Advisor(s)

Karin Lifter

Contributor(s)

Tracy Robinson-Wood, Lou Kruger

Date of Award

2008

Date Accepted

12-2008

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department or Academic Unit

Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology.

Keywords

Educational psychology, Self-regulation, Sociodramatic play, Preschool, Kindergarten

Subject Categories

Play assessment (Child psychology)--Case studies, Preschool children--Case studies

Disciplines

Education | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among self-regulation, sociodramatic play, and preschoolers' readiness for kindergarten. The participants were 38 children enrolled in a public pre-kindergarten program in a rural town in Maine. The pre-kindergarten children were observed during free play using the Smilansky Scale for Evaluation of Dramatic and Sociodramatic Play (SSEDS). In addition, the pre-kindergarten teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) to assess the participants' self-regulation skills and the Brigance Preschool Screen-II to assess readiness skills. The following three questions were addressed: (1) Does a preschooler's ability to engage in complex levels of sociodramatic play predict the capacity for self-regulation? (2) Does a preschooler's ability to engage in complex levels of sociodramatic play predict readiness for kindergarten? And, (3) does a preschooler's capacity for self-regulation predict readiness for kindergarten? The results of the multiple regression analyses indicated several statistically significant relationships. First, total sociodramatic play predicted the BRIEF-P clinical scale, Shift, at a statistically significant level. Second, the SSEDS subcategory, Verbal Communication, predicted the BRIEF-P clinical scales: Working Memory and Plan/Organize, and the BRIEF-P index, Emergent Metacognition, at statistically significant levels. Third, the BRIEF-P index, Flexibility Index, predicted total readiness at a statistically significant level. The results of the present study provide support for sociodramatic play as a facilitator of the self-regulation skills necessary for attention shifting and problem-solving. The results of the study also revealed that verbal communication within the context of sociodramatic play influenced the self-regulatory ability to hold onto information, follow directions, plan, and organize. Lastly, the results indicated that the self-regulatory capacity to problem-solve flexibly, shift attention, and control emotions and behaviors positively influenced preschoolers' readiness for kindergarten. Throughout the early childhood literature, sociodramatic play as a context within which preschool children learn has been widely acknowledged and supported. The results of the present study contribute to the literature by providing additional support for sociodramatic play predicting aspects of self-regulation and self-regulation predicting kindergarten readiness.

Document Type

Dissertation

Rights Holder

Sharyn Beth Matthews


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