Supporting Shy Preschool Children in Joining Social Play

Authors

Flannery Hope Currin, University of Iowa
Kyle Diederich, St. Norbert College
Kaitlyn Blasi, University of Iowa
Allyson Dale Schmidt, University of Iowa
Holly David, University of Iowa
Kerry Peterman, University of Iowa
Juan Pablo Hourcade, University of Iowa

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Description

Executive functions (EF), a set of cognitive processes necessary for goal-oriented behavior, are critical for children’s school outcomes and often lacking when children arrive in elementary school. One of the most promising interventions to address this gap is Tools of the Mind (ToM), a Vygotskyan approach to early childhood education with a strong emphasis on sociodramatic play. One challenge in implementing this kind of play is supporting children in joining play with their peers. In this paper we present a content analysis of an eight-week evaluation comparing implementing ToM-style play with and without technology supports. We found that one specific aspect of the technology supports, a voice agent, played a crucial role in integrating shy children into sociodramatic play.

Publication Date

6-24-2021

Keywords

children, preschool, play, executive functions

Comments

This article is open access through the Interaction Design and Children Conference and their publisher: Association for Computing Machinery in New York, NY.

DOI: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3459990.3460729

Recommended Citation

Currin, Flannery Hope; Diederich, Kyle; Blasi, Kaitlyn; Schmidt, Allyson Dale; David, Holly; Peterman, Kerry; and Hourcade, Juan Pablo, "Supporting Shy Preschool Children in Joining Social Play" (2021). Faculty Creative and Scholarly Works. 45.
https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/faculty_staff_works/45