A Comparison of 'Play' and 'Skills' Tutoring in Nursery Classes / Peter Smith and Others.

This paper compares the effects of fantasy play tutoring and tutoring in specific skills on the performance of nursery school children on a battery of tests and observations. Children from two classes in each of two nursery schools participated in the study, with a total of 65 children completing pre- and post-testing as well as follow-up testing 8 weeks later. One class in each school received 8 weeks of tutoring and specific encouragement in fantasy and sociodramatic play, while the second class emphasized skills in construction activities, conceptual development, social cooperation, and problem solving. Children in all classes were free to choose whether or not to participate in the activities. Pre- and post-testing included observations of social participation, activity (attention) span, and kinds and levels of play, as well as standardized intelligence, role taking, and creativity tests. Results indicated few differences between the groups. In general, the only differences which remained consistent through the follow-up testing were the longer periods of time spent in group play, in larger subgroups, and in physical activities by the children in the play tutoring classes. (BD)

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