PRESCHOOLERS' EXPERIENCES AND DISCOURSES DURING GUIDED PLAY

Date

2025-1

Author

Çetken Aktaş, Hatice Şebnem

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This case study explores children's experiences and discourses during guided play, focusing on design, participation, and play practices. Using Mediated Discourse Analysis, Bourdieu's Theory of Practice, and Sociomaterialism as theoretical frameworks, the study examines how children engage with materials, peers, and adults during guided play. The data were collected through implementing guided play activities in a public preschool and the participants were children aged 60-72 months. The analysis of the data revealed that key design, participation and play practices such as negotiation, testing design elements and building new structures were frequently used by children. The findings contribute to understanding the nexus between key practices by offering insights into the interaction of material and social elements in preschool education, while also highlighting transformative events as moments of learning where these practices intersect. During guided play, children actively use open-ended materials to design artifacts, solve problems, and blend creativity with practical experimentation. Socially, guided play provides environment for collaborative behaviors, active role changes between children, and an acknowledgment of expertise or power. These processes highlight the critical role of guided play in supporting learning and holistic development while emphasizing the material and social dynamics. This thesis study contributes to the growing literature on guided play by offering practical and theoretical implications for preschool education.

Subject Keywords

Guided Play, Preschool Education, Mediated Discourse Analysis, Case Study

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/113029

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis