Introduction
Background
Inclusion practice during play is one of the factors that are currently considered very important for children who are still in pre-school institutions. Children in the nursery setting often process a lot within their mind as they try to understand their immediate environment. At this early age, they want to understand why things happen the way they do. In our highly diversified society, one factor that may remain troubling in the mind of these learners is the diversity that we have in our society. At this age, these children try to understand what it means to be a boy or a girl. They need help from people around them especially if they have disabilities, and inclusion during play is very critical for them (Hallet 2012). In this study, the researcher wants to find out the relevance of inclusion among children in the nursery setting. Information will be gathered from books, journal articles, and people who will be interviewed. This area of research was chosen because of the growing need to empower young children to start appreciating diversity in our society.
Importance of the Study
This research project is very important because it will inform practice in early childhood care, especially among the children in nursery settings and those with disabilities. The study will explain to practitioners the relevance of inclusion when handling children in the nursery setting, some of whom may be with disabilities. As Briggs (2012) notes, sometimes early childhood caregivers fail to understand how they can handle fragile students who lack the capacity to act like others. This study will offer them a guideline on how to ensure that all children, irrespective of their capabilities, are actively engaged during games.
Research Questions and Objectives
It is important to define research questions and objectives when conducting a research project. The following are the research objectives:
- To determine the importance of inclusion practice during play when handling children in the nursery setting.
- To determine how caregivers can facilitate inclusion when handling children aged 3 or 4 years in the nursery setting.
- To find out how children with disabilities can be empowered through inclusion practice during plays.
The following are the research questions that will inform the process of collecting both primary and secondary data:
- What is the importance of inclusion practice when handling children in a nursery setting?
- How can caregivers facilitate inclusion practice when handling children aged 3 and 4 years in a nursery setting?
- How can inclusion practice during play be used to empower children with disabilities?
Potential Users
This research study will be very useful to early childhood caregivers who often have children from diverse backgrounds and with varying capabilities. They will need this material to inform their practice when planning on how to take advantage of diversity among the learners to promote integration.
Terminologies
Inclusion means the practice of valuing everyone and appreciating their unique attributes and ways of life (Brock et al. 2013). Diversity means inclusion of people from different backgrounds in the same setting (Devarakonda 2013). Early childhood education means teaching young children in pre-school setting. Societal dynamics means social, economic, and political changes in the society (Maynard & Powell 2013).
Literature Review
Early childhood education and care is an issue that has attracted the attention of many scholars over the recent past. According to Howard and McInnes (2013), the society is changing in various ways. In the past, women within the United Kingdom, and many other countries around the world, were not expected to engage in economic activities. Men were the breadwinners and women would take care of children. It means that children who were too young to join school would be left at home under the care of their mothers. However, the societal dynamics have completely changed, as women become active participants in the corporate world. Women, just like men, are now actively involved in various economic activities (Maynard & Powell 2013). They leave in the morning and come back in the evening and sometimes even late at night as they work in different settings. It becomes a major problem when there is a special needs child who needs proper care.
Children with disabilities need closer attention and care than their normal colleagues. The special need may be caused by physical or mental problems or both (Hallet 2016). We can broadly classify these disabilities as physical and mental problems (Golding et al. 2012). Physical disabilities include visual impairment, hearing problems, problem with speech, or inability to use both upper and lower limbs. Mental disabilities include autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and depression (Maynard & Powell 2013). Children suffering from these conditions are very fragile but often long to be considered as capable as their normal colleagues
When one is handling children in a nursery setting, it is possible to have a situation where some of them are normal while others need special care. According to Bradford (2013) inclusion practice is critical when handling children in such settings. Sometimes one may be tempted to separate these children during play based on their physical or mental capabilities (Trussler & Robinson 2015). One would want to ensure that those with visual or limb problems are separated from the rest of the population, thinking that in so doing those with disabilities will be protected. However, the truth is that when they are separated, they feel that their disabilities make them less important or less capable than their peers. Inclusion practices make them forget about their disabilities (Miller & Cameron 2013). They develop a feeling that they can achieve greatness regardless of their physical or mental problems. They get to learn how they can lead normal lives.
