Exploring Play and Creativity in Early Adulthood Amongst Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Professionals
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I Still Play: Exploring Play and Creativity in Early Adulthood Amongst Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Professionals Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Earl, Emily Charlotte Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 16:32:50 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/594957 I STILL PLAY: EXPLORING PLAY AND CREATIVITY IN EARLY ADULTHOOD AMONGST SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATHEMATICS PROFESSIONALS by Emily Charlotte Earl __________________________ Copyright © Emily Charlotte Earl 2015 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2015 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Emily Earl, titled I Still Play: Exploring Play and Creativity in Early Adulthood Amongst Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Professionals and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _____________________________________________ Date: October 2, 2015 Sonya Gaches _____________________________________________ Date: October 2, 2015 Heidi Burross _____________________________________________ Date: October 2, 2015 Francesca Lopez Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. _____________________________________________ Date: October 2, 2015 Dissertation Director: Deborah Levine-Donnerstein 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Emily Charlotte Earl 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This has been a process unlike anything I have undertaken or hopefully will ever undertake again. How can I, in a few words, thank all who helped, inspired, and supported the growth necessary to get to this point? Just admitting I am standing on the shoulders of giants is not enough; yet, acknowledging all who helped would be impossible, if not implausible. For those I neglect, know that in my education you played an important role and I appreciate your example, knowledge, and assistance on the great adventure called learning. Your exposure to seminal perspectives and contexts provided me with questions, concerns, and the confidence to challenge my own views and see the need for change. Even greater gratitude goes to those who are willing to participate in my continual education and future. Thanks to the members of my committee, Deborah Levine-Donnerstein, Sonya Gaches, Heidi Buross, and Francesca Lopez, who accepted my crazy idea for a dissertation and just rolled with the shenanigans that emerged from there. Special thanks to each member who let me corner them and talk about what I was doing, discuss problems I was having, and challenged me to take it a step further than I thought I could. Special thanks to Sonya for letting me have a few, several, meltdowns in her office and then for lovingly telling me to get back to work. Along this journey I was blessed to collect many mentors, who took time from their lives to assist me with advancing mine. I would be remised if I did not mention these people and their incredible contributions. Dr. November Papaleo who generously 5 gave large allotments of time to meet with me regularly, discussed my progress, and demanded more from me than anyone else. She also made sure I was eating and reminded me to live what I was studying. The hikes we went on were invaluable as were our conversations about theory, academia, and research. I am forever indebted to Andrea Holms and Heather Severson, from the Writing Center, for making me think about writing as a process not a product, providing me with feedback, reading draft after draft of this dissertation, and for their attempts to keep me, and my sass, in check. For your patience, support, and friendship, I thank you. Dr. Maisa Taha, I appreciate your willingness to teach me how to do fieldwork and for reviewing my initial attempts at field notes. Marianna Pegno, for being my dissertating buddy, together we learned that being out-of-the-box thinkers makes you work a lot harder than just adhering to the norm. Despite the extra work we can say that we had a lot more fun researching and exploring our topics than should be allowed in Ph.D. school. Diana Hill, your friendship and commitment to finding new ways to booster me intellectually and emotionally for the last two years. Your support will never be forgotten. Together we beat the odds and won our own epic battles. Unspeakable gratitude should be extended to all of my friends and family member who encouraged and maintained contact with me throughout my Ph.D. studies, even though I rarely responded to anything in a timely manner, said no to all the fun things they planned, and for realizing that I really only talked to them during breaks between terms. Thank you to the Chitwoods and Casidas for making me “take breaks” and spend 6 time with them. Special thanks to my roommates Sarah and Lindsey for putting up the messes, grad school drama, and my non-social behavior. For sticking through all of that you have demonstrated what true friendship is and the importance of having wonderful people in your life. Suzannah, Lorraine, and Leah for helping me learn how to use technology and explore alternative ways of presenting research. I would also like thank the weekday staff (Taylor, Daniel, Justin, and Courtney) at Quick Trip (QT) for being my suppliers of Diet Coke and cinnamon-sugar pretzels. Your friendship, inquiries, and service made you the real heroes of this process. It was like I had my own Cheers bar… because they knew my name. The band, Green Day for creating the soundtrack for my graduate school experience and reminding me that you have to challenge the norms to secure the future you want. Google because of your commitment to play and creativity in adulthood and for developing a search engine that provides more information than I could have ever found on my own (#googlescholar). Special thanks to the following business and people who were a part of my dissertation: • Zuzi Dance- For letting me come and play weekly for the last 11 months. Thank you for never letting me accept what I thought I could do and for making me remember that play requires rejecting your inhibitions, pushing yourself, and the importance of “getting out of your head” in order to be a part of the moment. • Owl & Panther: A Project of the Hopi Foundation- Thank you for letting me a part of such an amazing organization, teaching me that tolerance is not enough, and for letting me be among the most incredible people I have ever met. • Greg Cooke- the best tennis coach in Tucson and his willingness to let me to sit in on lessons. • The public places- all of the brunch locations, the Arizona Renaissance Festival, Reffkin Tennis Courts, and the mall area of a major research university in the American southwest. 7 • Those who were involved in the research process just by being present when the play was occurring. Joe C., Chili For, Sir Geoffrey, Sophie, and Nina thanks you for joining in the play and sometimes let me into their home for research. Finally, thank you to all of you who believed in me and to those who did not. Without all of you I never would have grown, explored, and challenged. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS RESEARCH VIDEO ........................................................................................................ 15 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 16 PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 1: PLAY ......................................................................................................... 18 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 18 A Brief History of Play ............................................................................................... 20 Play as We Know It .................................................................................................... 24 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................... 28 Research Statements and Questions ..........................................................................