When free-play time is scarce in kindergarten: What predicts peer acceptance and friendship?

Abstract

Peer acceptance and friendship can predict children’s well-being and developmental outcomes. Social behaviors during free-play constitute one of the best predictors for peer acceptance. Nowadays some kindergartens in Hong Kong place great emphasis on academic achievement, making free-play time scarce. How do children interact in such kindergartens? Can their social interactions nonetheless predict peer acceptance status? In prior studies, peer interaction among young children was often observed during free play, but this was not feasible in most local 3-year half-day kindergarten in Hong Kong due to the scarcity of free play. My research team has observed children’s peer-directed social behaviors whenever they were not under close teacher supervision. These social behaviors, including play, communication, laughter, humor, and friendly physical contact (e.g., holding hands), were observed in K1 and K2. Overall, even when free-play time was very limited (e.g., 15 minutes per half-day session), children managed to interact with their classmates, and their peer interaction in kindergarten early on (i.e., K1 and K2) did predict peer acceptance and friendship later on (i.e., K2 and K3). Clear sex differences were uncovered, perhaps due to sex differences in self-regulations and sex-stereotype expectations.

同伴和朋友對兒童的身心跟社交發展有重要影響。過往的研究顯示，我們可以透過觀察幼 兒自由玩耍時的社交行為來預測他們會否獲同伴接納，籍此及早識別有社交困難的孩子。 可惜，在「贏在起跑線」的風氣下，香港很多幼兒園因為重視學業，把課程排得密密麻麻， 以致學童只有很短的自由玩耍的時間（每天少於15 分鐘）。因此，要及早找出可能會受排 擠的幼兒變得很困難。 我們在本地幼兒園觀察時發現，雖然孩子只有很少自由時間，但是他們經常把握機會和同 學互動：在短暫排隊去洗手間的時候互相扮鬼臉、在自選時間鬥快完成堂課、在老師看不 見時偷偷地玩耍等。當然，對比起自由活動的互動，這些互動有很多限制，也有小孩會怕 被老師責罰而不敢玩。我們會分享K1 和K2 幼兒在沒有老師近距離監督時的互動情況，以 及這些互動情況怎樣預測孩子於K2 和K3 受同伴接納的程度。