Descriptive study on the form and function of unstructured play in the pre-school child.

• Main Authors: Palma Candia, Oskarina, Lavadie Saldivia, María Inés, Paredes Ojeda, Cristian, Seguel Nahuelquin, Hernán, Uribe Maldonado, Karina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Chile. Facultad de Medicina 2012
• Subjects: Occupation; Unstructured play; Preschool performance; Form and function; Ocupación; Juego libre; desempeño pre-escolar; forma y función; antartic*; Antártica
• Online Access: https://revistas.uchile.cl/index.php/RTO/article/view/25313

The AIM of this research is to investigate the form and function of the unstructured play of seven children in transition stage (4 to 5 year-old) in the city of Punta Arenas. The children considered in this study are from preschool educational institutions living in the region of Magallanes and the Chilean Antartica. Under the theoretical foundations of Occupational Science it is expected to identify the relevant aspects of the children’s behavior in unstructured play, especially those that may help, or having negative effects in the school performance. The methodology used in this case is qualitative, being its method the case study. The main results demonstrate similarities regarding the functions of the children’s unstructured play, being these mainly “motor-social” functions that have an effect in the school performance. It can be concluded then, that unstructured play helps to develop the children’s learning strategies. It can be used as a diagnosis tool because it permits the observation of adaptive behaviors in children, and also allows determining signs of alert considering the child’s age of development. La investigación tiene como principal objetivo conocer la forma y función del juego libre de 7 niños (as) en etapa de transición (4 a 5 años) de la ciudad de Punta Arenas, considerados en establecimientos educacionales pre-escolares en la región de Magallanes y Antártica Chilena. Bajo los fundamentos teóricos de la Ciencia de la Ocupación, se pretende identificar, a través del juego libre, aspectos relevantes de la conducta del menor, que favorezcan o dificulten su desempeño escolar. La metodología usada es de carácter cualitativo, siendo su método el estudio de caso. Los principales resultados demuestran similitud en la función del juego libre de cada niño(a), siendo estos predominantemente motor-social, los cuales repercuten en su desempeño escolar. Se concluye que, cada juego significa un momento para el aprendizaje y, como herramienta diagnóstica, entrega la posibilidad de visualizar ciertas ...