What Facilitates Kindergarten Teachers’ Intentions to Implement Play-Based Learning?

Most Chinese Preschool Teachers Value Guided Play Over Free Play: Latent Profiles and Associated Predictors

“…However, those with less experience, most likely newer teachers, valued guided and free play equally, suggesting they have “caught up” with contemporary trends toward valuing intentional teaching and guided play ( Bennett, 2005 ; Siraj-Blatchford, 2009 ; Weisberg et al, 2013b ), and possibly the contemporary emphasis on valuing and enacting both guided and free play equally ( Sylva et al, 2004 ; Zosh et al, 2018 ). However, the challenge for Chinese policy is to ensure this valuing of free play and child autonomy is enacted well, as research suggests that it takes years of experience to know how to convert these beliefs to practice ( Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006 ; Wen et al, 2011 ; Yin et al, 2021 ). While there is much rhetoric regarding the moral imperative to uphold children’s human right to play ( Colliver and Doel-Mackaway, 2021 ), it requires skill and expertise to follow children’s interests and initiatives in a thoughtful and educational manner ( Edwards et al, 2011 ; Hedges and Cooper, 2016 ).…”

“…It has been shown that Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers increasingly believe that play is extremely valuable (Li and Chen, 2017). These beliefs toward play not only influence the curricula and their pedagogical practices (Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006;Yin et al, 2021), but also children's early learning and development (Kansanen, 1991).…”

“…It has been shown that Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers increasingly believe that play is extremely valuable ( Li and Chen, 2017 ). These beliefs toward play not only influence the curricula and their pedagogical practices ( Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006 ; Yin et al, 2021 ), but also children’s early learning and development ( Kansanen, 1991 ). Crucially, large longitudinal research has significantly shaped the zeitgeist of contemporary ECEC practice ( Bennett, 2005 ; Fleer, 2010 ) by showing that ECEC services in which children initiate about half of their activities throughout the day lead to the best long-term outcomes ( Sylva et al, 2004 ).…”

“…This means a 1:1 ratio of guided and free play is likely to be ideal ( Sylva et al, 2004 ; Siraj-Blatchford, 2009 ). As a first step toward ECEC teachers reaching this ideal practice, their play beliefs must value this 1:1 ratio; as practice can only attain this balance once teachers have this intention and then gain the requisite experience in how to enact the intention ( Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006 ; Yin et al, 2021 ). Yet reviews of ECEC teachers’ beliefs reveal considerable variation internationally ( Bubikova-Moan et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Teachers’ beliefs toward play and learning influence the curricula and their pedagogical practices, as well as children’s early learning and development ( Kansanen, 1991 ). Their beliefs are particularly important if ECEC is to have the life-long impact indicated by longitudinal research (e.g., McCoy et al, 2017 ), as teachers can only implement a balance of guided and free play if their values support this ( Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006 ; Wen et al, 2011 ; Yin et al, 2021 ).…”