PLAY-INTEGRATED TEACHING AND LEARNING IN BENEFICIARY SCHOOLS OF THE RIGHT TO PLAY LEARNING THROUGH PLAY PROJECT IN THE SAVELIGU DISTRICT OF NORTHERN GHANA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v9i3.1597Palabras clave:
play-integrated teaching and learning, play-based learning, learning through play, kindergarten educationResumo
This study examined kindergarten (KG) teachers’ implementation of play-integrated teaching and learning in beneficiary schools of the Right To Play (RTP) learning through play initiative in the Saveligu District of Northern Ghana. An intrinsic case study design was adopted. Thirty KG1&2 teachers were purposively selected and willingly took part in this study. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect data. The data were manually coded, summarised, and analysed using a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis. The study identified three groups of teachers with three different ideologies and practices. They all admitted that play was an avenue for children to have fun, learn, and develop holistically. However, they approached play-integrated teaching and learning differently. While some discouraged the practice, others encouraged it partially and some other teachers embraced it fully. These disparities in teachers' views and practices of play-integrated teaching and learning revealed some infrastructural and curricular deficits in Ghanaian KG education. The study recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) should address the infrastructural deficit identified in most KGs in the Saveligu District and invest more in play-integrated teaching and learning. Also, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should revise the current KG curriculum to include explicit instructions on the use of play-integrated pedagogies in KG.
Article visualizations:
Citas
Abdulai, A. (2014). The Place of Play in Ghana’s Early Childhood Education. Developing Country Studies, 4(20), 180–188. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=5d27e826baac08bb4b4064c93bc4ee5d8305e196
Ali, A., & Mahamod, Z. (2015). Development of Play-Based Instruction Module for Teaching Preschoolers’ Language Skills. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9, 110-118. http://www.ajbasweb.com/old/ajbas/2015/Special%20IPN%20Nov/110-118.pdf
Bateson, P. (2014). Play, Playfulness, Creativity, and Innovation. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2(2), 99. https://doi.org/10.12966/abc.05.02.2014
Bhatta, T. P. (2018). Case Study Research, Philosophical Position, and Theory Building: A Methodological Discussion. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 12, 72–79. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v12i0.22182
Bubikova-Moan, J., Næss Hjetland, H., & Wollscheid, S. (2019). ECE teachers’ views on play-based learning: A systematic review. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27(6), 776–800. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1678717
Creswell, J. W. (2013a). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2013b). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed). SAGE Publications.
Fesseha, E., & Pyle, A. (2016). Conceptualising play-based learning from kindergarten teachers’ perspectives. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3), 361–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2016.1174105
Hollweck, T. (2016). Robert K. Yin. (2014). Case Study Research Design and Methods (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 282 pages. The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.30.1.108
Karuppiah, N. (2022). What are Singapore parents’ perception of play in the early years? Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 3(2), 200–211. https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202232176
Leather, M., Harper, N., & Obee, P. (2021). A Pedagogy of Play: Reasons to be Playful in Postsecondary Education. Journal of Experiential Education, 44(3), 208–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825920959684
Lungu & Matafwali. (2020). Parents’ Views on Play Based Learning for Children Aged 3-6 Years: Evidence from Selected Early Childhood Education Centres in Zambia. International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0381.0705008
Ministry of Education. (2020). Early Childhood Education Policy. Ministry of Education. https://www.ece-accelerator.org/sites/default/files/2020 11/1.%20ECE%20Policy%20Framework.pdf
Pyle, A., & Danniels, E. (2017). A Continuum of Play-Based Learning: The Role of the Teacher in Play-Based Pedagogy and the Fear of Hijacking Play. Early Education and Development, 28(3), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1220771
Pyle, Angela, Prioletta, Jessica, & Poliszczuk, Daniel. (2018). The Play-Literacy Interface in Full-day Kindergarten Classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(117), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0852-z
Right To Play Ghana. (2020). Right To Play in Ghana: Going to Scale with Learning Through Play. Right to Play Ghana. https://righttoplaydiag107.blob.core.windows.net/rtp-media/documents/Right_To_Play_Ghana_Country_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed). SAGE.
Soma, A. (2022). Child Study and Family Engagement: A Case Study of a Kindergarten Two (KG2) Child of Choggu Yapalsi M/A KG and Primary School. CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HISTORY, 3(12), Article 12.
Toub, T. S., Rajan, V., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2016). Guided Play: A Solution to the Play Versus Learning Dichotomy. In D. C. Geary & D. B. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education (pp. 117–141). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29986-0_5
Yenpad, B. M. (2021). Play Based Learning with Early Childhood Learners: Perspectives of Kindergarten Teachers in the Wenchi Municipality. International Journal of Elementary Education, 10(4), 145. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211004.16