Helping Pre-school Children to Understand Diversity
The United Kingdom is one of the most socio-culturally diversified countries in Europe (Chumak-Horbatsch 2012). During and after its colonisation of different countries around the world, many people immigrated into the country. Some of them, even after immigrating, continued with their cultural and religious practices in this country. It explains why there is a significant population of Muslims and Hindus in various parts of the country. The country is also diversified from a racial background. Allen and Gordon (2012) say that adults may find race to be an issue but children tend to find it a minor thing, unless they are indoctrinated to hate or despise people of a given race. However, for children who are aged 3 to 4 years, the physical differences that they see in their colleagues may raise questions in their minds.
They may want to know why a colleague is White, the other is Black, and another is collared. According to Hunter (2016), this is a very critical stage of development among the children and what they are made to believe may stick in their minds for several years to come. The diversity may trouble their minds as they try to look for reasons to explain their physical difference. In fact, they even need to understand why they are referred to as boys or girls and what defines their gender. The boys need to understand what makes them different from girls and vice versa (Morrison 2015). In the past, it was the responsibility of mothers to help these children at this critical stage of development. However, it is now the responsibility of the early childhood educators to help in answering these questions. They must ensure that these children understand their gender, appreciate the gender of other children, and learn to respect the diversity within their society. They need to know why they are different in skin colour, body size, way of talking, or any other significant variations that may exist among them at this tender age. Above everything, Devarakonda (2013) says that children need to learn that diversity makes the society complete.
Children with disabilities are special and at the age of 3 or 4 years, they need a lot of support from people around them to understand their condition and why they are different. They may find it troubling to understand why they lack limbs while their colleagues do (Chumak-Horbatsch 2012). Other children who are normal may also be troubled trying to understand why their colleagues are physically different from them. It is the responsibility of the caregivers to ensure that these physical disabilities do not play out against the disadvantaged. It should not become a reason why they are looked down upon by others because that may affect them negatively. It may even make them hate themselves (Maynard & Powell 2013). These preschool children should be helped to understand the diversity.
Inclusion Practice during Play
In the past, it was common to find cases where boys were separated from girls during games time. Brown (2016) says that this kind of reasoning why little boys aged 3 or 4 years are physically stronger than girls of the same age is one of the reasons that made educators in the past to ensure that they are separated in the past. Another major reason was the need to ensure that boys and girls understand their differences and their place in the society. For a long time, girls would be allowed to attend school to a certain level (Nutbrown, Clough & Atherton 2013). However, in those days, indoctrination started at a very early stage (Tayler & Price 2016).
One of the first lessons children have to learn is their gender. Boys were always reminded that they are superior to girls and that they will one day become the head of their families. On the other hand, girls were taught to be respectful to boys and be ready to play a secondary role to them at all times. With that mindset in place, plays were always designed along gender lines (Price & Tayler 2015). Boys were to play different games from that of girls. Even in cases where the game was the same, girls had to play on their own, and so do boys. This mentality has not been eliminated in our learning institutions. Many educators still believe that girls should not play as either alongside boys, for fear of girls being hurt or because of the long held belief, that playing differently helps in emphasising the difference between boys and girls (Ritchie 2015).
It is also important to bring together children with and without disabilities to play together in a nursery setting. Knowing that some of these children are of special needs, the practitioners can be part be part of these games with primary goal of ensuring that everyone remains safe throughout the plays (Devarakonda 2013). The biggest challenge may be finding games that can be suitable to these children with varying physical and mental capabilities. When a game is unfavourable to those with disabilities, then these plays may only pronounce their inabilities. Instead, the practitioners should ensure that the games identified can be fairly played by these children irrespective of their physical capabilities.
