The impact of the play environment on the social integration of mentally retarded and nondisabled children.
Item
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Title
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The impact of the play environment on the social integration of mentally retarded and nondisabled children.
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Identifier
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AAI9009722
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identifier
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9009722
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Creator
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Cheung, Maria Marisa.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Roger Hart
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Date
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1989
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social | Psychology, Developmental | Education, Special
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Abstract
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This study is the first empirical attempt to explore the social integration potential of different types of play equipment in New York City's first outdoor public playground designed to integrate disabled and non-disabled children. This integrated outdoor play setting provides a valuable opportunity to study factors that can promote the mainstreaming of disabled children through play. Research has suggested that mentally retarded (MR) children are better accepted by their non-disabled (ND) peers in a gross-motor play setting than in the classroom. Four different play equipment areas were selected for behavioral observation: swings, sand box with wooden castle, climbing net with soft mat floor, and water play area with waterwheel. A total of 87 MR children and 72 ND children were observed. The results showed that limited social integration occurred between MR and ND children on the playground. Among the four equipment areas, the net area was associated with the highest percentages of peer group play and social integration. Rough and tumble type of play activities observed in the net area appeared to bring children into contact with one another unintentionally and spontaneously, while the other three play areas required children to make more conscious efforts to initiate contact. The findings also suggest that play areas with few or no toys are more likely to be associated with more positive peer interactions and less negative behaviors than are areas with many toys. Children who were observed to have close adult supervision engaged in less peer interactions and less integrated play than children observed with less stringent supervision. Among the factors that were found to influence children's peer interactions and integrated play include: children's age, gender, severity of MR children's condition, social density in equipment area, children's familiarity with the playground and familiarity with their playmates within an equipment area.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
