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Preschoolers’ Cooperative Problem-Solving During Play in Chinese and U.S. Classrooms

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Abstract

This study investigated children’s cooperative problem solving (CPS) behaviors during play in classrooms and associated influencing factors (school, age, and gender) in a Chinese kindergarten and U.S. early learning center. Four- and five-year-old participants (n = 39) were from one Chinese kindergarten and one U.S. center. They were video recorded during free play in the classrooms. The video footage (n = 2340 min) was coded using the coding system adapted from Ramani’s work (Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 58:159–190, 2012), and a two-way MANOVA and multiple regression were conducted. The results indicated significant school and age differences in terms of children’s CPS-related behaviors; in addition, school predicted the children’s frequency of coordinate behavior, and age predicted the children’s use of physical demonstration, explanation, and imitation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Elementary Education, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, USA

    Meilan Jin

  2. Department of Child and Family Studies, The University of Tennessee, 1215 W. Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1912, USA

    Mary Jane Moran

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  1. Meilan Jin
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  2. Mary Jane Moran
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Correspondence to Meilan Jin.

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Jin, M., Moran, M.J. Preschoolers’ Cooperative Problem-Solving During Play in Chinese and U.S. Classrooms. Early Childhood Educ J 51, 503–513 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01323-4

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