Work

High Expectations During Guided Pretend Play in Kindergarten: A Promising Way to Enhance Agency in a Digitalized Society?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: As digitalization and digital transformation shape developments in society, children’s competence and agency for digital transformation need to be fostered from an early age. Equitable digital education is of utmost importance. Teachers’ expectation behavior is relevant for providing equitable learning opportunities for all children. This study focuses on guided pretend play in digital education in kindergarten. This study examines whether high-expectation behavior of teachers is found in the behavior of kindergarten teachers during guided pretend play, and whether teacher expectation play behavior reveals different expectations for boys and girls. Video observations of guided pretend play in 15 kindergartens were analyzed using a qualitative cross-over design. While teachers interacted for equal durations with boys and girls during guided pretend play, significantly more incidents revealed teacher expectations toward girls than boys. Overall, high-expectation play behavior was less prevalent than low-expectation play behavior. In order to support further research and practice, an exploration of video sequences identified characteristics of teachers’ high-expectation behavior for guided pretend play, such as holding back or enabling children’s agency.

Source: Education Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/educsci15040399

Authors: Lena Hollenstein, Marius Vogt, Olivia Benz, Franziska Vogt

Institutions: St.Gallen University of Teacher Education, Institut Frühe Bildung 0 bis 8

Language: English

Topic: Early Childhood Education and Development

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172