Abstract
This study describes symbolic representation in block play in a culturally diverse suburban preschool classroom. Block play is multimodal and can allow children to experiment with materials to represent the world in many forms of literacy. Combined qualitative and quantitative data from seventy-seven block structures were collected and analyzed. The observed frequency of symbolism used for three levels of symbolism (1) pre-symbolism, (2) first level symbolism, and (3) second level symbolism was investigated. Results indicated significant differences for first level symbolism or real-world objects. Students reported making homes for Webkinz, indicating an ability to encode multimodally the Webkinz computer game played at home to their school block play. The implications from these findings suggest educators should consider both a sociocultural perspective on playing and children’s out of-school experiences on learning. A research agenda that includes multimodality as performance is critical to early childhood education.
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Cohen, L., Uhry, J. Naming Block Structures: A Multimodal Approach. Early Childhood Educ J 39, 79–87 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0425-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0425-x