Abstract
Longitudinal research suggests that optimal long-term outcomes are achieved when early childhood education and care (ECEC) balance free with guided play. A prerequisite for this achievement is that ECEC teachers value both equally. This study examines preschool teachers’ play beliefs profile and explores its association with teachers’ backgrounds (e.g., teaching experience, education level) in a sample of 674 Chinese teachers in Fujian, China. Participants completed an adapted form of the Parent Play Belief Scale, the Chinese Teacher Play Beliefs Scale (CTPBS), to report their beliefs regarding young children’s play and early academics. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed 91% of teachers exhibited high Academics over Guided Play (AGP) and low Free Play and Socio-Emotional Skills Support (FPSSS), whereas only 9% were high in both factors. Teachers with a decade or more teaching experience were more likely to belong to the high AGP and low FPSES profile. The findings indicate that the majority of Chinese ECEC teachers value guiding play to academic skills more than they do facilitating free play for socio-emotional skills. Professional development focused on balancing guided with free play may be necessary for the majority of Chinese ECEC teachers to catch up with the zeitgeist of contemporary international research and policy on intentional teaching in play.
Highlights
Cross-cultural comparative studies have revealed preschool teachers from various backgrounds attribute different characteristics and significance to children’s play (e.g., Wu and Rao, 2011; van der Aalsvoort et al, 2015)
It has been shown that Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers increasingly believe that play is extremely valuable (Li and Chen, 2017)
The present study aims to: (a) identify patterns of ECEC teachers’ play beliefs; (b) examine how these patterns are related to teachers’ backgrounds; The following research questions guided this investigation: (1) What group profiles of play beliefs would emerge from Chinese ECEC teachers?
Summary
Cross-cultural comparative studies have revealed preschool teachers from various backgrounds attribute different characteristics and significance to children’s play (e.g., Wu and Rao, 2011; van der Aalsvoort et al, 2015). Teachers’ beliefs toward play and learning influence the curricula and their pedagogical practices, as well as children’s early learning and development (Kansanen, 1991) Their beliefs are important if ECEC is to have the life-long impact indicated by longitudinal research (e.g., McCoy et al, 2017), as teachers can only implement a balance of guided and free play if their values support this (Parker and Neuharth-Pritchett, 2006; Wen et al, 2011; Yin et al, 2021). China has received profound influence from Confucian heritage culture (CHC), which values academic training in early childhood and highlights traditional teaching approach on children’s development (Zhu and Zhang, 2008) In this cultural context, Chinese teachers may be regarded as an educational authority whose direction has long been widely encouraged, meaning the value of childinitiated, play-based activity has been overlooked (Li, 2012). (1) What group profiles of play beliefs would emerge from Chinese ECEC teachers?
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