Relationship between teachers' roles, types of language and children's responses during play
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Children's play experiences in the early years have been linked to different domains of children's development, including language. The preschool years are crucial for children's learning and early experiences often predict children's future success. Adults play an important role in children's development. Teachers' role in play has been documented, showing the important role of play in language development. The present qualitative study uses secondary data from videos of eleven teachers in community childcare settings to explore (1) the different roles that teachers use to facilitate play; (2) the way children respond to teachers' behaviors within these roles, and (3) the relationship with teachers and children's language use during play. Results suggest that specific teacher behaviors within the roles they adopt elicit three types of children's responses: ignore/reject, resistance, and acceptance behaviors. The co-player and play leader role were often associated with children's acceptance behaviors, and were considered more appropriate for teachers to support children's language development.