A naturalistic observation of social behaviours during preschool drop-off

Abstract

The present study utilised naturalistic observation to assess the impact of parental departure during daily drop-off at preschool on children's settling into daily preschool routines. Forty-six 3 -5-year-old children and their parents/caregivers were observed during morning drop-off at preschool. Longer latencies of parent/ caregiver leaving were associated with less child -peer engagement, solitary active play, and onlooking and were associated with more child -caregiver proximity-seeking, hugging and kissing, and picking up and holding. Mothers and other female caregivers were slightly more likely to pick up and hold their children during drop-off than fathers and other male caregivers. Findings suggest that continued parental involvement may initially hinder children's daily settling into the preschool classroom environment through facilitation of escape or avoidance. Additional research is needed to better understand individual differences that may serve as protective factors or vulnerabilities affecting children's daily adaptation to the preschool environment.

A naturalistic study of elementary recess in Canada

“…More related to this study, Coplan et al (2015) studied schoolyard social participation and Vlachou et al (2013) observed rates of bullying among children. Much earlier Amato (1989) observed caretakers of children, while Grady et al (2012) used NO during preschool drop-off. Naturalistic observers documented, processed, and reported what they observed.…”

Influence of Social Interaction Interventions Used by Teachers on School Readiness among Pre-Primary Learners in Konoin Sub-County, Bomet County. Kenya

“…Positive social behavior in preschoolers is characterized by three behavioral qualities (Grady et al, 2012). For starters, they employ a wide range of social abilities in a variety of situations.…”

Review of Experimental Social Behavioral Interventions for Preschool Children: An Evidenced-Based Synthesis

“…297)." The social behavior of preschool children has been studied by researchers (Gesell, 1925) in preschool settings/environments (Lawrence, 2018), which are classrooms where children typically 3 to 5 years of age receive their formal education, for nearly a century (Berne & Van, 1930;Chandler et al, 1992a;Chittenden, 1942;Choi & Ohm, 2018 ;Grady et al, 2012;Jolstead et al, 2017;Lane et al, 2017;Marshall & McCandless, 1957;Parten, 1933 ;Parten & Newhall, 1943). Positive social behavior may be observed in preschool settings when the children function appropriately with others and their environment during designated class activities particularly when presented with social occasions including but not limited to free play.…”