A Vygotskian Framework for Observing and Teaching Bilingual and English-Only Players

Oct 15, 2026

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A Vygotskian, sociocultural framework explains how mature make-believe (sociodramatic) play develops within the social and cultural contexts of preschool classrooms. The discussion examines bilingual dual-language learners and English-only children, emphasizing the need for time, scaffolding, and observation-based supports to reach developed or “mature play.” Video-based examples assess children’s play levels in a dramatic play center using PRoPELS to guide teaching practices and improve language development and self-regulation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Observing and teaching mature make-believe play

Social and cultural context of play

Vygotsky and Elkonin frameworks for play development

PRoPELS observation and assessment

Scaffolding strategies for teachers

Understanding play with dual-language and English-only players

Views of make-believe play

A Vygotskian Framework for Observing and Teaching Bilingual and English-Only Players • Lynn Cohen The author argues that play always occurs within a social context and in relation to the various cultures that coexist within the classroom and the school setting. She uses Vygotsky’s definition of play as dramatic or make-believe play for preschool children, and she applies Vygotskian and post-Vygotskian theories, including Daniil Elkonin’s categories of play, to examine mature and immature play among preschool children. She describes case studies of duallanguage learners (DLLs) and English-only (EO) preschoolers (who need more time and scaffolding to acquire mature, make-believe play) along with those of reluctant players. She also promotes Bodrova and Leong’s observation and assessment measure, PRoPELS, for teachers and researchers seeking to help children reach a mature level of play in early childhood classrooms. She concludes with suggestions for supporting such mature play. Key words: dual-language learners; make-believe play; PRoPELS; scaffolding My purpose is to discuss children in preschool classrooms who need opportunities for scaffolded make-believe play. The story features young, dual language learners (DLLs) and English-only (EO) preschoolers who are developing the language, social and emotional, independence, and self-esteem skills to interact with peers in play centers. This proves especially important because, in the last two decades, early childhood classrooms have become more diverse. According to the United States Department of Education (2020), young children who speak a language other than English have increased 28 percent nationwide. Multilingual young children need opportunities to engage in mature scaffolded play in early childhood classrooms. There exists a paucity of research that has examined the play and social interactions of DLLs in predominately English-speaking preschool classrooms (Halle et al. 2014) . Some have proposed that sociodramatic play with peers 333 American Journal of Play, volume 15, number 3 © 2023 by The Strong [Contact Lynn Cohen at Lynn.Cohen@liu.edu](Contact Lynn Cohen at Lynn.Cohen@liu.edu) offers a potentially important context for the social interactions of DLLs, their language development, and their self-regulation and that such play contributes significantly to their second-language learning (Schmerse 2021) . A sociocultural perspective guides my argument about mature play, a perspective that allows us to understand the relationship between young bilingual learners and their social contexts, which is mediated by their broad repertoire of linguistic and cultural resources. Vygotsky (1967, 1978) and Elkonin (2005) characterized sociodramatic play as an event that helped propel children’s development as they created imaginary situations, adopted and acted out roles, and followed the rules determined by these roles. My study begins with a discussion about make-believe play and the Vygotskian approach, followed by a consideration of Elkonin’s (2005) view on make-believe play in the preschool and kindergarten years. For my purposes, I will use Bodrova and Leong’s (2007) term“mature play,” although Vygotsky (1978) and his students (Elkonin 2005, 1999b) actually used the term “developed play.” Next, I assess examples of preschoolers playing in the sociodramatic play center using PRoPELS to scaffold mature play (Leong and Bodrova 2012) . I conclude with suggestions classroom teachers can use to support mature play in early childhood settings. For the study presented in this article, I examined video examples ofchildren’s level of mature play in a dramatic play center using a rubric based on Elkonin’s levels of developed play. I collected data when working in a preschool classroom, and I designed the video examples to allow the investigation of the research question: In what ways do four-year-old children in preschool classrooms engage in mature play? Understand

FAQs

Why is play considered within a social and cultural context for preschoolers?

Play is described as occurring through social interaction and shaped by coexisting cultures in classrooms and schools, affecting development during dramatic or make-believe activities.

What do dual-language learners and English-only preschoolers need to reach mature play?

Dual-language learners are said to require more time and scaffolding to acquire mature make-believe play, supported by observational measures and teacher guidance.

How is PRoPELS used in the framework described?

PRoPELS is promoted as an observation and assessment measure that teachers and researchers can use to scaffold children’s progress toward mature or developed play levels in early childhood settings.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Mabel