AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE, THOUGHT AND ACTION DURING THE BLOCK PLAY OF PRESCHOOLERS: A GENDER DIFFERENCE PERSPECTIVE

Effects of gender and the presence of representational objects on language, thought and constructive action of preschoolers engaged in symbolic play with blocks were investigated in a combined quasi-naturalistic and experimental study. Language and constructive action of 48 preschoolers at play with blocks were videotaped and coded. Results of language analysis indicated that language use by preschoolers during block play is neither universal nor a function of gender or the presence of representational objects; females produce more varied cognitive transformations than boys; females overall, employ cognitive transformations with greater regularity than males; and, substitution is the most frequently employed cognitive transformation by subjects overall. Its occurrence, moreover, is most frequent when a non-human object is presented before a human object in play situations. Results of constructive action analysis indicate that the presence of a human figure results in fewer blocks manipulated; patterns of construction vary with gender, males prefer bridge building while females prefer building multidimensional structures; and, an inverse relationship exists between language production and bridge building with bridge builders employing significantly less language. Findings are interpreted within a constructivist perspective.