Is Play Significant in Helping Children Learn and Understand?
Gap Analysis Chart: Is Play Significant in Helping Children Learn and Understand?
ARTICLE # 1
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Research Article (must be relevant, empirical, and published within the last 10 years)
(Where applicable, older articles may be used)
Provide article reference in APA Style. (If you use an electronic APA Style reference generator, double check the formatting to ensure it follows the APA Guidelines.)
Wu, S.-C. (2015). What can Chinese and German children tell us about their learning and play in kindergarten? Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 29(3), 338-351.
Best Practice
List one ECEC best practice as identified in your chosen article.
Adult Involvement in Peer Interactions
Problem/Issue in the Field
How does the article relate to your research problem of interest?
From your own experience, describe the current reality in the field/ community, and explain how it is different from best practice.
The article offers more insights on the impact of play in assisting children in learning and understanding.
In most cases, teachers cannot be present at all times to guide and interact with children. There are instances when the teacher might be preoccupied with other children and fail to notice a struggling child.
Data Collection Methods
What instrument was used to collect data?
Was the data qualitative, quantitative, or both (mixed)?
The researchers made use of observation and semistructured interviews to collect data for the study.
The data collected for the study was qualitative.
Participant Demographics
Provide details about the study participants (i.e., position, gender, age, language, economic status, geographic location).
The study was conducted in two nonprofit Hong Kong kindergartens and two German kindergartens. The participants comprised 24 children from the Hong Kong kindergartens and 24 children from the German kindergartens. The age of the 48 children ranging between 3 to 5 years.
Recommendations for Future Research
What do the author(s) recommend for future research on the topic?
The authors recommend extending the current study to investigate the children's view on play-based learning and playing to uncover elements of a play-based approach from the children's perspectives.
Potential Research Project Themes
Identify 2-3 key themes related to your research problem. (These themes will be useful when writing your Literature Review.)
Play assist children to understand cause and effect.
Play assists children to explore their world.
Identifying interesting and important quotations
Choose two quotations which relate to your research problem. (If appropriate, you may choose to use these in your Literature review)
*Note quotations should be used carefully in a literature review. You can also choose a phrase or expression rather than the whole sentence
Chinese children are always informed what to learn and what has been learned in the classroom context. Their concepts of learning are cultivated and reinforced in such a sociocultural environment.
It would be challenging to implement play-based learning in such curriculums, particularly when children and teachers have a strong sense of the differences between playing and learning.
After reviewing this article, which reference might you pull out as a primary source?
Within your article, you may have noticed a reference the author has used or referred to. Look in the reference list and make a note of the full reference. Find one primary source per article.
Smith, A., Duncan, J., & Marshall, K. (2005). Childrens perspectives on their learning: Exploring methods. Early Child Development and Care, 175(6), 473487.
Are personal intentions examined, for example did you note any bias?
When reading your article, did you notice any bias from the author? Did the article itself or the question suggest the research orientation of the author. For example, were the arguments balanced or not. Why? What did you notice?
No bias was noticed from the author of the article. The arguments placed forth by the author were balanced. The author determined there were differences in the perception of play between the German and Chinese children. German children associated play with learning, while the Chinese children saw play and learning as separate activities.
Has adequate attention been made to various contexts? For example, have they critiqued themselves, the data collection methods, or the type of analysis?
Within academic articles, it is expected that the authors examine why their data may have revealed certain points of view. You may also expect to see some reference to their data collection methods and any issues they may have encountered and/or limitations of their research. Make some comment here on what you found.
The study limitations had to do with the memory of the children. Children can also recognize things in memory but find it difficult to recall them. The children struggled with verbal expression due to their age.
Professor comments
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ARTICLE # 2
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Research Article (must be relevant, empirical, and published within the last 10 years)
(Where applicable, older articles may be used)
Provide article reference in APA Style. (If you use an electronic APA Style reference generator, double check the formatting to ensure it follows the APA Guidelines.)
Edwards, S., & Cutter-Mackenzie, A. (2013). Pedagogical play types: What do they suggest for learning about sustainability in early childhood education? International Journal of Early Childhood, 45(3), 327-346.
Best Practice
List one ECEC best practice as identified in your chosen article.
Adaptations of Space, Materials, and Equipment
Problem/Issue in the Field
How does the article relate to your research problem of interest?
From your own experience, describe the current reality in the field/ community, and explain how it is different from best practice.
Without a proper uderstanding of what is required in play and learning, teachers cannot properly offer children the necessary materials for incorporating play and learning.
The open-ended play was the focus of this study, and it was clear that teachers could not implement it in terms of biodiversity education. Children could not adapt to the space and use the materials since teachers did not allow them.
