INTERACTIVE POTENTIAL IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS ACCORDING TO SOCIOMETRIC STATUS AND TYPE OF ACTIVITY

Abstract

The types of interactions that occur in early childhood education have a decisive influence on the social development of children. Play is also a positive context for building relationships. This study aims to determine the type of interactions that preschoolers experience according to their sociometric status and the type of activity, play or academic. A sociogram was drawn for forty seven children and their teachers from two kindergarten classrooms in Cordoba. Twelve of the children who were listed as popular, not so popular or rejected (unpopular) were observed during one hour each for the type of interactions they had with teachers and other children. Results showed that those listed as rejected received and sent out fewer positive interactions; those listed as popular were the ones who related with more children, mainly in play activities, while their interactions with adults were limited to academic work. The results are interpreted as a need to make improvements in the context of framing relationships in current early childhood classrooms.