Eastern Student Stefanie Dominguez Participates in 2017 TIMPANI Toy Study

2017 Dec 13

Eastern Connecticut State University's Center for Early Childhood Education announced on Dec. 6 that "Animal Kingdom Mega Pack" by Animal Planet has been named the 2017 TIMPANI (Toys that Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination) Toy. Six Eastern students fulfilled integral roles for the nationally acclaimed study.

Among them was Stefanie Dominguez '18 of Glastonbury, who majors in Early Childhood Education and Communication. Dominguez was one of four student researchers on the study.

Now in its eighth year, the annual study investigates how young children learn as they play with a variety of toys in natural settings. Ten toys were selected this year for the study by teachers, faculty and student researchers. The toys were placed in preschool classrooms at the University's Child and Family Development Resource Center, and student researchers used hidden cameras to videotape children playing with the toys. Researchers then coded the footage according to the study's evaluation rubric, which includes four subscales: thinking and learning, cooperation and social interaction, creativity and imagination, and verbalization. For this year's study, researchers coded nearly 8,000 five-minute observations.

The Animal Kingdom Mega Pack received the highest overall score in this year's study. It also scored the highest in three of the four subscales: creativity and imagination, social interaction, and verbalization. It was the highest-scoring toy for both boys and girls. It also scored highly for children from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

"This study is important because it helps teachers to understand how the toys we provide to children affect how they think and play," said Dominguez, acknowledging that different toys support different areas of thinking and development.

Speaking to her undergraduate experiences at Eastern, Dominguez added: "Because of the research I've done at Eastern, I've gotten to travel to and present at a national conference to educators from around the world. I've gotten to work with students and professors to help increase the understanding of how children develop through play, which will hopefully change how we as teachers interact with our students."

To view the press conference for the 2017 studty, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRHzF_sUnP4

Previous TIMPANI toys include Plus-Plus by Plus-Plus (2016), Wooden Cash Register by Hape (2015); Paint and Easel by Community Playthings and Hot Wheels Cars by Mattel (2014); Magna-Tiles by Valtech and My First Railway by Brio (2013); Duplo Blocks by LEGO (2012); Tinker Toys by Hasbro (2011); Wooden Vehicles and Signs by Melissa and Doug (2010).

TIMPANI results have been widely reported, including by sources such as International Business Times, All-Jazeera America and television news programs across the country. The instrument used in the study has been shared by request with researchers all over the world, including Turkey.