Theoretical Background
When working with pre-school children, early childhood educators and caregivers need to understand theoretical models that can inform their practice. One of the most relevant theories is Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development (Barter & Berridge 2012). It explains development at different stages of human life. This theory holds that children reason differently from adults. During play, they need to be given an opportunity to make their own independent decisions. They should be given guidance only when it is necessary. The theory states that children acquire knowledge very rapidly, from what they see and hear within their immediate environment (Spores 2013). It means that this is the best stage where these children should be made to understand that their skin pigment or gender does not define what they become. Instead, their future relies on their hard work and commitment towards every activity in which they are involved. During plays, children should be allowed to play together because, as stated in this theory, such inclusion in plays helps them to value diversity and respect people who are different from them (Ritchie 2015). In this field of knowledge, the biggest strength is that main scholars have tried to expand the level of knowledge that exists. The disagreements and contradictions that existed before are being addressed. However, there is a gap in knowledge in terms of how inclusion practice during play influences both children aged 3 and 4 years and practitioners. This research will build upon the existing knowledge to help address this gap.
Methodology
Research Paradigm
When planning to conduct a research, one of the first things that must be addressed is selecting the most appropriate research paradigm that will be used in the study. In this research, positivism was considered the most appropriate research philosophy for the study. It means that in this study the belief is that information that is derived from sensory experience and then interpreted through logic and reason forms exclusive source of authoritative knowledge (Flavell 2014). We believe that what children observe from their experience is able to inform the knowledge that they gain.
Research Strategy
It is also important to come up with a clear research strategy that defines how primary data will be conducted (Solly 2014). The chosen strategy for this study will be survey. The researcher will collect primary data from practitioners who have been handling children aged 3 and 4 years with varying physical and mental capabilities. It will be necessary to know the experience they have always had when handling these children. It will also be important to collect data from experts in this field. Information collected from these people will inform the findings of the study.
Sampling
Many people can be selected to take part in this study because locally there are numerous pre-school institutions and early childhood education experts who have the needed knowledge. However, time factor made it necessary to sample only a section of the participants for the study. The study used stratified sampling to come up with a specific population of participants. There were two strata, the educators/caregivers, and the experts in this field. In each stratum, the researcher used simple random sampling to select specific participants for the study. Twenty respondents were sampled to participate in the research project.
Data Collection
Data was collected from the selected participants through interview. The researcher interviewed the participants in their work settings, especially early childhood educators and caregivers. Collecting data from their workplace setting was considered the most appropriate way because it was possible to observe the behavioural pattern of these children. Pre-planned questions were used to direct the process of interviewing the participants.
Data Analysis
After collecting data, Drifte (2014) says that the next important step is to conduct an analysis. The collected data should be analysed in a way that responds directly to the set research questions and the objectives. The method of conducting analysis should directly reflect on the nature of the study and the set research objectives. It all depends on what the researcher seeks to achieve by the end of the study. The researcher is interested in determining how inclusion practices during play influences both children aged 3 and 4 and practitioners within a nursery setting. To achieve the above objectives, it was important to analyse the data qualitatively. Qualitative data analysis makes it possible for the respondents to explain specific issues that are relevant to the study based on their experience. Through their experience and knowledge, it was possible to respond to the research questions. This method of analysis made it possible to provide a detailed justification why specific phenomena happen the way they do and what can be done to address the issues identified to promote inclusion. It was also necessary to determine the magnitude of various factors that affect inclusion practice during play among children aged 3 and 4 years. As such, quantitative analysis was also used in the study. Quantitative analysis was necessary because it uses mathematical methods that can be verified empirically. It made it possible to analyse primary data and present findings in charts and figures, which are easy to interpret.
Validity and Reliability
This study focuses on a very sensitive area of knowledge that involves managing and caring for pre-school children. A number of stakeholders may find the document very relevant in their fields of practice in one way or the other. As such, the issue of validity and reliability was taken into consideration. To establish the reliability of the study, it is important to determine the degree to which tools used is capable of producing consistent and stable results (Hutchin 2013). The use of mathematical tools in this study helped in enhancing its reliability. Validity on the other hand refers to how well a given test measures what it purports to measure (Jarvis et al. 2016). In this case, the use of qualitative studies made it easy to explain some phenomena that relate to inclusion practice during play among children aged 3 and 4 in the nursery setting.