Data Collection Methods
What instrument was used to collect data?
Was the data qualitative, quantitative, or both (mixed)?
Data collection for this study involved journal entries by the teachers, video recording of the play and teaching activity, and interviews of the children and teachers.
The data collected for the study was qualitative.
Participant Demographics
Provide details about the study participants (i.e., position, gender, age, language, economic status, geographic location).
The study was conducted in sixteen early learning centres across Melbourne, Australia. The study focused only on pre-schools with children aged 4-5 years. The total number of children participants was 114. The teachers who participated in the study were 16, with 13 females and three males.
Recommendations for Future Research
What do the author(s) recommend for future research on the topic?
Future research should focus on how teachers can use the different combinations of the three pedagogical play types to support children's engagement.
Potential Research Project Themes
Identify 2-3 key themes related to your research problem. (These themes will be useful when writing your Literature Review.)
Impact of open-ended play.
Play assists children to explore their world.
Identifying interesting and important quotations
Choose two quotations which relate to your research problem. (If appropriate, you may choose to use these in your Literature review)
*Note quotations should be used carefully in a literature review. You can also choose a phrase or expression rather than the whole sentence
Open-ended play was found to be least likely to prompt teachers to identify biodiversity concepts and pedagogical strategies for engaging children than either modelled or purposefully framed play.
Developing an approach to sustainability education in early childhood is therefore possible.
After reviewing this article, which reference might you pull out as a primary source?
Within your article, you may have noticed a reference the author has used or referred to. Look in the reference list and make a note of the full reference. Find one primary source per article.
Hedges, H., Cullen, J., & Jordan, B. (2011). Early years curriculum: Funds of knowledge as a conceptual framework for childrens interests. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 43(2), 185205.
Are personal intentions examined, for example did you note any bias?
When reading your article, did you notice any bias from the author? Did the article itself or the question suggest the research orientation of the author. For example, were the arguments balanced or not. Why? What did you notice?
The authors seemed more interested in open-ended play. However, the findings of the study suggest otherwise. Teachers did not implement this strategy as expected by the researchers. Instead, they focused more on modelled and purposefully framed play.
Has adequate attention been made to various contexts? For example, have they critiqued themselves, the data collection methods, or the type of analysis?
Within academic articles, it is expected that the authors examine why their data may have revealed certain points of view. You may also expect to see some reference to their data collection methods and any issues they may have encountered and/or limitations of their research. Make some comment here on what you found.
The teachers struggled to implement the three types of play when it came to biodiversity concepts. However, most of them found it easy to use the purposefully framed play to identify specific biodiversity concepts. Teachers should be trained further on using all three concepts of play to teach biodiversity concepts.
Professor comments
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ARTICLE # 3
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Research Article (must be relevant, empirical, and published within the last 10 years)
(Where applicable, older articles may be used)
Provide article reference in APA Style. (If you use an electronic APA Style reference generator, double check the formatting to ensure it follows the APA Guidelines.)
Vogt, F., Hauser, B., Stebler, R., Rechsteiner, K., & Urech, C. (2018). Learning through playpedagogy and learning outcomes in early childhood mathematics. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 26(4), 589-603.
Best Practice
List one ECEC best practice as identified in your chosen article.
Monitoring Childrens Learning
Problem/Issue in the Field
How does the article relate to your research problem of interest?
From your own experience, describe the current reality in the field/ community, and explain how it is different from best practice.
Mathematics can be a challenging subject for many children. However, children can better understand mathematics using play-based learning, which contributes to the research under study.
The reality is that if children are not given a good base for mathematics, they will struggle later in their mathematics studies. Therefore, creating a good base will assist all children in learning and understanding mathematics.
Data Collection Methods
What instrument was used to collect data?
Was the data qualitative, quantitative, or both (mixed)?
Quantitative data were collected by analyzing the childrens mathematical competencies using the test developed by Zahlenstark. Qualitative data was collected using interviews. An independent researcher interviewed the kindergarten educators.
The study used both qualitative and quantitative data.
Participant Demographics
Provide details about the study participants (i.e., position, gender, age, language, economic status, geographic location).
The study was conducted in the Canton of St. Gall in Switzerland. All kindergarten educators were randomly invited to participate in the study and randomly assigned one of the groups. A total of 35 kindergarten educators and 324 children aged six years old participated in the study. The training program had 12 kindergarten educators and 111 children, the play-based approach had 11 kindergarten educators and 91 children, and the control group had 12 kindergarten educators and 127 children.
Recommendations for Future Research
What do the author(s) recommend for future research on the topic?
