Exploring Early Childhood Education Teachers' Play-Based Learning Pedagogical Practices in Zambia
Keywords:
Curriculum, Early Child Education, Incorporation, Play-based Learning, Pedagogical Practices
Abstract
Although learning takes place throughout life, that which occurs during childhood will never be equaled (UNICEF, 2018). Play is a legitimate right in early childhood (Smith, 2013) and one of the most natural pathways to exploration and learning (Saskatchewan, 2018). However, although play is a legitimate right way of learning in Zambia (MOGE 2013), in practice its implementation varies from school to school (Lungu, 2023). This study explored the play-based pedagogies related to play-based learning of ECE teachers in Zambia and their preparedness to use play as a teaching technique. The study employed a concurrent or convergent parallel mixed-method design. A total of 30 ECE teachers across three districts of Zambia participated in this study. One-to-one interviews were used to collect qualitative data, while structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data for the study. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to generate descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The findings revealed that a considerable portion (83%) of ECE teachers perceived their training as sufficient for teaching using play-based pedagogies, but a notable minority expressed the need for more effective training and support in this regard. Further, the findings revealed that PBL was widely incorporated in ECE in Zambia. Among the commonly employed PBL pedagogical practices, teachers consistently incorporated elements such as games, role plays and dramatic play, storytelling, outdoor activities, individual work, pair work, group work, demonstrations, as well as rhymes and songs. However, the study noted a concern about the connectedness of play activity with the content of the day. It was observed that there was no connectedness between play activities and the content of the day. In addition, learning was not captivating enough as teachers were not so creative in using play as a vehicle to deliver curriculum content to the learners. These findings have crucial implications for the enhancement of ECE in Zambia. They underscore the value of competency, focused Continuing Professional Development programmes, creative teaching approaches, diversification of play activities, and the intentional alignment of PBL with curriculum content.References
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2. Biddle, G., A. K., Garcia-Navarez, A., and Henderson, R. J. W., 2013. Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Profession. London: Sage Publications
3. Bubikova-Moan, J., Hjetland, H., and 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
4. Chen, S.; Gu, X., 2018. Toward active living: Comprehensive school physical activity program research and implications. J. Phys. Act. Health, 15, 161–168.
5. Dewi, M., Setyosari, P., Kuswandi, D., and Ulfa, S., 2020. Analysis of kindergarten teachers on pedagogical content knowledge. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(4), 1701-1721. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.4.1701
6. Edwards, S., 2017. Play-based learning and intentional teaching: forever different? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 42(2), 4-11. (https://doi.org.10.23965/ajec.42.2.01
7. Fonsén, E., Szécsi, T., Kupila, P., Liinamaa, T., Halpern, C., and Repo, M., 2022. Teachers’ pedagogical leadership in early childhood education. Educational Research, 65(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2147855
8. Galbraith, J., 2022. A Prescription for Play”: developing early childhood preservice teachers’ pedagogies of play. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2054035
9. Gura, T., Gura, O., Castanheira, P., and Roma, O., 2022. Teacher readiness to implement learning through play in Ukrainian primary schools: a preliminary study. Sciencerise Pedagogical Education, (5 (50)), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.15587/2519-4984.2022.264230
10. Hennigar, M., 2013. Teaching Young Children: An Introduction, 5th edition. Boston: Pearson Pub.
11. Irvine, S., 2016. Playful pedagogies: promoting active learning through play and imagination in the early years of school. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315689913-3
12. Isenberg, J. P., and Quisenberry, N., 2002. Play: Essential for all children. Childhood Education, 79(1), 33-39.
13. Jevtić, A., Vodopivec, J., Beleslin, T., and Šindić, A., 2022. Unmasking sustainability in early childhood education: teachers’ voices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. International Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-022-00321-2
14. Kalinde, B., 2017. The history of early childhood education in Zambia. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/43290978/The_history_of_early_childood_education_in_Zambia
15. Kekesi, D. K., Donkor, S. K., Aburampah, W., and Torkonyo, M., 2019. Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of Play as a Teaching Technique in Afadjato South District of the Volta Region, Ghana. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(3).
