Exploring the perceptions of teachers and parents on the use of play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. A case study of preschools in Kenya.

Abstract

Despite the increased global focus on play and play-based learning in recent years, its acceptance in preschool classrooms remains rather controversial among educational stakeholders in different regions. Since parents and teachers are essential in determining the experiences of children in preschool, this study aims to understand how their perceptions influence the implementation of play and play-based learning in preschool classrooms in Kenya. To achieve the above aim, this study uses a conceptual framework adapted from Grimmer’s (2018) triangular of factors model. In this study, the framework is composed of three factors namely, teachers’ perceptions, parents’ perceptions, curriculum and policy. The framework shows the linkage between curriculum and policy, teacher perceptions and parental perceptions in the implementation of play and play-based learning in preschool classrooms. Guided by this framework, this study adopted a qualitative case study approach comprising two cases. The first case (Case A) consists of non-formal private preschool centres while the second case (Case B) consists of community-based preschool centres. The two cases were purposively sampled as they practised the use of play-based learning in their centres. Data collection for this study was done through document review, semi-structured interviews with teachers and parents and classroom observations. This involved reviewing three documents to ascertain the extent to which play and play-based learning are addressed and interviewing 19 teachers and 16 parents to understand their perceptions of the use of play and play-based learning as a pedagogy in preschool. Additionally, eight classroom observations were done to ascertain the influence of parents’ perceptions, curriculum and policy and teacher perceptions on the implementation of play-based learning in preschool classrooms. Interviews and observation field notes were inductively analysed to generate subthemes and themes for the study. The findings revealed that teachers mainly viewed play and play-based as inseparable from academic learning and supported its use in the classroom. However, parents mainly viewed play and play-based learning as separate from academic learning and hence not belonging in the preschool classroom. These differences in parents’ and teachers’ views were also noticeable in their conceptualisation of the role of play and play-based learning in the classroom. While teachers mainly viewed play and play-based learning as beneficial in extending learning, parents mainly viewed the role of play and play-based learning as providing relaxation for the learners after ‘serious’ learning. Teachers’ views could be attributed to their training, the use of curriculum and policy documents and the support they receive for implementing play and play-based learning. On the contrary, parents’ perspectives may stem from the pressure to guarantee their children’s proficiency in reading and writing, as these skills are often considered the yardstick for learning and school readiness. This is compounded by the weak implementation of the no-interview admission policy that has seen most learners interviewed on grade one content before joining grade one. In terms of the implementation of play and play-based learning in the classroom, free play, guided play and individual learner workbook activity were the main activities that were observed. In this study, guided play is categorised into two namely, pedagogical free play which refers to free play that involves teachers’ guidance and purposefully framed guided play which is a form of guided play designed by the teacher to meet the lesson objectives. Most of the lessons and classroom activities were implemented through purposefully framed guided play depicting the influence of parental perceptions and curriculum requirements, rather than the teacher’s perceptions. As such, teachers had to balance between their own beliefs, curricular demands and parents’ perceptions while implementing play-based learning in the classroom. In addition, teachers experienced various challenges which mainly emanated from the curriculum and policy-related factors such as lesson duration and the number of lessons to be covered per day as well as pressure from parents and the need to ensure that their children were able to read and write early in preparation for successful grade one interviews. Therefore, this study underscores the complex dynamics faced by teachers who endeavour to incorporate play and play-based learning within the confines of an educational system governed by an objective-oriented curriculum and weak policy implementation. In this context, teachers navigate between their pedagogical convictions and the expectations of parents hence influencing the kind of play and play-based learning implemented in the classroom. As such, this study extends the existing literature by proposing the use of different forms of guided play such as pedagogical-free play and purposefully framed guided play as key for teachers navigating similar contexts. Additionally, it proposes the inclusion of individual workbook activity among the different activities in a play-based learning lesson as it helps ease the tension between parental pressures and teacher beliefs hence ensuring that play-based learning is accepted in the classroom. Finally, this study moves beyond listing and mentioning time as a major challenge and calls for a rethink of the lesson duration in a preschool classroom that uses a structured objective-based curriculum in implementing play and play-based learning pedagogy.