Structure of leadership among preschool children.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the structure of leadership among preschool children. Leadership behaviors of 18 five-year-old Japanese children were observed during free play and scored on the basis of a 15-item leadership scale. A factor analysis of the items indicated two factors: facilitation of play and consideration-evaluation of playmates. Children who had a central role in group play showed more leadership behaviors on the consideration-evaluation of playmates dimension than those on the periphery. For the dimension of facilitation of play, however, no significant difference was seen between the two groups.