A Comparison of the Effects of Fantasy Play Tutoring and Skills Tutoring in Nursery Classes

Abstract

A number of studies have suggested that encouraging fantasy and sociodramatic play in disadvantaged preschool children can have important benefits for social, linguistic and cognitive development. These results can be ascribed either to the fantasy play increase, or to the tutoring stimulation involved. Poor control for tutoring in most previous studies means that these two possibilities were not discriminated. In this study fantasy play tutoring and skills tutoring were compared for their effects on nursery school children. Observations of the tutoring sessions confirmed that there was adequate control for the amount of tutoring stimulation. Pre, post and follow-up assessments showed that the two tutoring programmes had equal impact as regards many aspects of cognitive and linguistic development, for which general tutoring effects common to both programmes may be responsible. However, fantasy play tutoring did show a greater potential for maintaining or increasing social participation scores. These results were found independently in two nursery schools. The theoretical and practical implications of this and of previous studies are considered.