Play as Seen by Children and Pre-school Teachers in Turkey

Abstract

This study extends upon previous research conducted by Howard (2002) and aims to understand the perceptions of play from the perspective of both children and their teachers within Turkish culture. This current study was carried out at two private kindergarten schools in Kusadası, Aydın, Turkey. Sixty-one children aged between 3 and 6 years, and ten kindergarten teachers were recruited for this study. A modified ‘Activity Apperception Story Procedure’ (AASP) task was used to investigate the perceptions of play. Results suggest that both teachers and children have very similar perceptions of play, and that in children, these perceptions are primarily developed as a result of their experiences, a finding consistent with Howard (2002). Results also suggest age differences in the perceptions of play, with the younger children (aged 3-4 years) making more ‘play’ judgements when presented with the AASP task than the older children (aged 5 to 6 years). Finally, results also show that the location of the activity depicted (on a table or on the floor) significantly influencesthe perception of play in both children and adults, with increased ‘play’ judgements for activities taking place on the floor.