Perceived, expressed and observed prosociality among four-year-old girls and boys in childcare centres

This article examines the prosociality of four-year-old girls and boys in childcare centres. More specifically, it aims to measure gender differences in prosociality among children, based on three sources and methods of evaluation: (1) the early childhood educator's (ECE) perception (perceived...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early child development and care 2015-01, Vol.185 (1), p.44-65
Main Authors: Bouchard, Caroline, Coutu, Sylvain, Bigras, Nathalie, Lemay, Lise, Cantin, Gilles, Bouchard, Marie-Claire, Duval, Stéphanie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
California Child Q Set
Child care
Child Care Centers
childcare centre
Childhood Attitudes
day care
early childhood education
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Gender differentiation
Interpersonal Relationship
Likert Scales
Peer Relationship
Perception
Preschool Interpersonal Problem Solving Test
Preschool Teachers
Problem Solving
Prosocial Behavior
prosocial behaviour
Quebec
Social behaviour
Social influence
Teacher Attitudes
Video Technology
Vignettes
Young Children
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article examines the prosociality of four-year-old girls and boys in childcare centres. More specifically, it aims to measure gender differences in prosociality among children, based on three sources and methods of evaluation: (1) the early childhood educator's (ECE) perception (perceived prosociality), (2) the children's own responses to hypothetical interpersonal problem-solving situations (expressed prosociality) and (3) observation of the children's prosocial behaviour during symbolic play with a peer (observed prosociality). In line with many studies in this field, the results show that girls are perceived by their ECEs as being more prosocial than boys. However, analyses of the data on expressed prosociality and observed prosociality did not reveal a significant gender effect. These results are discussed with respect to the influence that differential perceptions based on gender have on the assessment of children's prosociality. Some possible explanations for this gender gap, particularly in educational contexts, are put forward.
ISSN:0300-4430
1476-8275
DOI:10.1080/03004430.2014.903940