Abstract
Meanings are constructed in social relationships or discourses and at the same time they further individuals’ identities. In the preschool period, rule-consciousness of preschoolers begins to germinate. The process of meaning construction of rules provides preschoolers access to construct understanding of themselves, peers and their world. This research focuses on how meanings of rules are constructed in block play and what influence this has on preschoolers’ identities. Four in-depth cases are involved in this research, and a qualitative analysis based on Bakhtin’s dialogical theory is adopted. This research reveals that meaning construction of rules in the block area is based on dialogues and meaning sharing, which arise from conflicts or negative experiences with peers in play. In the continuous understanding, negotiation and interpretation with peers, meanings of rules are finally constructed, and in this process, preschoolers start to disengage from self-centeredness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Amuchastegui, A. (1999). Dialogue and the negotiation of meaning: Constructions of virginity in Mexico. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 1(1), 79–93.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1929). Problems of Dostoevsky’s Art (Russian). Leningrad: Priboj.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination: Four essays (M. Holquist, Eds. C. Emerson, & M. Holquist, Trans.). Austin: University of Texas Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1986). Speech genres and other late essays. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1993). Toward a philosophy of the act. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Bielo, J. S. (2004). Walking in the spirit of blood: Moral identity among born-again Christians. Ethnology, 43(3), 271.
Burke, A. (2013). Children’s construction of identity in virtual play worlds – A classroom perspective. Language and Literacy, 15(1), 58–73.
Chen, Q. (2007). Deficiency of children’s spirit under the rules of kindergarten class activity. Studies in Early Childhood Education, (4), 19–23.
Chen, S. L. (2011). Records and analysis of preschool class rules. Studies in Early Childhood Education, (11), 40–44.
Cohen, L. E. (2015). Layers of discourse in preschool block play: An examination of children’s social interactions. International Journal of Early Childhood, 47(2), 267–281.
Cohen, L. E. (2017). Preschool discourse interactions: Playful meaning making from a carnival lens. Knowledge Cultures, 5(3), 59–69.
Cohen, L., & Uhry, J. (2007). Young children’s discourse strategies during block play: A Bakhtinian approach. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 21(3), 302–315.
Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: SAGE.
Duncan, R. M., & Tarulli, D. (2003). Play as the leading activity of the preschool period: Insights from Vygotsky, Leont’ev, and Bakhtin. Early Education & Development, 14(3), 271–292.
Fairhurst, G. T., & Grant, D. (2010). The social construction of leadership: A sailing guide. Management Communication Quarterly, 24(2), 171–210.
Frijda, N. H. (1986). The emotions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gee, J. P., & Green, J. L. (1998). Discourse analysis, learning, and social practice: A methodological study. Review of Research in Education, 23, 119–169.
Gill, M. (1994). Psychoanalysis in transition. Hillsdale: The Analytic Press.
Gioia, C. (1991). Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), 433–448.
Grice, H. P. (1989). Studies in the way of words (pp. 215–221). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Hartman, I. (1994). Setting the theme: Many ways of knowing. In E. Sherman & W. J. Reid (Eds.), Qualitative research in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.
Hartup, W. W. (1983). Peer relations. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (Socialization, personality, and social development) (Vol. 4, pp. 103–196). New York: Wiley.
Hirata, M. (1997). Kindergarten children’s perceptions of classroom rules: A cross-cultural perspective. Logan: Utah State University.
Hoffman, I. (1992). Some practical implications of a social-constructivist view of the psychoanalytic situation. Psychanalytic Dialogues, 2(3), 287–303.
Hou, L. M. (1999). On children’s rules education. Education Guide, (S3), 13–14.
Ignelzi, M. (2000). Meaning-making in the learning and teaching process. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 82, 5–14.
Izard, C. (1977). Human emotions. New York: Plenum.
Kihlstrom, J. F., Cantor, N., Albright, J. S., Chew, B. R., Klein, S. B., & Niedenthal, P. M. (1988). Information processing and the study of the self. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 145–178.
Ladd, G. W., Price, J. W., & Hart, C. H. (1990). Preschoolers’ behavioral orientations and patterns of peer contact: Predictive of peer status. In S. R. Asber & J. D. Cole (Eds.), Peer rejection in childhood (pp. 90–115). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (2009). Social construction of reality. In S. Littlejohn & K. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory (pp. 892–895). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Leslie, S. G., & Juan, P. (2001). A dialectical constructivist view of the creation of personal meaning. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 14, 165–186.
Maitlis, S. (2005). The social processes of organizational sensemaking. Academy of Management Journal, 48(1), 21–49.
Miehls, D. (2001). The interface of racial identity development with identity complexity in clinical social work student practitioners. Clinical Social Work Journal, 29(3), 229–244.
Miehls, D., & Moffatt, K. (2000). Constructing social work identity based on the reflexive self. British Journal of Social Work, 30, 339–348.
Perez-Foster, R. (1998). The clinician’s cultural countertransference: The psychodynamics of culturally competent practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 26(3), 253–270.
Qiu, Z. H. (2009). Research on the rationality of education in early childhood social norms. Nanchang: Jiangxi People’s Publish.
Saari, C. (2000). Dialogue and identity complexity. Smith College Studies In Social Work, 71(1), 3–17.
Schneider, K. J., Pierson, J. F., & Bugental James, F. T. (2014). The handbook of humanistic psychology: Theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Shields, M. M., & Duveen, G. (1986). Dialects, dialogue, and social transmission of knowledge. In I. Kurcz, G. W. Shugar, & J. Danks (Eds.), Knowledge and language (pp. 517–539). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
The Ministry of Education of The People’s Republic of China. (2001). Teaching guidelines for preschool education. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press.
Weick, K. E. (1988). Enacted sensemaking in crisis situations. Journal of Management Studies, 25(4), 305–317.
Weick, K. E., & Bougonm, G. (1986). Organizationsas cause maps. In H. P. Sims Jr. & D. A. Gioia (Eds.), Social cognition in organizations (pp. 102–135). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wu, Y. (2003). Discussion on children’s playing rules. Studies in Early Childhood Education, (1), 20–22.
Zigler, E. F., Singer, D. G., & Bishop-Josef, S. J. (2004). Children’s play: The roots of reading. Washington, DC: Zero to Three Press.
Acknowledgement
We sincerely thank children, teachers and kindergarten principals involved in this study for their trust and support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sun, L., Chen, Y., Pan, YJ., Ming, YL. (2020). Meaning Construction of Rules in Peer Play: A Case Study of Block Play. In: Ridgway, A., Quiñones, G., Li, L. (eds) Peer Play and Relationships in Early Childhood. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42331-5_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42331-5_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-42330-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-42331-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)