El papel de las interacciones entre iguales en el proceso de socializaciónimplicaciones educativas de un estudio transcultural del juego en preescolares holandeses y andaluces

Abstract

This article is based on the study carried out in Andalusian and Dutch preschool centres in which play behaviour of children who attend rural or urban schools in both countries was observed. The data showed clear differences in the children�s playing behaviour�s social orientation. Dutch children�s play tended to be more individualistic and headed towards physic world�s exploration. However, Andalusian children�s play was more socially directed, that is, it was more centered on the relationships among children. This general tendency was diminished when urban schools were compared, and increased when contrasting the rural ones. These data are sound and agree with the data collected in other cross-cultural investigations, which indicated that children�s playing reflect the cultural environment of the adults� worlds in which they develop. In our case, the differences in the children�s play behaviour may be interpreted in terms of the individualistic or collectivitist orientations of the Dutch and Andalusian cultures, respectively. Along with this general tendency, the role that the playground organization (physical distribution, present objects, etc.) holds in behaviour�s orientation is analyzed. The fact of how both comunities� playgrounds are different is shown, and this plays an important role in the child�s playing determination . This difference is interpreted, not as a methodological bias to be avoided, but more as bounded to notions on development and children�s education, present in both cultural environment.