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Artin Goncu

University of Illinois at Chicago, Educational Psychology, Faculty Member

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My work focuses on the role of social and cultural contexts in human development and education. My current research projects examine the role of community and school influences on children's play, teacher education and professional development, and pretend play in mother-child interaction. My books are "Children's Engagement in the World," "Play and Development," "Children in play, story, and school," and "Analyzing children's play dialogues."
Address: University of Illinois at Chicago
College of Education M/C 147
1040 W. Harrison St.
Chicago, IL 60607

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Papers by Artin Goncu

Early Childhood Teacher Narratives on Constructivism

by Artin Goncu and Catherine Main

Mind, Culture, and Activity: An International Journal, 2023

This study presents early childhood teachers' beliefs and practices about constructivist educatio... more This study presents early childhood teachers' beliefs and practices about constructivist education. The teachers' beliefs and practices included three components of constructivism: their professional identity, classroom practices, and negotiations with children's communities. Despite differences in individual teachers' descriptions of their identities, all the teachers shared the conviction that construction of knowledge requires a safe classroom environment, considering classroom as a community, pursuing children's interests, and flexible teacher guidance calibrated according to the children's needs. The teachers also converged on the belief that construction of knowledge as community practice requires establishing shared understandings with the children's own communities and school administration.

ArtinGoncu CV Fall2019

Expanding the definitional criteria for imaginative play: Contributions of sociocultural perspectives.

This article proposes expanding four existing criteria for imaginative play in view of recent adv... more This article proposes expanding four existing criteria for imaginative play in view of recent advances in sociocultural perspectives on the study of human development. Imaginative play is commonly defined as intrinsically motivated, open ended, pleasure seeking, and an escape from reality. Grounded in sociocultural research, and, as such, in the relation between individual and social and cultural environment, we argue that these four criteria should shift from assumptions to research questions: What are the motives for imaginative play? What are the goals for imaginative play? What affective dimensions emerge in imaginative play? What, how, and why do features of reality and imagination emerge through play? Expanding definitional criteria in this fashion enables researchers to remain open to variations in an individual's experience over time, across participants, and cultural variations rather than imposing dominant cultural assumptions as explanatory heuristics. Implications for research and education are discussed.

36, Returning to Play, Goncu and Vadeboncoeur, 2016.pdf

Childhood in Turkey: Social class and gender differences in schooling, labor, and play

Understanding young children's pretend play in context

The role of attachment and play in young children's learning and development

Talking the talk: Constructivist teachers guiding children's problem solving

The role of teacher assistance in children's construction of intersubectivity during conflict resolution

Preschoolers' collaborative construction in planning and maintaining imaginative play

Parent involvement in urban early childhood education: A Vygotskyan approach

Life-span pretend play in two communities

Cultural variations in play: A challenge to Piaget and Vygotsky

Children's play as representation and imagination: The case of Piaget and Vygotsky

Fairness in participation in preschool

Children's and researchers' engagement in the world

Cultural variations in the play of toddlers

Comparing and extending Piaget's and Vygotsky's understanding of play: Symbolic play as indiviudal, sociocultural, and educational interpretation

Children's play: A contextual-functional perspective

Children's categorization with varying adult support

Early Childhood Teacher Narratives on Constructivism

by Artin Goncu and Catherine Main

Mind, Culture, and Activity: An International Journal, 2023

This study presents early childhood teachers' beliefs and practices about constructivist educatio... more This study presents early childhood teachers' beliefs and practices about constructivist education. The teachers' beliefs and practices included three components of constructivism: their professional identity, classroom practices, and negotiations with children's communities. Despite differences in individual teachers' descriptions of their identities, all the teachers shared the conviction that construction of knowledge requires a safe classroom environment, considering classroom as a community, pursuing children's interests, and flexible teacher guidance calibrated according to the children's needs. The teachers also converged on the belief that construction of knowledge as community practice requires establishing shared understandings with the children's own communities and school administration.

ArtinGoncu CV Fall2019

Expanding the definitional criteria for imaginative play: Contributions of sociocultural perspectives.

This article proposes expanding four existing criteria for imaginative play in view of recent adv... more This article proposes expanding four existing criteria for imaginative play in view of recent advances in sociocultural perspectives on the study of human development. Imaginative play is commonly defined as intrinsically motivated, open ended, pleasure seeking, and an escape from reality. Grounded in sociocultural research, and, as such, in the relation between individual and social and cultural environment, we argue that these four criteria should shift from assumptions to research questions: What are the motives for imaginative play? What are the goals for imaginative play? What affective dimensions emerge in imaginative play? What, how, and why do features of reality and imagination emerge through play? Expanding definitional criteria in this fashion enables researchers to remain open to variations in an individual's experience over time, across participants, and cultural variations rather than imposing dominant cultural assumptions as explanatory heuristics. Implications for research and education are discussed.

36, Returning to Play, Goncu and Vadeboncoeur, 2016.pdf

Childhood in Turkey: Social class and gender differences in schooling, labor, and play

Understanding young children's pretend play in context

The role of attachment and play in young children's learning and development

Talking the talk: Constructivist teachers guiding children's problem solving

The role of teacher assistance in children's construction of intersubectivity during conflict resolution

Preschoolers' collaborative construction in planning and maintaining imaginative play

Parent involvement in urban early childhood education: A Vygotskyan approach

Life-span pretend play in two communities

Cultural variations in play: A challenge to Piaget and Vygotsky

Children's play as representation and imagination: The case of Piaget and Vygotsky

Fairness in participation in preschool

Children's and researchers' engagement in the world

Cultural variations in the play of toddlers

Comparing and extending Piaget's and Vygotsky's understanding of play: Symbolic play as indiviudal, sociocultural, and educational interpretation

Children's play: A contextual-functional perspective

Children's categorization with varying adult support