Activity and peer interaction: Exploring mappings as observational tool in preschool classrooms

A study about the inter-relational context of four year old children from two preschool education classrooms in the city of Cordoba (Spain) is presented. It is an innovative analysis based on the use of mapping for the registration and description of the systems of activity, communication and grouping in preschool. The results show that there are significant differences in the social structure of participation depending on the type of activity that is taking place and that these differences seem to indicate that the social dynamic promoted by teachers is more rigid and simple, responding to traditional teaching models.