as the child learns
to talk his interest in others increases considerably. The
story of Helen Keller's life reveals the great importance of
the use of language. After she had learned the meaning of one
word, water, her progress in learning and social behavior was
greatly accelerated. It is said that after she learned the
significance of word-signs, she wanted to teach the letters to
everyone she met. Harriet Johnson states that the acquiring
of actual language marks a stage in social growth and awareness.

(:50)
In her opinion this fact is beyond dispute. One of the out-
standing features of early speech patterns of children is the
El

fact that questions are asked for the sake of social contact.( )
Conversation, no doubt, played a prominent part in all the
groups. There were other activities which did not involve
toys or where objects played a minor part. The number of times
these activities were found in the groups Las arranged in table
number fourteen. The activities listed appear 300 tines. Play-
ing house isually 'nvolved some particular space in the nursery
and was the cause of sixty-one groups. Conversation only, ranked

second or fifty times.

 

(30) Johnson, Harriet - Children in the Eursery School.
page 102.
(31) Ibid., page 118.

-63..

The girls used conversation only 57 times and the boys
13 times. This was the only activity which used two per cent
of the children's time. There were several physical activities
such as running, skioping, wrestling, turning somersaults and
walking which might have been included under one head. It was
surprising how much time children spent in groups watching aid
talking about the different pets that were brought to the room
from time to time. most of the children were fascinated by
the rats. John was found in a.group watching them almost as

many times as the entire number of girls were found doing the

same thing. From the data given thus far concerning play
materials versus activities in relation to group fromations
the following statements might be made: Groups of preschool
children are held together through interest in play materials
more often than they are by mere social activities. In fact,
the five toys which were used the most were found in groups
three times that of all social activities. People Who have
had a chance to study children in home life know how they are
often lost without a favorite toy. Grandmothers who are wise
keep a box of toys handy so that group activities run more

smoothly.

 

 

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D. Play Iaterials and Activities in Relation to the
Socialization of the Child.

As was stated before, the value of any toy or activity is
largely deterhined by the satisfaction which the child obtains
from its use. It is hard to measure the satisfactions children
receive when they share their toys but one may be sure they are
on a higher level. One little girl had been in the school less
than a week when she got out the orange and black painted tea
set. She was an only child and had not learned the joy of
sharing, consequently she placed a cup and saucer for herself
and sat on the rest of them. She did not seem satisfied with
the arrangement and the other children wanted a drink too so
the next time she got out the set she called other children to
take part. Another girl, also an only child, called everything
"nine". Her mother said she even called the boats on the
lakes "mine". She seened to enjoy the baby buggy more than any
other toy and at first would not share any part of it. When a
child out his or her hand on the buggy she mould pish it off,
place her hand on the same soot and say, "mine". One morning
when she came to school someone else had the buggy and she was
lost for a few minutes. Then she noticed the baby's bed would
also move and she was happy. So every morning she entered the
room her head mas held high surveying the room for the next best
toy not in use. Needless to say she had learned a great lesson.
The slide was one of the play materials which demanded a great
deal of courage, especially for the younger children. A two
year old child got in line, went to the top and started down.

In some way she lost her balance and fell off when she was half

way down but instead of crying she turned to the children and
-said, "I flied".

The preschool period is a time when the child's fancy soars
high. He becomes imaginative. Painting is an activity which
lends itself to this sort of behavior. At the best their paint-
ings are crude, most of them being mere smears of color to an
adult. A boy produced what appeared to be Splotches of color,
nothing else, but he wasproud of it for it represented rain to
him. The teacher placed his name in one corner and it was
pinned on the wall as an exhibit. hany more paintings followed
and each child knew what he had painted.

‘ C

At this age, the children are oeginning to be interested in
picture books. In this study they were used in twenty groups.
Quite often there was an older child showing the book to a
younger child. Bictures are considered the beginning of the
reading period so it is an important step in his literary ex-
perience. Expression develoged through music, stories, dramatics,
and rhythm was carried on in the directed group at the hichigan
State College nursery so such activities were not included in
this study.

Just the phvsical contact alone has some value in socia-
lization. There was an unusual case of a three year old boy
who was in the college nursery for five weeks. When he first

entered school he did not want any child to touch him. He had

an unhappy experience with a neighbor boy which prejudiced

-67...

hin against all strange children. It was difficult for him to
overcome this feeling so it was a great triumph for him when at
the end of five weeks, as he was lying an a mat hear another
child, he reached out and touched him.

