Interacción social durante el recreo en preescolares. Un estudio observacional en un centro de acogida y una escuela ordinaria

Resumen

El presente estudio analizó las interacciones entre iguales de preescolares de un colegio ordinario y de un centro de acogida durante el tiempo de recreo. Los resultados más significativos aparecieron en la orientación social de la conducta, encontrándose marcadas diferencias tanto en la dimensión social del juego como en las conductas de no juego desplegadas por los niños. Se encontró una mayor tendencia al aislamiento y al juego solitario en el centro de acogida que en el centro ordinario. Esta tendencia, sin embargo, apareció más marcada en los niños que en las niñas, las cuales no presentaron diferencias con las niñas de la muestra del centro ordinario en este aspecto. El juego funcional también apareció en mayor medida en la muestra del centro de acogida. Todos los resultados trataron de ser explicados partiendo del análisis de la influencia de los contextos de desarrollo en el comportamiento de los niños.

Abstract

The present study analysed peer interaction during playtime in preschool aged children in two different educational contexts: an ordinary school, and a child protection centre. The most significant results appeared in the social orientation of children's behaviour; more specifically, there were marked differences in social play, and in non-play behaviours. Children from the protection centre, particularly boys, showed a higher tendency to isolate themselves and to solitary play. Such differences were not observed between the girls at the two schools whose behaviour was more homogeneous. Functional play was also observed more frequently in the children at the centre. The data are explained in terms of the social context's influence on child behaviour.

Extended Summary

The paper reports a study on peer interaction and its influence on child socio-emotional development. For this type of interaction to take place, as opposed to adult-child interaction, the child must be able to manage different kinds of interactive demands (Hartup, 1983; Ross and Rogers, 1990). In peer interaction, each child is seen as an equal partner, with similar skills for negotiating roles and rules (Rubin, 1986). It usually takes place at school, specially during playtime, where children become involved in a characteristic set of interactions known as the «peer culture» (Corsaro, 1986; 1988; Corsaro and Rizzo, 1988). Studies on peer interaction describe children as active constructors of their own world. They reproduced and recreated the most salient characteristics of the surrounding adult world.

However, the socio-cultural context in which a child develops is not an homogeneous unit that influences everyone in the same way (Valsiner, 1988; 1989). Bronfenbrenner (1979; 1985) argues that the different contexts, in which adults of a cultural group are involved, are an essential factor influencing child development. The study of these contexts are specially productive to help define child rearing environments, and to learn more about their influence on development. This is particularly important in the case of contexts characterized by strong socio-cultural deprivation; their study improves our understanding on the general role of the adult world on child development.

Different research studies have found that children growingup in deprived settings present irregular developmental characteristics (López, 1981). Based on these findings, it was hypothesized that a deficient socialization in basic developmental contexts would strongly influence both children's behaviour, and their social skills. Interactive patterns in other contexts would also be affected, as children reproduce behaviour patterns learnt in the rearing context.

In the present study, peer interactions were observed in 48 preschool children attending to two schools: one located in an ordinary school, and the other in a child protection centre (for children from deprived homes). Children's interactions were observed during playtime using Rubin's (1989) Play observation Scale.

Children's behaviour was found to vary significantly between the two schools. Interactions involving less social contact were significantly more frequent at the protection centre, while those involving more social contact occurred more frequently at the school. Overall, play is a more social interaction at the school, and individualistic at the protection centre. When children's gender was considered, however, results showed that differences were more marked between the two groups of boys; with some differences, girls' behaviour was more homogeneous.

A possible factor that could help explain these data are children's social interactions within the family and at school. Following Corsaro (1986; 1988), we argue that when children create their own interactive settings, they reproduce characteristics from the adult world. Children use these settings as a way of entering the adult social world.

Many studies have shown that children growing up in deprived contexts tend to engage in interactions with limited socio-emotional contact, offering few possibilities of involvement in social activities with their peers. This means that these children have very few opportunities to develop their socio-emotional skills. This lack of social-emotional experience is reflected in school playtime interaction.

One possible explanation for the gender differences is that boys and girls develop and learn in different socio-emotional contexts. Competitive activities, affective control, independence, and strict stereotyping are more common in boys' interactions. on the other hand, girls interactions tend to promote close personal relationships, sincerity, submission and to act according to stereotypes. In this way, the greater social orientation which characterizes girls' interactions could also be an important factor to explain the observed gender differences.

Palabras clave:

• Interacción entre iguales
• socialización
• juego

Keywords:

• Peer interaction
• socialization
• play