Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives on how Imaginative Play Increases Social Emotional learning development in ages 3-5.

Tiffany Cykowski

 Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Education
Major: Special Education: Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Faculty Research Mentor: Janet Fike
 

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to examine preschool teachers' perspectives on how imaginative play fosters social-emotional learning (SEL) development in ages 3-5-year-olds. Recognizing that social-emotional learning is a major part of early childhood education, this study investigates how teachers perceive and implement imaginative play into their classrooms to help support SEL such as self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and more. Data analysis was collected using Google Forms with Rahways Public School Education District preschool teachers. The ultimate goal is to positively correlate social-emotional learning and imaginative play.In early childhood education, play is a huge part of most curriculums. It takes up 70 minutes of the school day and is also vastly incorporated into small and large groups. “Play, in general, is considered the most important activity practiced by children because it motivates their thinking and deepens their imagination, while dramatic play, in particular, is one of the most important types of play for preschoolers (Khomais, Al-Khalidi, Alotaibi, PG 103)”. The study conducted by Khomais, Al-Khalidi, Alotaibi, proved that there are positive correlations between the two variables and that it showed that the major dimension was interaction with others, which could predict the self-regulation score while other dimensions could not. As for the authors, Bredikyte and Brandisauskiene, they concluded that self-regulated behavior is a prerequisite for learning and success in life.