Answer

Abstract

In this study, the significance of playtime within the early childhood education setting will be analyzed. This will particularly be done through one study that will be conducted at a district elementary school in Minnesota. The research question being investigated is; should the Early Childhood Education curriculum completely shift its focus towards the use of play pedagogy? Data will be collected through teacher questionnaire and observation. The results of the study will illustrate the extent to which play is more effective in fostering learning within the early childhood education set-up as compared to the traditional ‘academic-oriented’ activities. Based on the results that will be achieved from the study, the proposal that will be fronted is that the early childhood education curriculum should completely shift its focus towards the use of play pedagogy.

Key words; play pedagogy, curriculum, and education 

Play Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education

Introduction

Play pedagogy involves the provision of support to the learning processes of children through the use of play. This form of learning has been present since time immemorial and has enabled students to receive not only teachings that relate to the norms and expectations of the society, but also ideas on how these norms can be defied. As will be outlined in this discussion, numerous studies have consistently proven that play is important for the emotional, social, cognitive, physical, and language development (Bloch and Choi, 1990). It is arguably the best modality that can be applied in the Early Childhood Education setting. Despite the clear significance of play in this setting, there are numerous instances when teachers and parents alike have made inquiries into the importance of the modality. It is, therefore, important to provide further delineation of the importance of play. This paper will consider the viability of completely shifting focus towards the use of play pedagogy within the Early Childhood Education setting.

Before delving into the dissection of the research question, it is important to first outline the historical background of the use of play pedagogy. As noted above, the use of play in education has been present since time-immemorial. Numerous scholars have acknowledged the fact that play is fundamentally the foundation on which future knowledge is built. One such scholar is Plato who noted thus; “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” (Lauer, 2011, p. 12). Other prominent scholars who have appreciated the importance of play in children’s development include; Socrates, Piaget, Weininger, Dewey, and Montessori (Lauer, 2011). Play has been seen as a self-motivated learning process that assists learners to discover more about the world around them within a short period of time.

The use of play pedagogy, as it is known today, was initially introduced during the late 19th Century and commencement of the 20th Century. As alluded to above, at this point in history, parents, teachers and other stakeholders in the education sector were questioning the significance of play within the Early Childhood Education setting. As a result, the time allocated to free play was significantly minimized and the time allocated to more ‘academically oriented’ activities was increased (Bloch and Choi, 1990). Within the early childhood education institutions, teachers essentially got-rid-of free play and substituted it with ‘choice’ or ‘centre time’ and these choices encompassed centers in science or math, or even time within the book corner (Bloch and Choi, 1990). Similarly, in many other programs, the amount of time allocated to free play was substantially reduced. The need to establish the significance of play was, therefore, apparent at this point in time. Educators and professionals within the education sector were involved in lengthy debates and the result is that the kindergarten and early childhood education curriculums were modified so as to incorporate play (Bloch and Choi, 1990). Complete focus was, however, not shifted to play pedagogy.

Presently, despite the numerous gains that have been recorded in the realm of research in relation to play pedagogy, the importance of play in the early childhood setting has continued to be downplayed. It is reported that “play is currently under threat and challenge in early childhood education” (Lauer, 2011, p. 12). The problem of play deprivation has become more widespread. In this discussion, the significance of shifting focus to play pedagogy will be outlined.

Problem Statement

A growing decline in the application of play pedagogy has been apparent in various elementary schools in the use. When reference is particularly made to free play, different requirements are applicable to different schools within the various states in the U.S. In Northwest Arkansas, for instance, “a preschool classroom from a large district is required to have approximately two hours and twenty minutes of free choice centers and one hour of outdoor gross motor play each day according to the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale” (Myers, 2012, p. 2). A neighboring school district, on the other hand, is merely required to conduct a twenty-minute recess “or outdoor play a day” (Myers, 2012, p. 2). When the summer months of vacation commence, young students who transit to kindergarten are often required to conduct alterations to everything they know regarding playing at school even as they are forced to become more adaptable to decreased play time in school. This practice can be referred to as play deprivation and it has resulted in play deficit (Lauer, 2011).

