Analysis of Ego-Resilience Differences Based on Playfulness Clusters in Preschool Children According to Gender

Objectives This study aims to cluster playfulness in preschool children based on their gender and investigate whether there are differences in self-resilience among these playfulness clusters. Methods To achieve this, a random sample of 881 five-year-old children enrolled in early childhood education institutions nationwide was selected as the research subjects. SPSS 25.0 software was employed for reliability analysis, K-means cluster analysis, and one-way analysis of variance. Results The results revealed three distinct clusters of playfulness in preschool children: an actively lively group with high playfulness, a moderately serious participation group, and a passive observant group with overall low playfulness. Significant gender distribution differences and significant differences in all sub-variables of playfulness were observed among the three playfulness clusters. Furthermore, the three playfulness clusters showed meaningful differences in peer relationships, confidence, family relationships, impulse control, and optimism concerning self-resilience. Conclusions Understanding the characteristics of playfulness groups based on preschool children's gender provides insights for educators to comprehend and guide the development of self-resilience in early childhood education settings.