From the above instances it would seem that the child in
the oreschool is given the Opportunity for self eXpression
through the various media at hand but most of all he is learning
to value himself as an intrinsic part of the group as well as

an individual.

Chapter VII
SUMMARY STATEKEETS

From the data which has been presented in the preceding

chapters,

the following statements can be made concerning the

seventeen preschool children at the Iichigan State College

nursery who were studied during the time between October 1927

and June

1.

4.

10.

ll.

12.

1928.

'1 V 0 f 0
The Children spent, on an average, 449 of their time
in groups.

They averaged two groups per hour of free play.

here time was spent in group formations as the period
of association with other children in the nursery
school increased.

The children with higher chronological ages spent a
larger percentage of time in social situations. The
correlation between the ages of the children and the
percentage of time spent in the group was $.77 $.07.

The average size of the groups in which the children
participated was approximately 3.0.

The size of the group increased from term to term.

Age had little influence in determining the size of
the group. The correlation between these two factors
“78.8 +031 i 0150

The average size of the group was not influenced by
either the average percentage of time in the group

or the number of times each child was in social
situations. The correlations were *.48 1.19 and+4lt.L4
respectively.

Groups lasting five or more minutes reached the
saturation point as far as numbers were concerned
when eight members had been included.

As the size of the groups increased their frequency
of occurrence decreased.

Each child Spent half of his time in groups with but
one other person.

There was no evidence to show that the size of a group
influenced its duration in period of time.

'1;
U 0

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

25.

24.

The length )f time a child stayed in any one group
varied according to age. As a rule, the older the
child, the longer he was apt to remain in each group.
The correlation between these two factors was
+056 20110

The child who has a member of many groups tended to
euain in each one longer.

I
1 I“

OI the 1,687 groups, 53-3W were bisexual.

The boys spent their time about equally between the
unisexual and the bisexual while 60$ of the girls'
groups were bisexual.

There were extreme variations in the number of children
that the different ones chose as constant companions.

Boys chose to Spend a great deal of time with certain
boys and likewise outstanding combinations included
only'girls.

In nearly every case where two children Spent a great
deal of tine together they were about the sane age.

Out of all the play materials the assorted blocks
were used the most frequently.

The next three most pepular indoor play materials were
the pegboard, shears and beads, all of which denanded
considerable eye an" hand coordination.

There was considerable difference in the number of times
the boys and the girls used certain toys. For instance,
the girls played with dolls, tea set, paints and
modeling clay many more times than the boys. On the
other hand, the boys were fonder of the small cars, the
ball, the truck and the Kiddy Ker.

Slightly more than two thirds of the children's time
was spent with twelve different toys and nearly one
third with one toy. Therefore a long span interest
in certain play materials was characteristic of these
children while in groups.

The groups were held together through interest in play
materials more often than they were by mere social
activities.

Conversation was the only social activity outside of.
play materials which used as much as two percent of the
children's time.

The children in this school were given an ooportunity
ior self expression in a variety of Mays.

The socialization of each child was a gradual process,

C‘rlnur‘irr,‘ (111+. A'P nnn+on+ onr'w‘ in+owon+4nn

- 70 -

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

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D. Appleton and Co., 1925.

 

 

Bertram, I. W. - The Little Child in Our Great Cities.
American Child Health Association, 1925.

 

Blanton, Smiley en Margaret - Child Guidance.
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Cameron, H. C. - The Nervous Child.
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Cleveland, Elizabeth - Training the Toddler.
J. B. Lippincott, and Co., 1925.

 

DeLima, Agnes —. Our Enemy, The Child.
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Gesell, Arnold - The Mental Growth of the Preschool Child.
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Groves, E. R. and Gladys - Wholesome Childhood.
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Groves, E. R. - Personality_and Social Adjustment.
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Hollingworth, H. L. - Mental Growth and Decline.
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Johnson, Harriet - Children in the Nursery School.
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- 71 -

Hateer, Florence - The Unstable Child.
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Richardson, F. H. - Parenthood and the Newer Psychology.
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Sayles, Mary B. - The Problem Child in School.
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Ma cifiillan, 1922.

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Thomas, Um. I and D. S. - The Child in America.
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—_-1_- H O f O O O o -r
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Johnson, Harriet - A Nursery School Experiment.
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Rand, Winifred - The Nursery School ~ Learning through

 

Livin
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Root, Wm. T. - Pre First Grade Training.
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Woolley, Helen T. - The Validity of Standards of Mental
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Making .

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