LAUSR

ABSTRACT Research Findings: A substantial body of research has demonstrated social and academic benefits of sociodramatic play (SDP) for young children. However, substantially less research has explored the factors related to increased amounts of SDP occurring during free play, an activity time that comprises the greatest portion of the daily schedule in United States’ preschools. This concurrent correlational study took place in linguistically diverse Head Start classrooms where English was the medium of peer play. Hierarchical blockwise regression analyses were used to investigate individual factors that predicted the amount of children’s SDP during free play. Results indicated a significant relation between expressive narrative productivity and the amount of children’s SDP engagement. Practice or Policy: Given the high numbers of urban Head Start classrooms that are comprised of students with a variety of home languages other than English, preschool teachers may support linguistically diverse children’s SDP engagement by focusing on English narrative productivity.