Gavrilova, M.N.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Surilova, I.U.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Sukhikh, V.L.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Abstract
Background. The theory of play, developed in the context of the cultural-historical approach, may need to be updated due to changes in social and cultural reality.
Objective. This study primarily aimed to determine the influence of age, gender, executive functioning, and children's preferred toys on the likelihood of their desire to play school. Additionally, it sought to create a detailed description of the key themes reflected in children's justifications for wanting or not wanting to engage in school play, based on their verbal comments.
Study Participants. The study included 178 children 4–7 years old from kindergartens located in residential districts of Moscow. At the time of the study, the children's ages ranged from 4 to 7 years (M = 5.55, SD = 0.78). The overall ratio of girls to boys in the sample was nearly equal (106 boys and 118 girls).
Methods. The study employed individual diagnostics to assess executive functioning, along with experimental procedures to explore children's toy preferences.
Results. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between a child's preference for highly realistic toys and their desire to play school. It was observed that girls were 36% more likely than boys to express interest in playing school. However, the hypotheses regarding increased interest in playing school as children approached school age (7 y.o. in Russia) and better executive functioning were not confirmed. The thematic analysis of children's verbal comments revealed that the desire to play school was most frequently linked to an interest in learning activities, a positive attitude toward school, and favorable characteristics of the toy. Conversely, reluctance to play school was associated with the perceived effort required in the play, fear of learning failure.
Conclusions. The identified patterns and themes in children's responses can be valuable for pedagogical work with children,
as well as for elaborating conducive conditions for role-playing in kindergartens. Additionally, these findings can enhance
the methodology for future research in this area.
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To cite this article:
Gavrilova, M.N., Surilova, I.U., Sukhikh, V.L..
“Learning is Hard Even in Play”: Do Today’s Preschoolers Want to Play School?. // National Psychological Journal
2025. 3. Pages42-58. doi: 10.11621/npj.2025.0304
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