ERIC Number: EJ887993
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1463-9491
EISSN: N/A
The Heteroglossic World of Preschoolers' Pretend Play
Cohen, Lynn E.
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, v10 n4 p331-342 2009
This inquiry applied Bakhtin's dialogic process to the pretend play of preschool children using an interpretive approach. It used vignettes from videotaped data and Bakhtin's theories of dialogism and heteroglossia to provide an understanding of how children appropriate social roles and rules in pretend play and use a variety of "voices" in role enactment. The study also demonstrates how role enactment contributes to the development of children's ideological self; and how the relation between the self and social/cultural contexts, a perennial issue in the social sciences, is evident within preschool children's pretend play. When applying Bakhtin's dialogic theory to pretend play, three facets became evident. First, children appropriated and assimilated others' words in play. Second, children engaged in a heteroglossic world as they employed different ways of talking to enact play roles. Third, children engaged in a struggle between an authoritative voice and internally persuasive discourse. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Play, Persuasive Discourse, Social Influences, Preschool Children, Teaching Methods, Imagination, Role, Language Usage, Vignettes, Cultural Influences, Suburban Schools, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Communication, Power Structure
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A