ABSTRACT

Literacy-enriched play interventions typically focus on sociodramatic play settings, where children's play style may mediate the effectiveness of this intervention. Dramatists, who show a preference for dramatic play activity, are more likely to choose literacy-enriched dramatic play settings and therefore may receive more exposure to the intervention. Patterners, on the other hand, may choose to spend most of their time playing in the block and art areas and thus experience less exposure to the literacy-enriched play settings. Focusing on these two broad patterns of play behavior, this chapter shows how individual differences in play styles might influence children's play preferences in literacy-enriched settings. It discusses the interaction between individual differences and the environment during free-play time. To understand the dynamic role of individual differences in play and literacy, the chapter examines two child characteristics: play style (patterners and dramatists) and literacy ability (low and high) and investigates three environmental factors: play settings, teacher interaction, and literacy activities.