IIER logo 4
Issues in Educational Research, 2020, Vol 30(2), 420-434.
[ Contents Vol 30 ] [ IIER Home ]

Play-based teaching practices of Turkish early childhood teachers

Selda Aras and Esra Merdin
Başkent University, Turkey

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.
[ PDF full text for this article ]

Authors: Dr Selda Aras is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Previously she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests focus on play in early years, pedagogical documentation, assessment of young children's development and learning, and professional development.
Email: seldaaras@hacettepe.edu.tr

Esra Merdin is a lecturer in the Department of Elementary Education, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests focus on media literacy, parent involvement, and play in early years.
Email: eozbey@baskent.edu.tr

Please cite as: Aras, S. & Merdin, E. (2020). Play-based teaching practices of Turkish early childhood teachers. Issues in Educational Research, 30(2), 420-434. http://www.iier.org.au/iier30/aras.pdf


[ PDF full text for this article ] [ Contents Vol 30 ] [ IIER Home ]
This URL: http://www.iier.org.au/iier30/aras-abs.html
Created 30 May 2020. Last correction: 30 May 2020.
Website: Roger Atkinson [rjatkinson@bigpond.com]