Playfulness and kindergarten children's academic skills: Executive functions and creative thinking processes as mediators?

Playfulness and kindergarten children's academic skills: Executive functions and creative thinking processes as mediators?

• Fung, Wing Kai Liverpool Hope University
• Chung, Kevin Kien Hoa The Education University of Hong Kong

Journal of Creative Behavior, 2024

Creative Education Foundation

2024

• B Human Behaviour
  • BC Group Process
• F Learning & Teaching
  • FC Critical Thinking, Learning Techniques, Time

Playfulness Executive Function Convergent Thinking Divergent Thinking Academic Skills Kinder-garten Children

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

• View Full Text 全文連結

This study examined the direct and indirect relationships between playfulness (social and cognitive spontaneity), executive functions, convergent thinking, divergent thinking, and academic skills in Hong Kong Chinese kindergarten children. Participants were 181 second-year (4 to 5 years) kindergarten children (45.9% boys) and their parents. Parents reported demographic information and children's playfulness and executive functions through a questionnaire. Children were administered behavioral assessments of convergent thinking, divergent thinking, Chinese word reading, and number word comparison at their kindergarten. Results from a path analytic model revealed the mediating roles of convergent and divergent thinking in the relationship between playfulness and number word comparison. In contrast, convergent thinking mediated the link between playfulness and Chinese word reading. Executive functions were positively related to playfulness but unrelated to children's academic skills. The findings suggest that playful children might develop better creative thinking processes, supporting their academic skills. Practically, the findings underscore the importance of play-based learning in developing children's creativity and academic skills in the early years. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).

• English

Journal Articles

• 00220175

• 10.1002/jocb.654

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/38e5b3bd

2024-11-11