The enormous consequences of play deficit cannot be underestimated. It has been known to negatively affect the physical, mental, and cognitive development of children. Based  on a report that was conducted by Elkind (2007), as outlined at the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health, “growing numbers of children are suffering needlessly because their emotional, behavioral and developmental needs are not being met by the very institution that were explicitly created to take care of them” (p. x). As at 2007, it was apparent that over 20% of children had been affected by the play deficit phenomenon (Elkind, 2007). Apart from the apparent negative consequences attached to the elimination of play within the school environment, the positive outcomes that are attached to play should also be considered. When the holistic spectrum of child development within the school set-up is considered, it is apparent that play is highly beneficial for children. It is, therefore, imperative that sacrifices are made at the educational level so as to ensure that play is increasingly included in a day of teaching. Essentially, instead of using play as an auxiliary and dispensable part of the early childhood education experience, it is imperative that play is fully acknowledged as an indispensable part of early childhood education.

Research Question

This research seeks to answer the question; Should the Early Childhood Education curriculum completely shift its focus towards the use of play pedagogy?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the amount of play within the preschool setup, as well as, the kindergarten classrooms in one school district within Minnesota so as to distinctively outline the fact that play pedagogy is not only effective in fostering learning within the early childhood education set-up, but it is also an indispensable part of the early childhood education experience.

Literature Review

Play is often regarded as quite a straightforward verb. According to the Webster dictionary, the definitions of the word include; engagement in recreational activities; free movement; moving or toying with freely; performing music; and acting in drama (Dictionary, 2002). Similarly, based on a definition that was provided by Mark Twain, play consists of anything that a person is not compulsorily required to do while work consists of anything a person is compulsorily required to do (Chudacoff, 2007). Whereas both definitions are relatively effective in understanding the play concept, it is imperative to point out the fact that play cannot conclusively be defined. As outlined on the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, there is no sufficient or neccessary definition for the word ‘play’, and thus the endevour to define the word remains an unresolved and controversial topic (as cited in Chudacoff, 2007). In the context of the present study, play is described as a joyful, spontaneous, and functional activity that children engage in. 

As noted above, the significance of play in a child’s holistic progress has been appreciated since time-immemorial. Numerous scholars who lived during the 19th Century have particularly appreciated the significance of play in this regard. One such scholar is Vygotsky who noted that play is fundamentally the main model that can be used to foster the development for children in the early childhood setting (Parten, 1933). Locke (1693), on the other hand, appreciated the fact that when learning was made more recreation-based, children were more likely to have a desire for it (Locke, 1963). The significance of play pedagogy was exquisitely outlined by Forell who described at as the main media through which human development during childhood can be fostered as it is the only way through which children can express themselves freely (Froebel Web, 1998-2009).

Today’s experts have similarly added their voice to the clamor for the increased incorporation of play within the early childhood education setting. While adding his voice to this contention, Elkind (2007) noted that through learning, individuals gain awareness of what is already known, while through play, new things can be discovered (Elkind, 2007). He further indicates there are particular concepts and skills that can only be learned in the process of play. This paper provides an exquisite appraisal of play within the early childhood education setting.

Clement (2004), on the other hand, similarly provides an outline of the significance of play within the early education setting. He indicates that early education cannot be completed without play as it is the main medium that enables children to understand more about themselves individually, their local communities, their family members, as well as the general world that they live in (Clement, 2004). He essentially indicates that play is synonymous with early childhood education and that the process of learning cannot be conducted or completed without play.

