Density, Location, and Longitudinal Effects on Social Behavior in Two Four-Year-Old Groups of Korean Preschool Children

Abstract

Parten's categories were used in the observation of the social behavior of two 4 year-old groups in a Korean nursery school setting. Results were analyzed with the ANOVA. Longitudinal effects showed that unoccupied behavior decreased, and onlooker and cooperative play increased over a 6 month period of time. Children exhibited more cooperative play outdoors than indoors, but this difference was significant only for children who had a high density indoor play space. Children with a low density indoor playroom played cooperatively both indoors and outdoors. While there were no significant differences between the two groups in the spring semester when both groups had conditions of high density, in the fall semester the low density group exhibited significantly more cooperative play indoors than the high density gronp. The importance of adequate indoor and outdoor play space was highlighted by the difference in social behavior between the two same-age groups.