Early childhood educators attitudes towards playful aggression among boys: Exploring the importance of situational context

ABSTRACT

The current study investigates the influence of situational context on perceptions of playful aggression. Using an online data collection instrument embedded with video vignettes showing young boys engaged in aggressive play behaviour, 36 situational profiles that are defined by the unique combinations of variables believed to influence attitudes about playful aggression were created and analysed using the conjunctive analysis of case configurations methods [Miethe, T. D., Hart, T. C., & Regoeczi, W. C. (2008). The conjunctive analysis of case configurations: An exploratory method for discrete multivariate analyses of crime data. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 24(2), 227–241]. Educators’ perceptions of playful aggression varied considerably, depending on the particular contextual profile that was observed. Significant contextual variability also exists within the groups of profiles perceived by educators’ as ‘most’ playful and ‘least’ playful. Policy implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are offered.

KEYWORDS:

• Rough
• play
• fighting
• aggression
• contextual
• analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributors

Dr Jennifer L. Hart is an associate lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Dr Hart has 10 years of teaching experience in the USA that includes inclusive education within early childhood programmes, and training and mentoring early childhood teachers pursuing a higher degree. The focus of her current research is on young boys’ sociodramatic aggressive play behaviour. Dr Hart's findings have been published internationally and include the perceptions and benefits of all types of playful aggression, the developmental impact this play has on young children – particularly boys – and the needed reformation of policies that ban such play.

Notes

1. Due to how verbal communication among the children varied across videos (e.g. in some instances, children said, ‘kill', ‘shoot' or ‘stop' but not in others), the audio for each vignette was removed.