Using structured choice to increase child engagement in low-preference centres

Abstract

It is recommended practice for early childhood educators to provide children with extended periods of free play in which children are able to learn through hands-on experiences in the classroom environment. Early childhood educators plan meaningful experiences for each interest centre based on standards and objectives. Although some children choose to participate in all the provided activities, other children require additional assistance in choosing between the varieties of experiences that are provided in the early childhood classroom environment. Children who avoid spending time in certain interest centres or spend time not engaged in any activity miss the opportunity to practise the skills associated with those centres. In this study, a structured choice intervention was used to provide a choice between two low-preference centres and to also decrease the amount of time children spend not engaged in any activity. Results indicate that the structured choice intervention increased the amount of time children spent in interest centres previously identified as low interest and also decreased the amount of time children spent not engaged with materials.