Children’s competitive microcultures: an examination of the social organization of rules and roles in gender inclusive and performance-based outdoor play

Abstract

ABSTRACT Children’s microcultures consist of small peer communities that they develop with distinct rules and roles operating outside of traditional daily activities. Presently, there is little understanding for how children may develop microcultures during competitive play, where they attempt to outperform their peers. In this study, we address the question, ‘How may competitive outdoor play shape children’s development of microcultures?’ We conducted unstructured interviews with 9- to 13-year-old children (7 girls, 6 boys) and engaged in naturalistic observations of their play in Vancouver, Canada, throughout a two-week period. Findings from our thematic analysis suggest children develop gender-inclusive microcultures during their competitive play and children are evaluated by one another on their physical and cognitive competencies. Importantly, these findings suggest microcultures can afford children with opportunities to participate in thrilling play that may otherwise be restricted by adults. Further, they suggest competition may serve as a catalyst for disrupting gender segregated play.