Future studies should target a broader range of mathematical competencies to determine...
…the tachers to select a group based on their beliefs, which means the authors did not control the study participants. The study is well balanced as each teacher focused on the children based on what they know and are comfortable with.
Has adequate attention been made to various contexts? For example, have they critiqued themselves, the data collection methods, or the type of analysis?
Within academic articles, it is expected that the authors examine why their data may have revealed certain points of view. You may also expect to see some reference to their data collection methods and any issues they may have encountered and/or limitations of their research. Make some comment here on what you found.
Allowing teachers to stick with their beliefs when it comes to teaching children could have impacted the study results. The authors note that teachers beliefs directly impact the kind of teaching method the teacher will select. Therefore, the authors should have randomly assigned teachers to different groups to determine if the study results would be similar.
Professor comments
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ARTICLE # 7
Type your comments into this column
Research Article (must be relevant, empirical, and published within the last 10 years)
(Where applicable, older articles may be used)
Provide article reference in APA Style. (If you use an electronic APA Style reference generator, double check the formatting to ensure it follows the APA Guidelines.)
Gray, C., & Ryan, A. (2016). Aistear vis--vis the Primary Curriculum: the experiences of early years teachers in Ireland. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(2), 188-205.
Best Practice
List one ECEC best practice as identified in your chosen article.
Monitoring Childrens Learning
Problem/Issue in the Field
How does the article relate to your research problem of interest?
From your own experience, describe the current reality in the field/ community, and explain how it is different from best practice.
The authors are looking for reasons preventing the implementation of play in learning in Ireland kindergartens. There are limitations beyond teacher's attitudes impacting play learning, and without uncovering these limitations, teachers will continue to use the old teaching methods.
Teachers cannot embrace new education strategies if they are not supported. Without support, most teachers stick with what is availed to them for school work.
Data Collection Methods
What instrument was used to collect data?
Was the data qualitative, quantitative, or both (mixed)?
The researchers used interviews and classroom observation to collect data for the study.
The study made use of qualitative and quantitative data.
Participant Demographics
Provide details about the study participants (i.e., position, gender, age, language, economic status, geographic location).
The study participants comprised six teachers (all female) aged between 20 and 59 years. All the teachers had a teaching degree. The locale of the study was the county of Dublin in Ireland. The researchers were allowed to observe teachers conducting their teaching sessions involving play.
Recommendations for Future Research
What do the author(s) recommend for future research on the topic?
Future research should focus on the limitations of implementing the Aistear. The study focused on what the teachers stated as the limitations. However, there is a need to determine if these are the actual hindrances or other underlying issues.
Potential Research Project Themes
Identify 2-3 key themes related to your research problem. (These themes will be useful when writing your Literature Review.)
Brennan, C. 2012. Learning to Play and Playing to Learn. In Early Childhood Education and Care: An Introduction for Students in Ireland, edited by M. Mhic Mhathna and M. Taylor, 161167. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.
Identifying interesting and important quotations
Choose two quotations which relate to your research problem. (If appropriate, you may choose to use these in your Literature review)
*Note quotations should be used carefully in a literature review. You can also choose a phrase or expression rather than the whole sentence
Teachers in the Republic of Ireland are similarly charged with driving up standards and meeting hard-edged targets.
Childchild contact is restricted and controlled by the fact that children remain seated at their desk during play-based sessions.
After reviewing this article, which reference might you pull out as a primary source?
Within your article, you may have noticed a reference the author has used or referred to. Look in the reference list and make a note of the full reference. Find one primary source per article.
Bottini, M., & Grossman, S. (2005). Centre-based teaching and childrens learning: The effects of learning centres on young childrens growth and development. Childhood Education, 81(5), 274277.
Are personal intentions examined, for example did you note any bias?
When reading your article, did you notice any bias from the author? Did the article itself or the question suggest the research orientation of the author. For example, were the arguments balanced or not. Why? What did you notice?
The authors wanted to uncover the perceptions of teachers in Ireland who have to use the new teaching program, Aistear. Teachers noted a lack of support by the policymakers, which led to the failure to implement the play-based teaching method fully. The discussion presented by the authors is well balanced, and it focuses on what the teachers stated, comparing it to what other researchers have uncovered regarding the new system.
Has adequate attention been made to various contexts? For example, have they critiqued themselves, the data collection methods, or the type of analysis?
Within academic articles, it is expected that the authors examine why their data may have revealed certain points of view. You may also expect to see some reference to their data collection methods and any issues they may have encountered and/or limitations of their research. Make some comment here on what you found.
The study population was too small to be representative of the population. With over…
