Exploring children's play culture in an early childhood classroom :|an ethnographic study

Abstract

This study aims to explore children's play culture in an early childhood classroom. Additionally, there are two more objectives of this study. The first objective is; the characteristics of the socio-dramatic play that takes place in the classroom. The second one is exploring the active construction process of socio-dramatic play with special attention to how children name the play, how they terminate play, how they evolve into other things or other types of play. The qualitative study is conducted as an ethnographic study in an Early Childhood Education Center. In order to conduct this ethnographic study, ten children aged between four and five, who form one classroom, participated in this research. Observations, field notes, informal interviews and children's drawings were used. A general overview of the play in the classroom, play scenarios constructed by the children of the Little Daisies classroom, play culture in the classroom and general characteristics of socio-dramatic play in the classroom are described in detail.