A brincadeira de papéis sociais como atividade central na pré-escola: reflexões à luz da teoria histórico-cultural.

Abstract

This research is linked to the Graduate Program in Education at the State University of Western Paraná (Unioeste), within the Research Line of Culture, Educational Processes and TeacherTraining, as well as to studies conducted by the Teaching, Learning and Historical-Cultural Theory Research Group (GEPEATH). The objective was to analyze the contribution of social role-playing to forming spontaneous concepts in early childhood education. The study involved four- and five-year-old children in a Preschool I class, with the aim of dentifying evidence of this development based on the relationships children establish with everyday phenomena, as observed during social role-playing activities. Thus, the research sought to answer the following question: How does social role-play contribute to forming spontaneous concepts in four- and five-year-old children based on their empirical relationships with everyday phenomena? To achieve this, the role of play in forming concepts was investigated in relation to the development of children's thinking during the Preschool I period. The research emphasized the importance of concrete experiences, pedagogical mediation and social interactions in the process of internalizing concepts, which are formed through a child's primary activity: social role-playing. The specificities of child development in four- and five-year-olds were also analyzed, emphasizing the contribution of play to the development of higher psychological functions. The results obtained indicate that play is essential for organizing pedagogical activities and enabling the transition from empirical to more advanced conceptual thinking. This occurs through planned pedagogical practices that use play as a central axis to promote the internalization of initial concepts from various areas of knowledge. It was concluded that social role play promotes meaningful learning, contributing to the formation of spontaneous concepts and assisting in the child's holistic development. Finally, we advocate continuing studies that explore the relationship between play and conceptual development further, to contribute to Early Childhood Education practice and promote learning and development