Co-operation and conflict within Chinese and Canadian kindergarten settings.

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to conduct systematic observations of 5-year-old children in China to assess the extent to which they engage in co-operation and conflict behaviour and to compare their behaviour with their 5-year-old Canadian counterparts. In designing the study, the researchers attempted to overcome some of the methodological weaknesses inherent in previous impressionistic reports on Chinese children. The sample selected consisted of three intact kindergarten classes in Beijing, China and three intact kindergarten classes in Ottawa, Canada. The observation procedure utilized for data collection involved continuous observation for four separate 2 1/2-hr sessions in each kindergarten. The incidence of co-operation and conflict was based solely on the frequency with which children interacted in a co-operative or conflicting way with peers. When analyzing the incidence of behaviour involving either co-operation or conflict, it became clear that 85% of the behaviours documented in China were co-operative in nature and 78% of the behaviours in Canada involved conflict.

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