Introduction
Play-based learning is becoming more popular in today’s early school years of a child. Play is essential for the child’s development, both physically and mentally. It involves the child’s active mind, and they can develop cognitive functions. These functions include improved verbal communication since they can interact with other children and the teacher is there to help them. Play also tremendously helps the child have self-confidence, enhancing their learning abilities. This play-based learning is more student-centered since they can gain skills and knowledge. Although play-based learning has a positive influence, the research focuses on the teachers’ perspectives on the barriers faced when implementing play-based learning in ks1. The play-based has an added advantage for the child, and we have to focus on the opinions and beliefs of the teachers. The motivation behind conducting research is to get the perspective of the teachers regarding the play in ks1.
The research is essential because we can look at the problems and barriers when implementing the learning of children in ks1. The teachers can share their thoughts because they are the ones spending most of the time with the children. The personal motivation for doing the research is that it is crucial to consider their opinions since we can view this learning from their points of view. Only a few kinds of research have been done on the teachers’ perspective; therefore, this research will help intervene in play-based learning in schools.
Teachers and parents have conflicting beliefs about play in early childhood school. Although some teachers may view, this level supported the space, other teachers from other levels termed them lazy. This is because they never understood what activities the children were involved in (Pyle et al. 2021). The differences in the concept of play-based learning can cause tension among different teachers, especially when they have to involve the parents. Nevertheless, apart from planning these plays, teachers must determine their role in the child. The teachers also face a lot of pressure since they have to focus on boosting the child’s academic achievement. There is pressure on the headteacher to perform and that is why some headteachers consider play-based learning as a distraction (Portman& Teff-Seker, 2017). The pressure is also from the surroundings because they have to pay attention to every child keenly to keep them equally involved in the activities.
The curriculum has faced a lot of criticism from the other teacher and concerned parties. In ks1, there is no difference between learning and playing. Therefore, the curriculum has no guidance to suggest that play will contribute to real learning (Fisher, 2021). A study conducted shows that the participants considered the curriculum as crowded because there is a lot of expectation from learners, whereby the learners have to combine literacy and play together, keeping in mind the pressures of academic testing of students (Ta, 2021). Apart from being complete, the curriculum lacks funding from the implementors, but this degree varies on the impact. The play-based learning involves a lot of resources to be implemented; therefore, the lack of these resources can make the process difficult. The curriculum also lacks clarity on how the teachers have to implement play in the child’s early years in school. The teachers need training and boost confidence considering that they have to implement it in a meaningful way. Some research suggests a need for professional development that is by training since some teachers lack knowledge about the ks1 (Gray & Ryan, 2016). The training will also help teachers discuss how to implement and facilitate play-based learning.
Teachers need opportunities for them to get skills on how they can promote learning through behavioral management. The research made on primary teachers and nursery teachers shows that primary teachers experience difficulties when implementing play because they a handle a big classroom (Ta, 2021). Handling a big classroom requires strong organizational skills because it is hard to take children who lack behavior management skills. Another study shows that headteachers play a significant role in influencing how the ks1 is implemented. The fact is that headteachers or principals had no prior experience with play-based learning, and from this, a barrier is created because they don’t know how to handle certain things. Weather influences how activities of play are carried out in learning (Miller et al. 2022). The children have to do nature-based learning together with play; therefore, with extreme weather that is experienced, some outdoor activities have to be put on hold.
Study design
For this kind of research, the best design to use in qualitative research because it focuses on describing the aim of the study while minding the words from the participants. Qualitative research design is based on observation since it explores the meaning of human experiences (Miller, 2021). One of the designs to be used in qualitative research is narrative inquiry. Narrative inquiry in this case it can be used to reveal the teachers’ perspective and help get a deep understanding of play-based learning.
Methods
Ethics consideration
Ethics consideration means the research has to be approved by the ethics committee before commencing the study. Letters have to be sent to the various school principals where the study will be conducted (Ta, 2021). The ethical concern that is most likely to be raised is the issue of the privacy of the participants. There is a need to give assurances to the participants regarding confidentiality and anonymity, which will create trustworthiness. Another problem that may encounter is that the school and parents may refuse to consent to the research being conducted. In this way, the researcher should not force any people to participate, and the researcher must respect their opinions. The participants should accept to be involved voluntarily to avoid biasness in the study.
