Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis - Campus Access Only
First Advisor
Emily Cullen-Dunn
Second Advisor
Jerusha Beckerman
Abstract
This thesis puts quantitative and qualitative research into conversation with personal observations of children in diverse classroom settings, revealing how the right to play (or the lack thereof) intentionally silos students into roles of “leaders” and “workers”. Our educational system was built upon the foundation of capitalism and capitalistic values through the intentional decisions made by the wealthiest men in America (for example, John D. Rockefeller). One way that these values have come through in our schools has been through the routine revocation of children’s play and autonomy. Play is systematically excluded from classrooms of all ages and disproportionately impacts children from marginalized communities, with black and brown children exposed to the least amount of play. On the other hand, students in higher-income schools have higher levels of access to their right to play, to make decisions for themselves, and the knowledge of how to become leaders. The lack of play not only acts as a detriment to children, but also negatively impacts the teachers and administrators. Play and capitalism are inherently intertwined; To actively play is to perform an act of anti-capitalism, and upon doing so, everyone will be free.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Demick, Mac A. and Demick, Amaya, "CaPLAYtalism: Capitalism's Insidious Influence on Play in Schools" (2024). Art of Teaching Thesis - Written. 38.
https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/aot_written/38
Included in
Art Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons