ERIC Number: EJ1255846
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1836-9391
EISSN: N/A
Enhancing Executive Function through Imaginary Play: A Promising New Practice Principle
Walker, Sue; Fleer, Marilyn; Veresov, Nikolai; Duhn, Iris
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, v45 n2 p114-126 Jun 2020
This paper presents the findings of a study conducted with preschool teachers trialling an intervention in which executive function activities are embedded in teachers' daily practices and imaginary play is used to build meaningful problem situations that children solve using executive functions. The participants were 227 preschool children (53% male, M age = 55.5 months, SD = 4.2) in 10 preschool groups from Brisbane, Australia. The intervention consisted of educators and children creating and developing an imaginary situation (playworld) over an extended period (e.g. one school term). Executive function was assessed pre- and post-intervention. A repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated significant differences between Time 1 and Time 2 on all executive function measures. The study found that teachers can develop children's executive functions when executive function activities are embedded in teachers' daily practices, and when imaginary play is used to build meaningful problem situations that children solve using executive functions.
Descriptors: Executive Function, Imagination, Preschool Teachers, Preschool Children, Intervention, Problem Solving, Foreign Countries, Child Development, Program Effectiveness, Dramatic Play
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A