A1 Journal article (refereed)
Inclusive Play : Defining Elements of Playful Teaching and Learning in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse ECEC (2023)

Kangas, J., Lastikka, A.-L., & Arvola, O. (2023). Inclusive Play : Defining Elements of Playful Teaching and Learning in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse ECEC. Education Sciences, 13(9), Article 956. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090956

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Kangas, Jonna; Lastikka, Anna-Leena; Arvola, Outi

Journal or series: Education Sciences

eISSN: 2227-7102

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 19/09/2023

Volume: 13

Issue number: 9

Article number: 956

Publisher: MDPI AG

Publication country: Switzerland

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090956

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/89225

Publication is parallel published: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/565480

Abstract

Inclusive values are integral to early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies, promoting equal participation opportunities and individual support for all children. Play serves as a method for meaningful engagement, mutual cultural knowledge creation, and learning within ECEC. Pedagogical play entails teachers’ observation, interaction, support, and guidance. This study investigates practical elements and methods employed by teaching staff and experienced by children during playful activities. Conducted as a case study in two culturally diverse ECEC centers during spring 2023, data collection involved video-recorded monitoring of children’s daily activities in five groups. Video data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis tools to identify categories of inclusive play. Findings are presented as narratives to honor children’s experiences. The study identifies five elements of inclusive play: teachers’ active participation and presence, balanced repetition with flexible plans and adaptive goals, playful language fostering joy in play, non-verbal and kinesthetic communication with enabling tools, and emerging play marked by interaction and lasting intensity. These elements reveal opportunities and challenges for children’s inclusion and learning approaches, informing recommendations for promoting inclusive play in ECEC. Inclusive play emphasizes diverse strategies accommodating differences in learning styles and modes of knowledge expression among teaching staff and children.

Keywords: inclusion; social inclusion; early childhood education and care; playing (children's games); play-based pedagogy; pedagogy; learning; interaction; multiculturalism; day care centres

Free keywords: inclusion; play; case study; early childhood education and care; pedagogy

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

JUFO rating: 1