Play-based teaching practices of Turkish early childhood teachers

Abstract

Play as a teaching approach is a contemporary research area in early years that needs to be clearly defined. Early childhood teachers support the use of play, however the implementation of play as a teaching tool lacks clarity. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate early childhood teachers' perceptions and experiences of play-based teaching. The data for the study were gathered from six teachers through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Teachers' perceptions on the role of play in early years, play in teachers' implementations, and place of play in teachers' daily routines are presented in a detailed manner within the study. The findings revealed that there are differences among teachers' play-based teaching strategies and most of the teachers observed as implementing play-based teaching practices. The participants believed in the importance of play-based teaching; however shortcomings were observed in some of the teachers' practices.