By contrast, Lauer (2011) seeks to provide a delineation of the importance of play by examining the adverse consequences associated with play deprivation. In his paper, the author conducts a study and through the results of the said study, he concludes that play deprivation has numerous adverse effects both physiologically and psychologically (Lauer, 2011). He particularly notes that “chronic play deprivation may have the effect of gradually dehumanizing the children it affects, is a consequent loss of their ability to care, to emphasize and exercise compassion, or share the same reality as other children” (Lauer, 2011, p. 11). The author further relies on numerous studies to arrive at the conclusion that play deprivation during the early stages of development leads to aggression and violence among adults. He acknowledges that within the past few decades, interacting dynamics have led to a decrease or complete elimination of spontaneous or free play. He, therefore, insists that play is a significant part of development and its elimination will have adverse consequences on the entire society.

Brehony (2008) illustrates that various stakeholders (such as administrators, teachers, and some parents) who are involved in the formulation of the early childhood education curriculum often ridicule or downplay the significance of play. He particularly notes that in relation to adults, children do not possess the power to determine the kind of learning modality that will be applied on them and as a result of the lack of this power, their play is often curtailed “when adults have disapproved of it”(Brehony, 2008. Para. 1). The author further notes that in the current economic times, some stakeholders have argued that play should be placed on the back burner (Brehony, 2008). Focus has essentially been placed on preparing students for their futures and in the quest to conduct this preparation, play is eliminated from the table. As noted by Brehony (2008), educators and parents are panicking over preparing students for their futures, and this often means that focus within the early childhood education setting is placed on academic-oriented activities. This implies that play is only seen as an extra-curricular activity. Based on the illustrations provided by Brehony (2008), it is apparent that in many educational set-ups, play is an insignificant part of the learning process.

Numerous studies have particularly shown that play is effective in fostering cognitive development (and other forms of development) among young people. This is because all forms of play use one form of cognitive skills or another since thinking and reasoning processes are involved. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (2009) has indicated that play is useful in fostering self-regulation as well as encouraging growth in cognition, language, and social competence” (NAEYC, 2009). Essentially, even though educators unduly focus on eliminating play so that they can undertake academic-oriented activities, they can consider utilizing play so as to achieve cognitive development. As aforementioned, play also assists in the development of other skills. As noted by NAEYC (2009), “Children of all ages love to play, and it gives them opportunities to develop physical competence and enjoyment of the outdoors, understand and make sense of their world, interact with others, express and control emotions, develop their symbolic and problem-solving abilities, and practice emerging skills” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 4). The NAEYC essentially provides a detailed analysis of the extent to which play assists in the holistic development of children.

Based on a study conducted by Spiegel (2008), many children are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) today because they never got the chance to learn “how to exercise self-control, self-regulation, the executive functions early” (Spiegel, 2008, p. 11). Essentially, it is argued that the general self-regulation skills of children have reduced significantly, and this is mainly because of the general reduction of the amount of play time that children get to have.

Research Method

The data for the study will be collected within the preschool setup, as well as, the kindergarten classrooms in one school district within Minnesota. The school will be referred to as School A.

School A has approximately 502 students and 29 teachers. The ethnicity ratio in the school in terms of percentages includes; 17% Caucasian, 52% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Asian, and 27% multiple. The students who are regarded as being eligible for free lunch are 82%. School A agreed to provide two preschool classrooms and 2 kindergarten classrooms. The total numbers of teachers and students that will be observed under the present study are 4 and 80, respectively.

Permission to conduct the present study will be obtained from the University Board. Informed consent will also need to be obtained from the teachers who will be participating. It should be explained that the participation will be fully voluntary and there will be no penalty or rewards for participation. As alluded to above, confidentiality will be maintained by the researcher through the use of code names such as ‘School A.’

Data collection

One of the ways through which the case studies will be conducted is through observational research. As the name implies, this data collection method will be conducted through the process of observation. This is also often described as a participatory study since the researcher immerses herself or himself in the research study. The data will practically be collected through note taking and recording. As alluded to above, the form of observation that will be utilized is structured observation. The researchers will structurally seek to establish the correlation between play and effective learning so as to determine the extent to which complete focus can be placed on the play process within the early childhood setting.

