Systematic literature review of research into symbolization processes in preschool education / <i>Estado de la cuestión en la investigación de los procesos de simbolización en contextos de Educación Infantil: una revisión sistemática</i>

The existence of symbols is present from birth in human development and plays a core role in child development. This study seeks to understand how symbolization processes occur in preschool education. We conducted a systematic literature review with articles indexed in the Scopus, Web of Science and ERIC databases between September 2023 and January 2024. Nineteen articles were found. After reading these studies, three categories of analysis were determined: symbolic play/co-creation/holistic development; quality standards in preschool education (convergences and divergences); and gaps in the research on play. We found a stronger emphasis on the interrelation between play, learning and development, with a stress on playful learning as a parameter for the quality of preschool education programmes; symbolic play was the kind that was researched the most.