A systematic review on the development, value and use of play-based learning in Early Primary

Abstract

A play-based pedagogy supports children in their holistic development as well as in acquiring new skills and knowledge by engaging in different play experiences. Maria Montessori (2013) affirms that “the child making use of all that he finds around him, shapes himself for the future” (Montessori as cited in Simon; Schuster, 2013, p. 345). Play is imperative for learning to take place and through interaction with the physical world and other children, students develop life-long learning skills. The data for this study was compiled through a systematic analysis where the researchers analysed published literature, locally and overseas. This literature review aimed to determine the development, use and value of adopting a playbased pedagogy in Early Primary. A concept map was drawn based on the data collected from the selected studies which underpinned three main factors: the development of play-based learning, teacher’s views and value and benefits of play-based curriculum for children. Findings transpired that educators are aware of the benefits and the importance of play in children’s learning and development. However, a number of educators did not acknowledge the importance of a play-based pedagogy as they do not fully understand the relation play has towards learning and how to implement such an approach. Additionally, curriculum objectives were one of the many factors that were limiting educators in implementing a play-based approach. For these reasons various recommendations for policy makers, professional development and school principals were proposed in accordance to the conclusion of this study. The importance of increasing educators’ knowledge about a play-based pedagogy through training was highlighted together with the need to draw curricula in a manner that educators can be more flexible and innovative.