Children's agentive orientations in play-based and academically focused preschools in Hong Kong

Children's agentive orientations in play-based and academically focused preschools in Hong Kong

• Cheng, Pui Wah Doris The Hong Kong Institute of Education
• Reunamo, Jyrki University of Helsinki
• Cooper, Paul William The Hong Kong Institute of Education
• Liu, Karen University of Indiana
• Vong, Peggy University of Macau

Early Child Development and Care, 2015

Routledge

2015

• F Learning & Teaching
  • FA General Teaching Strategies, Different Instructional Methods

Early Childhood Curriculum Play Children's Learning Agency

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

The article describes a comparative case study on children's agentive orientations in two Hong Kong preschools, one is play-based and the other is academically focused. Agentive orientations were measured using Reunamo's interview tool, which focuses on children's uses of accommodative and agentive orientations in everyday situations. The findings show that children in the academically oriented preschool had more uncertain and less participative orientations than those in the play-based preschool. Boys in the academically oriented setting were found to be more vulnerable than both girls and their counterparts in the play-based preschool when confronted with a conflict setting. The results indicate that the play-based environment stimulated children's capacities for agentive and participative social engagement, suggesting that play provides children with the opportunity to develop more versatile social tools and strategies. These competences are of vital importance for successful engagement in collective settings such as classrooms and schools.
[Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis.]

• English

Journal Articles

• 03004430

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/4814d787

2015-06-23