ERIC Number: EJ1302698
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-5146
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Play in Children's Learning: The Perspective of Ghanaian Early Years Stakeholders
Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development, v41 n2-3 p174-189 2021
The purpose of this study was to examine Ghanaian stakeholders' beliefs about the role and importance of play in early years (3 to 5 years) children's learning, referred to as play-learning beliefs. A survey design was adopted in order to gather data necessary to examine the differences among stakeholders' play-learning beliefs. A total of 292 participants completed the survey. Data were collected using a self-developed scale. A preliminary comparison of the mean differences among the stakeholders using ANOVA indicated that the head teachers and teachers perceived play as a form of learning more favourably than the parents. This difference was further explored using cluster analysis to test the hypothesis that stakeholders' education status is a factor in explaining the group mean differences. Using a two-step cluster analysis in SPSS 24.0, participants were grouped into five distinct clusters, which were most distinguishable by participant status (parent, teacher or head teacher) and their education status -- high-educated head teachers, teachers and parents, moderate-educated teachers and low-educated parents. Consistent differences emerged between cluster groups when compared on the scale score. Consistent with the hypothesis, the results suggest education status is associated with stakeholders' beliefs about the role of play in children's learning.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Stakeholders, Beliefs, Play, Preschool Children, Principals, Preschool Teachers, Administrator Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Parent Attitudes, Educational Attainment, Rural Urban Differences, Institutional Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A