Influencia del género en la aceptación o rechazo entre iguales en el recreo

Introduction: Within the construction of personality, relationships between equals are increasingly meaningful, a trend reinforced by the incorporation into the school environment from an early age. This school environment is essential for the processes of adaptation and personal adjustment where gender is built. The present work is focused on the playground as a space and time that takes place during school hours and facilitates both coexistence and interpersonal relationships. Objective: to determine if gender influences the acceptance and rejection relationships that occur during recess in primary and secondary schools, both when choosing and / or rejecting their peers, and in the motivations that justify said choice and / or rejection. Methodology: Mixed, centered on the interpretive paradigm that combines quantitative and qualitative analysis. Results: Girls and boys choose girls and boys respectively, both in the first and second option respectively, to interact during recess due to personality (fun, friendly, funny), friendship (best friend) and play reasons. Regarding rejection, there is a significant relationship with gender, but in a different sense than expected. Both girls and boys reject in first and second place mostly boys. The reasons are related to the personality of the rejected partner, affective characteristics, and differences in the type of games. Conclusions: Acceptance relationships in the playground are related to gender. This pattern, however, is not manifested in the rejection, that occur mainly for reasons of personality, affection, and discrepancies in the type of game. These motivations induce theoretical and practical implications regarding the reorganization of the playground and the utility of a socio-emotional intervention programs on gender equality, cooperation, and interpersonal relations and promotes social and educational inclusion.