A sampling of schools and interviewing
For the success of the research on how the teacher’s perspective on the barriers to implementing the curriculum, it is necessary to find a school and teachers where the interview will be conducted. The permission sought to conduct the consultation and class observation will significantly help the research. I will seek the consent of the parents to observe their children. Questionnaires will be submitted to selected school teachers, principals and parents too. All the interviews conducted and the questionnaires filled will be anonymous and confidential, whereby there will be no use of names or any other personal details.
Class observation
This is an essential tool because of observing the participants in a natural environment. With this data collection technique, the researcher will be able to watch how the children’s activities are conducted. Observation will help create a good rapport with participants and encourage them to speak freely. Therefore, the data collected during interviews and the ones filled on questionnaires will be detailed. There is a need to liaise with the teachers to avoid distracting the class activities (Gray & Ryan, 2016). Observation will help identify the play activities done, the hours the activities take and who takes charge of the activities the child or the teacher.
Data will be generated through the interviews and surveys conducted in the various schools. Questionnaires are another way to collect data from teachers and principals. The observation of the activities that child involves themselves in will significantly play a role in data collection.
Data analysis
Data analysis is essential in any research since it helps draw insight from the raw data collected. For the raw data collected to be analyzed well, one of the approaches is descriptive analysis. Descriptive analysis involves interpreting, reflecting and manipulating the raw data collected in the field. The data collected in the area needs to be organized for further research investigations. One of the best ways to manage the data is using descriptive analysis.
The study being conducted is nonnumerical; the analysis is a qualitative data approach. The data collected will involve percentages and measurements, which vary depending on the participants. Qualitative research also involves narrative analysis, which is focused on the interviews conducted (Friese, 2022). The participants will share their experiences and opinions on play-based learning, and from this, a narrative analysis will be used. Content analysis may be helpful when the data collected is in text or recording was done during the study period. This analysis depends mainly on the type of research questions one is trying to answer.
Dissemination and impact
The beneficiaries of the study are school principals, teachers, key stakeholders in education and parents. The research will help the school identify the things they have to overcome the barriers experienced in play-based learning in ks1. Such things include having a big classroom for space and employing extra teachers when one teacher is too big. The government should offer training for all teachers in the school to experience what play-based learning entails. With all the barriers the teachers will mention, concerned parties should take action to meet their needs and for the teaching to continue with ease. Communication of the findings to the participants is by submitting the results to them, that is if they wanted to be given feedback. Contact information is provided during the study so that the participants can request the findings after completing the research. Another means of communicating is posting the investigation as an article on the internet.
Conclusion
At the end of the research, ethical issues encountered when meeting with the participants should be addressed. For data collected to be reliable and valid, there should be consistency in it. Although the research is conducted on various teachers and schools, the data collected can determine the quality of the research. This research will greatly shine a light on how studies on childhood and education can impact a lot of things and people. The findings will help in solving all the barriers encountered and help in foreseeing the future problems of play-based learning.
Reference
Colette Gray & Anna Ryan (2016) Aistear vis-Ă -vis the Primary Curriculum: the experiences of early years teachers in Ireland, International Journal of Early Years Education, 24:2, 188-205, DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2016.1155973
Hoover, L. (2021). 5 qualitative research designs and research methods. GCU.
Julie Fisher (2021): To play or not to play: teachers’ and headteachers’ perspectives on play-based approaches in transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 in England, Education 3-13, DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2021.1912136
Miller, N.C.; Kumar, S.; Pearce, K.L.; Baldock, K.L. Primary School Educators’ Perspectives and Experiences of Nature-Based Play and Learning and Its Benefits, Barriers, and Enablers: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 3179. Web.
Friese, S. (2022). Narrative analysis – and narrative research | ATLAS.ti. ATLAS.ti – The Qualitative Data Analysis & Research Software.
Pyle, A., Pyle, M. A., Prioletta, J., & Alaca, B. (2020). Portrayals of play-based learning. Misalignments among Public Discourse, Classroom Realities, and Research.
Ta, T. (2021). Barriers to implementation of play in early childhood classrooms. Web.