Children's Perceptions of Pretend Play Over Time

Abstract

This study examined how age and gender influence children's perceptions of play over time. Participants in the study, 39 children between the ages of three and five, answered pretend play questions pulled from the Play Skills Self Report Questionnaire (PSSRQ). Children in the study were enrolled in either a three or four-year-classroom and were assessed in the Fall of 2016 and again in the Spring of 2017. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA's were used to assess the influence that age and gender have on children's perceptions of pretend play. Results showed that children enrolled in the three-year-old classroom did not assess their play differently than children enrolled in the four-year-old classroom. Results also showed that males and females respond differently when assessing their play. iii Acknowledgement I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair person Dr. Barbara Warash. You have helped me achieve what I did not believe was possible. I would also like to thank Dr. Jessica Troilo, and Dr. Karen Rambo-Hernandez for serving on my committee. A special thank you to Karen for being patient while assisting me with statistics. I want to thank my friends and family for supporting me while I completed this degree. A special thank you to Erin Moore, a fellow graduate student who spent many hours encouraging me throughout the writing process. Lastly, I would like to thank Melissa Workman and Keri Law for being excellent mentors, you have helped me become a better educator.