1. Exploring Representations of Children’s School Experiences: Where is Play?
Darlene DeMarie, Ph.D.
Fulbright Faculty Advisor
University of South Florida
Paper presented in the symposium,
“Play and Social Justice,”
2014 Annual Conference of the
National Association for the Education
of Young Children, Dallas, Texas

2. Ongoing Research since 2001
3 methods for gathering information about children’s views about school and what they do at school:
Interviews: Children talk about a day at their school, what they do/learn, what their teacher teaches them, and their favorite thing to do/learn.
Autophotography (Ziller, 1990): Take a photograph to answer a question (Context is making a Book about their school) Children take photographs to show others what their school is like.
Picture Selection: Children select from 8 (preschool) or 11 (elementary) pictures the one that best shows what their school is like or the one that is most important to them. (Teachers help us to select photos that represent the labels)

3. However, play is not available to all children in equitable ways.
Key Finding: Play is Important to Children Regardless of the Method Used to Collect Data
However, play is not available to all children in equitable ways.

4. Photography Data Collected
DeMarie (2001). Early Childhood Research & Practice (Zoo Study)
In Florida, Schools are graded based on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT), a standardized achievement test.
I have collected data at schools:
Graded “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F”
a Catholic School
a school that was in South Africa that was carefully matched with the “A” school in Tampa, Florida
preschools in 2 very different contexts
(urban Florida and rural Ohio)

5. Let’s Go To Elementary Schools!

6. “A” School versus “F” School (“Successful” versus “Unsuccessful”)
Other Demographics I recently discovered:
1009 Whites (92%)
8 Blacks (<1%)
57 Hispanic/ Latino(a) (5%)
24 Asians (2%)
2 Native Americans (<1%)
(Not a Title I School)
1 White (<1%)
120 Black (92%)
8 Hispanic/Latino(a)
(6%)
0 Asian (0%)
2 Native American
(1.5%)
(A Title I School)

7. “A” School vs. “F” School Talk about Play
Children at the “A” School (not Title I) talked significantly more about play than children at the “F” School (a Title I School) – especially in the early grades.
DeMarie, 2010, Early Childhood Research and Practice,

8. Photographs Taken that Represented the Play Theme
“Take pictures to show others what your school is like” Again, play was represented more in the photos taken at the “A” School…. especially in the early grades
Note. We recoded the data in DeMarie (2010) to expand the categories.

9. Picture Selection
Which picture best shows what school is like? (labeled photographs selected by teachers to illustrate the label)
A School
F School
Play
11% 0%
Fun
10%
DeMarie, 2010, Early Childhood Research and Practice,

10. Two Different “C” Schools
Suburban Location
Urban Location
Minority Rate 26%
40% on Free or Reduced Lunches
652 Whites (78%)
47 Blacks (6%)
113 Hispanic/ Latino(a) (14%)
24 Asians (3%)
0 Native Americans (0%)
Minority Rate 60%
72% on Free or Reduced Lunches
614 Whites (87%)
43 Blacks (6%)
35 Hispanic/ Latino(a) (5%)
9 Asians (1%)
3 Native Americans (<1%)
Nearly ¼ of children in
segregated Special
Education classes.

11. “C” Schools: Talk about Play
Children talked significantly more about play at the Suburban School that had fewer children on free or reduced lunch (40%) than at the Urban School that had a higher percentage of children on free or reduced lunch (72%).

12. Catholic School

13. Catholic School Talk and Photographs
Play is represented both in talk and in photographs at
Kindergarten and 3rd Grade to Represent what school is like.

14. Now let’s travel to South Africa!
Note: This school in South Africa closely matched the “A” school in the previous study, and all of the statistics that follow included only these two closely matched schools: one in South Africa and one in the U.S.

15. South Africans talked more about play & less about academics than American Children
Talk about Play
Talk about Academics

16. South African Children Took Significantly More Photographs of Play than American Children at Any School
% Photographs of Play
A significantly higher percentage of South African children’s photographs were coded as “play.” 85% of 3rd graders in South Africa took at least one photograph that represented “play.” Only 13% of American 3rd graders did.

17. Preschool through Children’s Eyes
Two Completely Different Contexts
Ohio Preschool – rural region; small liberal arts college
Florida Preschool – urban region; large university
DeMarie, McLain, Mockensturm, & Stevenson (2015, in press)

19. No Significant Quantitative Differences but Two Qualitative Differences
________________________________________________ Preschool Context
_____ _______________
Ohio Florida
Theme (n=20) (n=31)
__________________________________________________ 
Total Play Category (listed below) % %
Play (Non-Specific) % %
Play (Outside Games) % %
Play Inside % %
Play Equipment % %
______________________________________________
The % of statements about play did not differ across these diverse preschool contexts. However, the way children talked about play did differ significantly

20. Proximity of Play Space
In previous research, children took more photographs of play when the play space was in close proximity to their classroom.

21. Play is Not Available to All Children In Equitable Ways
However, play is the most important part of school for many children, regardless of the school, its context, or the demographic make-up of the school.

22. Are children’s opportunities for play fair and equitable?