Ethical Considerations
According to Jarvis, George and Holland (2013), it is very important for a researcher to embrace ethics when conducting a research project. There is a way in which a researcher is expected to behave when collecting and analysing data. There are ethical considerations that must be put into consideration to ensure that the process of conducting research project is in line with academic expectations of the researcher. In this research project, a number of ethical concerns were put in place in line with the expectations. The researcher identified institutions from which participants were to be collected. Before approaching the participants, the researcher contacted the administrations of these institutions to seek for permission for the study. The study was only collected from institutions that authorised the research. It is an ethical requirement to ensure that the administration of these institutions is made aware of the planned research.
After getting approval from the relevant administrative authority, a letter was written to sampled respondents requesting them to be part of the study. In the letter, the nature of the research was explained to them and above all, they were reminded that participation in this study was purely voluntary. It meant that those who were not willing to be part of the study for one reason or the other were at liberty to abstain without any consequences. Those who agreed to be part of the study were allowed to ask any relevant question that they had towards the study. Any clarification that they needed was given to them. They were also reminded that this is an academic research. The participants’ identities were hidden as a way of protecting them. Instead of using their real names, they were assigned values to ensure that they remained anonymous.
Discussion and Findings
In this section, the researcher will present the findings of the research and a detailed discussion based on the research topic and the research questions. The analysis focused on responding to the research questions using primary data and comparing the outcome with what existing literatures say. The first question that was analysed focused on determining the importance of inclusion practice when handling children in a nursery setting. The following was the question that was posed to the respondents.
What is the importance of inclusion practice when handling children in a nursery setting?
When this question was posed, the respondents gave their answers based on the categories that were provided to them. The question was structured to facilitate quantitative data analysis. The figure 1 below shows the outcome of the analysis of the response that was obtained from the participants.
As shown in the figure above, majority of the respondents (60%) felt that inclusion practice is very important when handling children in a nursery setting. Another 30% of the respondents also emphasised the importance of inclusion practices. It means that 90% of the respondents believe that inclusion practices are very important when handling the pre-school children. When asked to provide a justification for their view, they stated that inclusion practices create empowerment of children from diverse backgrounds at very tender age (Rodgers & Wilmot 2012). When they play together, they learn that everyone deserves to be treated with equal respect. The little girls get to learn that they have as good a capacity as boys to become important members of this society. To the practitioners, such inclusions in plays eliminate animosity that may otherwise exist among the students if they harbour the belief that a section of the students are special or not special based on what they learn in their out of school environment (Selmi, Gallagher & Mora-Flores 2015). Handling children in such an environment is a lot easier for the practitioners than in a setting where they are chaotic and intolerant to other children who do not look like them.
In connection to the above question, it was also important to determine if the participants feel that the current systems and structures in their learning institutions are effective enough to promote inclusion practice during play. After determining that most of them were in support of this practice, it was necessary to know if they are satisfied with what those in power are doing to promote it. The figure 2 below shows the response that was obtained from the respondents.
As shown in the above chart, majority of the respondents stated that they are dissatisfied with the systems and structures that exist in their institutions meant to promote inclusion practice during play. 60% of the respondents held the view that they lack proper environment in their workplace to promote inclusion practices. Only 35% felt that they had an enabling environment to promote inclusion practices when handling the minors. It is clear from their responses that a lot still needs to be done by the stakeholders, especially the administrators to ensure that inclusion practices during play is promoted among the children aged 3 and 4 years within nursery settings.
The next question was qualitative in nature. It focused on the role of the caregivers in promoting inclusion practices when handing the minors. The respondents were asked how the caregivers could facilitate inclusion practices when handling children aged 3 and 4 in a nursery setting. The following question was posed to them.
How can caregivers facilitate inclusion when handling children aged 3 and 4 years in a nursery setting?
The respondents felt that e various ways exist in which caregivers can promote inclusion among children aged 3 and 4 in a nursery setting. According to one of the respondents, one of the ways of doing them is to explain to the children verbally the need to work together despite the diversity that may exist. This sentiment closely relates with what Cooper (2013) says about the role of caregivers and educators in promoting integration. These caregivers should help the young learners to understand why they are different physically and what that means in terms of their relationship with others who are different from them (Lindon 2012). They should constantly talk to these minors and help them be tolerant not only towards people physically different from them but also to views that may be different from their own. At that tender age, they learn to express themselves emphatically but at the same time being capable of listening to others with different opinion and reacting positively. As such, these practitioners should be able to respond to the questions that these youngsters might have, especially about the issue of diversity.
