Relations between Fantasy Orientation, Pretense and Parental Attitudes in Preschool Children

Abstract

Fantasy orientation (FO) refers to the individual differences to the extent that children prefer pretend activities over real ones. In the current study, the relations between children’s FO, pretend play, and parental attitudes towards child's play were examined. Seventy-eight 3- to 4- year-old children and their parents participated in the study. FO was assessed with child interviews and parent questionnaires. Several behavioral tasks were administered to measure pretend play. The parents also completed a questionnaire about their attitudes towards child’s play behavior. The results showed that there are gender differences in children’s FO: Boys preferred real games, thoughts, and activities more often than the pretend ones. However, girls’ pretend and real preferences did not differ. Yet, overall, girls preferred more pretend games, thoughts, and activities and were more fantasy-oriented compared to the boys. Children’s pretend play was not associated with parental attitudes towards play behavior. However, there were associations between pretend play and FO: The amount of time spent pretend playing was correlated with children’s FO. Further, parents’ positive attitudes regarding pretense predicted higher FO in children. Also, only for boys, parents’ stance on the educational value of pretend play predicted higher FO. The findings and implications are discussed.

Keywords

• Fantasy orientation
• Pretend play
• Parental attitudes
• Preschool children.

Project Number

114K330

Okul Öncesi Dönemdeki Çocukların Hayali Yatkınlıkları, -Mış gibi Becerileri ve Ebeveyn Tutumları Arasındaki İlişkiler

Abstract

Çocukların günlük hayatlarında hayal güçlerini kullanırken gözlemlenen bireysel farklılıklar hayali yatkınlık olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu araştırmada okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların hayali yatkınlıklarının incelenmesi ve -mış gibi oyun ve ebeveyn tutumları ile ilişkisinin araştırılması hedeflenmiştir. Çalışmaya 3 ve 4 yaşlarındaki 78 çocuk ve ebeveynleri katılmıştır. Çocukların hayali yatkınlıkları mülakat yoluyla bilgi alınarak ve ebeveynlerinden anket yoluyla bilgi toplanarak; -mış gibi becerileri çocuklara bazı davranışsal görevler verilerek; çocuklarının oyunlarına yönelik ebeveyn tutumları ise anket yoluyla ölçülmüştür. Sonuçlara göre çocukların hayali yatkınlıklarında cinsiyete bağlı farklılıklar gözlenmiştir. Oğlan çocuklarının günlük hayatlarında gerçekçi oyun, düşünce ve aktiviteleri, hayali olanlara kıyasla daha çok tercih ettikleri bulunmuştur. Kız çocuklarının ise hayali ve gerçekçi tercihleri birbirlerinden ayrılmamakla beraber oğlan çocuklarına kıyasla tercihlerinin daha çok hayali ögeler içerdiği ve daha yüksek hayali yatkınlıklarının olduğu görülmüştür.

Keywords

• Hayali yatkınlık
• -Mış gibi oyun
• Ebeveyn tutumları
• Okul öncesi çocuklar.

Supporting Institution

Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu

Project Number

114K330

Thanks

Araştırmaya katkılarından dolayı katılımcı ailelere ve çocuklara; verilerin toplanmasında ve kodlanmasında yardımcı olan asistanlara teşekkür ederiz.

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