Play in Cultural Contexts

This volume compiles articles based on the presentations delivered at two conferences. The conferences presented a multidisciplinary overview of research on children's play in different cultural contexts. The articles are grouped under six subheadings: play in the family context, play in the zone of proximal development, play in the kindergarten, play and learning, play and toys, and the history and future of play in society. The articles are: (1) "Estonian Parents' Comprehension of Children's Play and Toys" (Aino Saar and Lehte Tuuling); (2) "Relations between Family Members According to the Kvebaek Family Sculpture Technique: A Comparative Study of Families with and without Mentally Retarded Children" (Marika Veisson); (3) "Play and Expansive Learning in Day Care" (Pentii Hakkarainen); (4) "Children's Play and the Creative Process" (E. Peter Johnsen); (5) "Exploring the Zone of Proximal Development" (Bert van Oers); (6) "Joint Action in Young Children's Play in a Day Care Centre" (Maritta Hannikainen); (7) "The Aesthetics of Play: A Didactic Study of Play and Culture in Preschools" (Gunilla Lindqvist); (8) "Play and Learning in Preschool" (Gunni Karrby); (9) "Lithuanian Folk Games--A Reflection of Ethnic Culture" (Aldona Vaicheine); (10) "The Role of Folkloric Musical-Didactic Play in a Child's Development" (Maie Vikat); (11) "Toys and Early Literacy Development" (James F. Christie); (12) "Cross-Cultural Study of Estonian and Finnish Children's Toy Preference" (Soili Keskinen and Anu Leppiman); (13) "Victimization on the Way to Hero-Making in the Play of 7-8-Year-Old American Boys" (Joseph J. Dambrauskas); (14) "Play, Education, and Culture--A Problematic Combination" (Jarmo Kinos); and (15) "The Future of Children's Play in a Changing Society and the Task of Educational Theory" (Hein Retter). Each article contains references. (HTH).