Preschool Children with Behavioral Problems: Observation in Instructional and Free Play Contexts

Abstract

Task-related and social behaviors of teacher-identified preschool children at risk for behavior problems were examined in two school settings, a structured instructional context and an unstructured free play context. Participating as study subjects were 42 preschoolers from low-income, minority families attending local Head Start programs, 21 from a teacher-identified problem behavior group and 21 from a nonidentified comparison group. The problem behavior group was composed of approximately equal numbers of children at risk for externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems. Results demonstrated that on-task behavior was significantly higher in the instructional context in the free play context, and group differences in on-task, aggressive, and prosocial behavior depended on context.

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