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Cross-Cultural Psychology of Play and Early Childhood Education
Asil Ali Özdoğru ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This book chapter reviews theory, research and practice on play in early childhood education from a cross-cultural perspective. It says play is found in all cultures and is important for children's development. It notes that play differs a great deal within and across cultures. The chapter argues that early childhood professionals working in multicultural settings should understand the scientific theories and cross-cultural research on play so they can use play well.
Key points
- Play is a universal form of human behavior observed across all cultures.
- Play has common qualities but varies greatly within and across cultures.
- Early childhood professionals need to make better use of play from an intercultural perspective.
- Quality early childhood education programs make play a central element of the curriculum, considering individual and group differences.
- Developmentally and culturally appropriate practice requires assessing children's individual and cultural characteristics when planning play-based interventions.
Limitations
Only a short abstract is available, so it gives no details on the studies reviewed, the cultures or countries covered, or any data. It does not test any specific intervention.
Abstract
Play is a universal form of human behavior that has been observed across all cultures and constitutes a fundamental role in children's development. This chapter summarizes theory, research, and practice of play in early childhood education from a cross-cultural perspective. Even though there are common qualities of play, there is a great deal of variation within and across cultures. In the multicultural environment of globalizing world, early childhood professionals need to make better use of play from an intercultural perspective. Effective utilization of play in early childhood education needs a thorough understanding of scientific theories and cross-cultural research on play. Quality early childhood education programs incorporate play as a central element in the curriculum with consideration of both individual- and group-level differences. Developmentally and culturally appropriate practice in early childhood education demands the assessment and utilization of individual and cultural characteristics of children in the planning and implementation of play-based interventions.