It was also important to gather information from the respondents about the impact of inclusion practice on both children and practitioners in an environment where there are children of varying physical and mental capabilities. As show in the literature review, children with special needs get to benefit when they are actively engaged with their normal counterparts. The researcher wanted to determine if the same view is held by those who were interviewed. The following question was posed to the respondents.
How can inclusion practice during play be used to empower children with disabilities?
The respondents noted that inclusion practices during play have significant influence on both the practitioners and children in a setting where the physical and mental capabilities of children vary. Young children aged 3 or 4 years who suffer from varying mental problems such as anxiety or depression can be helped to lead a normal life. One way of doing that is to embrace inclusive practices during play. These children get to learn that they are normal and can do what their normal colleagues can and even do it better. For instance, children with autism often have unique mental capabilities. When they are involved in mind games with their normal peers, they can excel, which will be a reminder to them and to the peers that irrespective of these mental and physical challenges, they can still achieve success. The children with learning disabilities get to understand that with extra effort they can achieve anything they may desire in life.
According to Dickins (2014), the caregivers should be capable to reason with these children and be part of them during play. A child cannot reason as an adult (Kay 2012). As such, it is upon the adult to find a way in which he or she can speak the same language as the child in any setting. Some of the respondents stated that during play, teachers could join these children as their guide to ensure that they do not expose themselves to any harm (Sharma & Cockerill 2014). It is common to find cases where some children are more physically aggressive than others are. Other children may be weakling and less active compared with the rest of the group. These differences should not be a reason that makes the caregivers to separate the children during play. Such separations may be a validation that some children are better than others are. It may create disharmony among these young children (Kern & Humpal 2012). It will require the caregiver to be part of the play. When they are playing, the goal of the caregiver should be to ensure that everyone is active and that the weak are not subjected to any harm by the strong.
The literature that was reviewed and the primary data analysed agree that inclusion practices during play has positive affect both children aged 3 and 4 and the practitioners. It creates an environment where these children can understand the physical differences that they see amongst their colleagues (Vu, Fredrickson & Moore 2017). They get to appreciate that despite the differences they are equal and deserve to be treated with respect and love. They get to learn about tolerance at a very tender age. They get to know how to express themselves before others and how to listen to others who may have different opinions (Langston & Doherty 2013). In such settings, they get to learn how to share. The value of sharing is brought out during such inclusive plays. They can easily transfer what they learn during such plays in their real life context. For the practitioners, it becomes easy to handle children who have learnt how to share and embrace diversity (Ledgerton 2013). Constant fights and disagreements are likely to be less among such students. The practitioners will have less to worry about on issues such as fighting over properties or varying views among these children in the nursery settings.
Conclusion
The findings of this study extend the existing knowledge in this field. Children aged 3 and 4 years are very delicate because their mind is actively involved with understanding their environment and making meaning out of it. When they are in a nursery school setting, handling them may be a big challenge, especially when some of them have mental or physical disabilities. Constant fights for every little objects or minor disagreements may be common. These children may also have a problem understanding why they are physically different from others. Some may even have issues with the fact that others of different gender dress differently from them or even why they cannot walk or talk as others do.
Inclusion practice during play comes out as one of the ways of addressing these issues. The discussion above shows that children learn a lot during such plays. It benefits them greatly because they get to understand that their physical or mental differences do not make them different from their colleagues. They learn, from such inclusive plays, the art of sharing and how to give extra effort to overcome any physical or mental challenges. They also learn the importance of expressing their opinions and listening to the opinions of their colleagues even if they differ. At such tender age, they get to embrace tolerance and diversity within their environment. The practitioners also get to benefit because they will have easy time handling children who are orderly and understanding, able to offer help to their physically or mentally challenged colleagues. The validity of the findings is discussed in this paper. It is worth noting that the biggest limitation in this research project was time. If time were to be available, the only thing that would have been done differently is to collect data from more participants.
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