Dialectics of Play and Play Context: Cultural-Historical Theoretical Framework

In this chapter, building on Vygotsky’s seminal work on the role of play in the psychological development of the child, we introduce the concept of play context as a special space of play in which all the main components of play (imaginary situation, play actions, rules, roles) can be seen in a dialectical unity of external and internal aspects. We believe that the concept of play context not only extends the possibilities of analysis and opens up new opportunities, but also shows that the genetic-analytical model of analysis can be applied to investigate different kinds and types of children’s play. The introduction to play context allows a change of focus of analysis from the process of play to the child in play, making it possible to see play not through the eyes of the researcher but through the eyes of the child, through her position in this context and her relationship with the different components and aspects of the play context.