Data will also be collected through a questionnaire which will be independently completed by each of the four teachers. The questionnaire will provide teachers with the opportunity to share their opinions and views regarding the significance of play within the school. The questions that will be outlined on the questionnaire include (but are not limited to) the following; What percentage of learning time do you think should be dedicated to play within the school hours?; what is your opinion regarding the kind of play that is beneficial to your students?; how do you believe play is assisting in your students’ holistic development?; and do you believe play is a distraction to your students? As illustrated above, both open-ended and close-ended questions will be utilized in the questionnaire. Through the responses from the questionnaire, themes and conclusions will be drawn.

The school officials who will participate in this study will be requested to observe the students during the continuance of their daily routines. The teachers and students who would take part in this study will not be required to make any alterations to their daily routines. Data regarding play will be recorded through note taking on the observation form that will be provided to the investigators. Observation will be conducted on a daily basis for a period of two weeks. A total of 8 observation days will be recorded. The data collection routine will include; arrival at school A, entry into the distinctive classroom and playground sessions, and observation of teachers and students from a distance. The types of play that will be recorded include; art/crafts, outdoor, and dramatic games. Free play and teacher-guided play will also be recorded separately on the observation form.

Data Analysis

The collected data will be analyzed by measuring the effectiveness of learning when play pedagogy is used vis-à-vis when it is not used.  The research question that will be answered is; “Should the Early Childhood Education curriculum completely shift its focus towards the use of play pedagogy?” Essentially, based on the data that will be collected by the school officials, the researcher will seek to identify variances in the process of learning so as to determine the extent to which learning can holistically be conducted through play in the early childhood education setting. The information contained in the teacher questionnaire will be analyzed by taking note of the manner in which the school accounts for play time. The data will also be analyzed to determine the weight imposed on play within the school setup.

Limitations

Just as is the case with most case studies, it is foreseeable that there are certain factors that will be outside the researcher’s control. These factors are likely to affect the authenticity of the study. Some of these factors include; the number of participants, the length of the study, teachers and students, and the general setting of the school. The study was particularly conducted over a period of two weeks. Since the process is repetitive, it is possible that by the time the school officials will be entering their results during the second week, they would make reference to previous entries.

The study will also be conducted at the commencement of a school year. It is possible that the results of the study would be different if it was conducted during a different schooling period. The study will be conducted in one school and four classes will be analyzed. It is also likely that if more schools and more participants had been involved, the results would have been different.

As noted above, the four teachers who will be involved in the study will be provided with questionnaires. It is possible that if oral interviews had been conducted instead, the results would be different and the study would fundamentally be impacted.

Another limitation of this study is that whereas observational research will produce qualitative data, it will not serve to produce quantitative data. Mathematical analysis would essentially be needed so as to produce quantitative data. This study is, therefore, limited to the extent that only qualitative data will be analyzed.

The time-consuming nature of this study is yet another limitation. Dozens of observations may be needed and the observations may last for several hours. Since the observations will be conducted by individuals, the repetition is likely to cause boredom and fatigue and this will resultantly affect the authenticity of the entries that they will make.

The chances of observer bias are also likely to increase in the present case. This is particularly because the individuals who will be relied upon to collect the data are school officials. It is possible that their observations will be biased. Due to the limitations listed above, it is possible that the authenticity of the study will be affected.

Conclusion

The significance of play pedagogy in the early childhood education setting cannot be underestimated. The framework has not only been used since time-immemorial, but it has also been lauded as the most effective in fostering learning. Despite clear evidence in support of play, various stakeholders within the education sector still insist on reducing or eliminating play time within the early childhood education setting. Based on the foregoing, this study provides a lengthy literature review in support of play during early leaning. Through the review, the significance of play in fostering the holistic development of the child is analyzed. The adverse consequences of play deprivation are also analyzed. This discussion also proposes a study that is aimed at highlighting the growing need for putting more focus on play pedagogy in the learning process, particularly in early childhood education.