Samantha Marsh
  • Pre-Early Childhood Education and Sociology
  • Class of 2016
  • Plainfield, CT

Eastern Student Samantha Marsh of Plainfield Participates in Block Study

2016 Apr 18

Eastern student Samantha Marsh of Plainfield participated in a study titled "Block Play and Mathematics Learning in Preschool: The Effects of Building Complexity, Peer and Teacher Interactions in the Block Area, and Replica Play Materials." Marsh's major is Early Childhood Education and Sociology.

Although block play has been included in early childhood classrooms for over a century, few studies have examined its effects on learning in preschool classrooms. Several investigations have indicated that the complexity of children's block structures in preschool is associated with math ability. This previous work has been conducted in adult-guided or laboratory settings in which individuals or pairs of children are assigned building tasks. In the present investigation, the elements of block play within naturalistic free play periods in preschool classrooms were examined over a six-month period. The effects of peer and teacher interactions and the availability of replica play toys on the building complexity and math learning of 41 three- and four-year-olds were studied.

The level of social participation in block play and the percentage of structures built without toys predicted the complexity of children's buildings. This complexity, in turn, predicted growth in math learning, as measured by pretest and post-test scores on Tools for Early Assessment of Math.