Children's Self Expression In Free Play And Its Relationship With Peer Acceptance

Self expression is very crucial for individual's social interaction, and perhaps influences interpersonal relationship. In the developmental psychology, self expression is also raising our concern. The child's self expression will not only influence peer relationship probably, but also can influence interpersonal relationship of becoming adult. Previous researches hadn't carried on a direct related research with child's self expression and peer relationships, but some results on self disclosure, which similar to self expression to some extent, had proved that there was some relation between self disclosure and interpersonal relationship.The present research aimed to exam the way of self expression of 4 and 7 year-old children in free play in a longitudinal research, from a latitude of peer interaction. The purpose was: 1)Through coding the self expression type and result of 4 and 7 year-old children, we wanted to set up a relation between type- response when child interact with a strange peer, and exam the sex and age difference; 2)Carrying on an interview with 7 year-old children about the acceptance of new peers, we examed the relation between 7 year-old children's self expression and peer acceptance(through peer evaluation, teacher evaluation and self evaluation).At the same time, we used the self expression of 4 years old to predict 7 year-old children's condition; 3)After obtained the data of teacher evaluation of 11 year-old children, we use the data of 7 year-old children's self expression to predict social competence of 11 year-old.The results show that: 1) Children whose self expression at high level equality always received positive responses, whose self expression at medium level equality received neutral responses, whose self expression at low level equality often received negative responses. 2) There was sex difference in children's self expression:4 year-old girls used more medium level equality of self expression than boys, and when facing low level equality expression, more 4 year-old boys gave negative responses. 7 year-old girls used more the expressive way of sharing a toy than boys, and boys used more the expressive way of one-way infliction than girls. Besides, boys used more low level equality of self expression, and when facing low level equality expression, more 7 year-old boys gave negative responses. 3) There was age difference in children's self expression: 7 year-old children used more the expressive way of establishing rules and game initiation than 4 year-old children. 4) To some extent,7 year-old children's self expression of inquiring wills, request and establishing rules could predict their social competence school-related assessed by teacher(T-CRS). And their establishing rules, one-way infliction and helping behaviors could predict 7 year- old children's peer acceptance assessed by peers. 4 year-old children's self expression of one-way infliction and revile could predict 7 year-old children's peer acceptance assessed by peer; 7 year-old children's sharing a toy could predict 11 year-old children's social competence school-related assessed by teacher.