16. Khalil, N.; Aljanazrah, A.; Hamed, G.; Murtagh, E., 2022. Exploring Teacher Educators’ Perspectives of Play-Based Learning: A Mixed Method Approach. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12, 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12020095
17. Lamrani, R., Abdelwahed, E. H., Chraibi, S., Qassimi, S., and Hafidi, M., 2019. Early Childhood Education: How Play Can Be Used to Meet Children’s Individual Needs. Coastal Research Library, 232–245. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11884-6_22
18. Leggett, N., and Ford, M., 2013. A fine balance: understanding the roles educators and children play as intentional teachers and intentional learners within the early years learning framework. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(4), 42-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/183693911303800406
19. Lindsay, G., 2020. Visual arts pedagogy in early childhood contexts: The baggage of self-efficacy beliefs, pedagogical knowledge, and limited pre-service training. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939120979061
20. Lungu, S., and Matafwali, B., 2020. Play Based Learning in Early Childhood Education (Ece) Centres in Zambia: A Teacher Perspective. European Journal of Education Studies, 7(20), 356-369. Retrieved from http://www.oapub.org/edu
21. Mambwe, R., 2019. Social Studies Student Teachers’ Views on the Implementation of Learner-Centred Approach in Zambian Primary Schools. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 3(3), 101-109.
22. Mambwe, R., Chishimba, P. C., & Manchishi, C. P., 2019. Student Teacher Preparation and Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Inductive Teaching Learning Methods in Primary Colleges of Education, Zambia. International Journal of Education and Research, 7(2), 179-196. https://www.ijern.com/February-2019
23. Matheus Da Silva, S., 2021. Pedagogical Science Pedagogical Practices in Childhood Education: Playing Activities Contributing to Children’s Development. Retrieved from https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:249548674
24. Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, 2013. Early Childhood Education Syllabus. Lusaka: Curriculum Development Centre.
25. Ministry of General Education, 2016. Educational Statistical Bulletin 2016, Ministry of General Education Lusaka: General Education.
26. Moore, D., Edwards, S., Cutter-Mackenzie, A., and Boyd, W., 2014. Play-based learning in early childhood education., 9-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03740-0_2
27. Ntshangase, N., and Venketsamy, R., 2022. Practitioners’ perceptions of play-based pedagogy on the holistic development of young children. Profesi Pendidikan Dasar, 9(2), 148-162. https://doi.org/10.23917/ppd.v9i2.18477
28. Nilsson, M., and Nilsson, P., 2019. From pedagogical knowledge to pedagogical content knowledge: development in mentor and student-teacher group conversations. International Journal of Learning Teaching and Educational Research, 18(10), 233-247. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.10.15
29. Ofori, M., Osman, S., Idun, G., Ofori, E., and Ayerteye, E., 2022. An appraisal of social studies teachers’ perceptions of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Universal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(2), 106-118. https://doi.org/10.31586/ujssh.2022.356
30. Parker, R., and Thomsen, B. S., 2019. Learning through play at school: A study of playful integrated pedagogies that foster children’s holistic skills development in the primary school classroom. Billund: LEGO Foundation.
31. Puteh, S. N., and Ali, A., 2013. Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions Towards the Use of Play-Based Approach in Language and Literacy Development for Preschool. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 10, 79-98. Retrieved October 17, 2023, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137222.pdf
32. Pyle, A., and DeLuca, C., 2016. Assessment in play-based kindergarten classrooms: an empirical study of teacher perspectives and practices. The Journal of Educational Research, 110(5), 457-466. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1118005
33. Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., and Danniels, E., 2017. A scoping review of research on play‐based pedagogies in kindergarten education. Review of Education, 5(3), 311-351. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3097
34. Pyle, A., and 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.
35. Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., Danniels, E., and Wickstrom, H., 2020. A model for assessment in play-based kindergarten education. American Educational Research Journal, 57(6), 2251-2292. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831220908800
36. Samuelsson, I., and Carlsson, M., 2008. The playing learning child: towards a pedagogy of early childhood. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52(6), 623-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313830802497265
37. Stagnitti, K., Bailey, A., Hudspeth Stevenson, E., Reynolds, E., and Kidd, E., 2016. An investigation into the effect of play-based instruction on the development of play skills and oral language. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 14(4), 389–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X15579741
38. UNICEF, 2018. Learning through play: Strengthening learning through play in early childhood education programs. New York: UNICEF
39. Vogt, F., Hauser, B., Stebler, R., Rechsteiner, K., and Urech, C., 2018. Learning through play–pedagogy and learning outcomes in early childhood mathematics. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 26(4), 589–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2018.1487160
40. Wood, E., and Hedges, H., 2016. Curriculum in early childhood education: critical questions about content, coherence, and control. The Curriculum Journal, 27(3), 387-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2015.1129981
Published
2024-03-05
How to Cite
Kaluba, C., Kalinde, B., Mambwe, R., Sichula, N. and Njobvu, N. (2024) “Exploring Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Play-Based Learning Pedagogical Practices in Zambia”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 5(4), pp. 21-42. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.5.4.1163.