This study investigated the moderating effect of
gender on the causal relationships between different school
play activities (pretend and non-pretend play) and social
competence in peer interactions among a sample of Hong
Kong children. Participants were 60 Hong Kong
preschoolers (mean age = 5.44, 36.67 % female). Children
with matched home pretend play time period were ran￾domly assigned to pretend or non-pretend play groups to
take part in pretend or non-pretend play activities respec￾tively in the 1-month kindergarten play training. Children’s
pre- and post-training social competences were assessed by
their teachers. Results revealed a trend that girls who
participated in school pretend play tended to be less dis￾ruptive during peer interactions after the training than those
who participated in non-pretend play, while boys were
similarly benefited from the two play activities. The
implications for play-related research and children’s social
competence development are discussed.

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Tersedia

• Effect of School Pretend Play on Preschoolers Social Competence in Peer Interactions: Gender as a Potential Moderator

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