Play as third space between home and school: Bridging cultural discourses

Abstract

This article examines play as a conceptual third space that serves as a bridge between home and school discourses. Using sociocultural theories and an interpretivist framework, 19 immigrant mothers and their children in Canada were interviewed about their play experiences at home and in preschools. The findings reveal that children and teachers utilise play as third space in various ways. Although there is some cultural dissonance experienced by children, this study illustrates ways that children use play as a bridge between home and school and explores strategies that teachers use in supporting children’s use of play as third space. As children navigate these two cultural sites, they accumulate funds of knowledge and life experiences, which then meet, interact and perhaps fuse together in the conceptual third space. The conclusion proposes that ‘play as third space’ can be used as a conceptual framework for educators and practitioners to support children’s transition from home to school and assist children who experience discontinuities.

A third space pedagogy: embracing complexity in a super-diverse, early childhood education setting

“…The themes of children's play are mutually understood through their collaboration and multimodal communication, evidencing intersubjectivity in the third space. In this respect, the metaphor of a 'bridge' has been used to describe the third space between an individual's home and school discourses (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-Lopez, and Tejeda 1999;Moje et al 2004;Yahya and Wood 2017). The findings in this study extend previous research that likens the third place to a bridge (singular) by clearly demonstrate that the third space is more akin to a network of multiple bridges that operate on multiple levels simultaneously, such as cultural discourses, linguistic resources and play scripts.…”

“…Similarly, Levy (2008) demonstrates how young children's constructions of themselves as readers are formed from their integration of home and school experiences. In a similar vein, Yahya and Wood (2017) show that the third space is a place where children from diverse backgrounds can bridge home and school contexts to make sense of the differences between the various communities of practice to which they belong, and thus for young children, play is an important vehicle for third space creation (Yahya and Wood 2017).…”

“…• A 'bridge' (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-Lopez, and Tejeda 1999 ;Moje et al 2004, Yahya andWood 2017) • A navigational space (Hicks, 1995(Hicks, , 1996Moje et al 2004) • A space of cultural, social and epistemological change (Moje et al 2004) • A 'conversation' (Moje et al 2004;Moll and González 1994) • A meeting point (Soja 2009) • A hybrid place (Bhabha 1994;Soja 2009) • Agency (Bhabha 1994;Lefebvre1991) • Linked to clandestine, underground activities (Gee 1990;Lefebvre 1991) • Identity maintenance (Gee 1990;Wilson 2000) • Resistance to power/homogenising forces (Gee 1990;Lefebvre 1991) • Creativity and transformation (Cole 1998;Gutiérrez, Baquedano-Lopez, and Tejeda 1999) For example, the thirty children in this study came from, or had close familial ties to, fifteen different nations, and whose members migrated to the United Kingdom through five different channels: study, work, European Union membership, family connections or asylum seekers and who spoke fourteen languages other than English.…”

Parents' Views on Play and the Goal of Early Childhood Education in Relation to Children's Home Activity and Executive Functions: A Cross-Cultural Investigation

“…Thus, there is no assurance to think that all communities hold similar views about the role of play in children's development and give equivalent play opportunities for their children (see Göncü et al, 2000 ; Parmar et al, 2004 ; Holmes, 2011 ; Roopnarine, 2011 ; Roopnarine and Jin, 2012 ; Roopnarine and Davidson, 2015 ). For instance, there are findings indicating that while adults with European cultural origin hold a strong play support belief that acknowledges the important role of play in child development (Haight et al, 1997 ; Parmar et al, 2004 ; Yahya and Wood, 2017 ), parents in some non-Western cultures or in low-income communities hold weak play support beliefs and appreciate the valuable contribution of academic training for children instead of play (Holmes, 2011 ; Yahya and Wood, 2017 ). In Mexican culture, in contrast to play activities, children's participation in work-related activities is thought to be far more important (Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2002 ).…”

Data_Sheet_1.PDF

“…Thus, there is no assurance to think that all communities hold similar views about the role of play in children's development and give equivalent play opportunities for their children (see Göncü et al, 2000;Parmar et al, 2004;Holmes, 2011;Roopnarine, 2011;Roopnarine and Jin, 2012;Roopnarine and Davidson, 2015). For instance, there are findings indicating that while adults with European cultural origin hold a strong play support belief that acknowledges the important role of play in child development (Haight et al, 1997;Parmar et al, 2004;Yahya and Wood, 2017), parents in some non-Western cultures or in low-income communities hold weak play support beliefs and appreciate the valuable contribution of academic training for children instead of play (Holmes, 2011;Yahya and Wood, 2017). In Mexican culture, in contrast to play activities, children's participation in work-related activities is thought to be far more important (Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2002).…”