Participant engagement with play research – examples and lessons learned from the Centre for Play in Education, Development and Learning

Blaskova, Lenka Janik; Courtois, Soizic Le; Baker, Sara; Gibson, Jenny; Ramchandani, Paul; O’Farrelly, Christine; Fink, Elian

doi:10.1080/21594937.2020.1843804

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Future research should address this gap by using participatory methods and more complex research designs to include the views of all children with active efforts to include a diverse range of children's perspectives (Blaskova et al, 2020;Einarsdottir, 2007;Peters & Swadener, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the best of the our knowledge, only two studies have systematically reviewed the literature on children's perspectives of play, and both reviews sought to understand children's perspectives with regard to very specific aspects of play, namely children's views of work versus play (Goodhall & Atkinson, 2017) and the meaning of play for children with disabilities (Graham et al, 2017). For example, using a sociological framework, Goodhall and Atkinson (2017) A synthesis of research on children's perspectives of play is thus timely and relevant for educational psychology, not only to enhance our understanding of the role of play in children's lives and support more rigorous research, but also to identify effective participatory methods for including children's voices in research on issues of major importance for children's learning and development (Blaskova et al, 2020). An increasing emphasis on children's participation in research is evident in growing recommendations for participatory research in educational psychology and cognate disciplines (Bradbury-Jones, Isham & Taylor, 2018;Lundy, McEvoy & Byrne, 2011;Montreuil et al, 2021) and reflects Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which states children have a right to express their views regarding matters that affect them (United Nations, 2009;UNCRC, 1989;2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Understand More What We Do’: A Review of Children’s Perspectives of Play in Education

O'Keeffe,

McNally

2024

Preprint

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Background: Play is an essential part of children’s lives yet remains notoriously difficult to define. Understanding children’s perceptions of play is crucial in order to improve the measurement of play across studies and support the development of new hypotheses on play and learning. Aims: This review sought to (1) map research that has examined children’s conceptualisations of play, (2) identify methods used to elicit children’s perspectives, (3) summarise findings, (4) identify gaps within existing literature, and (5) make recommendations for future research. Methods: A scoping review methodology was used in consultation with 49 children (23 male; 26 female) aged 5 to 11 years in primary schools in Ireland. Data from the literature were extracted and summarised, and findings were thematically synthesised. Data from the child consultations were thematically analysed. Results: 42 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. These varied widely in study characteristics, research questions and methods. Overall, children identified play as social and fun with affective qualities. Autonomy and agency was viewed as integral to play, which also often involved the outdoors, toys, games and physical activity. Finally, children viewed play as creative, as something that could co-occur with learning, and that often had adult involvement. Children with disabilities were largely under-represented in the literature. Conclusions: The findings of this review have significant implications for play policy which has primarily been framed by adults’ conceptualisations of play. Conducted in consultation with children, this review reveals a keen appreciation by children of play as valuable, nuanced and complex.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Understand More What We Do’: A Review of Children’s Perspectives of Play in Education

O'Keeffe,

McNally

2024

Preprint

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“…Pyne (2014) stresses that children learn by doing while their doing fall short of actual world work. Blaskova et al (2020) stated that play gives children an opportunity to develop skills, to learn, to solve problems, and grow healthy connections. If they are physically active during play, it also brings healthy well-being.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Play-Based Learning as a Strategy to Prepare Grade R Learners for Formal Education in Waterberg District of Limpopo, South Africa

Irene¹,

Simeon²,

Ernest³

et al. 2022

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Current studies reveal that Grade R teachers in quintile 1 and 2 schools struggle to implement play-based learning for various reasons mainly associated with socio-economic factors such as lack of facilities and resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate foundation phase teachers' ability to implement play-based learning. The context of the investigation was schools experiencing poverty categorized as quintile 1 and 2 according to the Department of Basic Education. The context embodies socio-economic factors associated with poverty. We invoked Montessori's individuality and Piaget's theory to analyze discourses on play-based learning and utilized qualitative approaches to collect data from four qualified teachers in Grade R and eight practitioners participated in the study, and were all from quintiles 1, 2 and 5 located in Waterberg District of Limpopo province. The results suggest that Grade R teachers' immense pressure from school managers to adapt their lessons to make them appear like Grade 1 lessons. We concluded that, while Foundation phase teachers' struggles with improvisation and mitigation of challenges of poverty, their attempts to implement play-based learning is hindered by managers who want to turn Grade R into Grade 1.

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“…Furthermore, scholars (e.g. Aldridge, 2015;Janik Blaskova et al, 2020;Merrick, 2014) share additional practical learnings from engaging with children in studies, demonstrating that children, including those with DLD, can actively participate in research and make their views known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviewing the link between language abilities and peer relations in children with developmental language disorder: The importance of children’s own perspectives

Blaskova

Gibson

2021

Autism & Developmental Language Impairments

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Background and aims Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at risk of difficulties in their friendships and peer relations. The present review explores how research directly involving children with DLD can inform our understanding of peer relations in this group, and how research insights may change according to the nature of their involvement in the studies. We further examine how these findings might shape current theoretical understandings of the links between language impairment and peer relations. Methods An integrative review methodology was used in order to identify relevant studies and synthesise the findings. A structured database search was carried out using the qualitative PICo framework; Population = 4–12-year-old children with DLD, phenomenon of Interest = peer relations, Context = research studies directly including children. After screening, 52 studies were included in a narrative research synthesis. Main contribution: We identified six main types of study that directly included children with DLD; interview, sociometric, self-report, task-based, naturalistic observation and staged observation. Interview-based studies were the most likely to use a meaningful participatory approach. Indications of good practices for participation included reporting on involvement practices, seeking child assent, adapting materials and language used, using visual supports, using child-preferred communication methods and using art-based approaches. Findings from the narrative synthesis of studies highlight the importance of friendships to quality of life, and the role of pragmatic language skills and self-perceptions in building friendships. Conclusions Research on the peer relations of children with DLD is in the early stages when it comes to taking a participatory approach, however there are some examples of inclusive practice from which the whole field can learn. The findings show that research that directly includes children with language disorders and takes account of their communication challenges can help build a more comprehensive knowledge of their world and leads to interesting avenues for interventions targeting social adjustment. Implications: Clinical implications are discussed with reference to the highlighted pragmatic language and social needs of children with DLD, which are typically not addressed unless disproportionately affected in comparison to structural language impairments.

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Participant engagement with play research – examples and lessons learned from the Centre for Play in Education, Development and Learning

Cited by 4 publications

References 57 publications

‘Understand More What We Do’: A Review of Children’s Perspectives of Play in Education

‘Understand More What We Do’: A Review of Children’s Perspectives of Play in Education

Play-Based Learning as a Strategy to Prepare Grade R Learners for Formal Education in Waterberg District of Limpopo, South Africa

Reviewing the link between language abilities and peer relations in children with developmental language disorder: The importance of children’s own perspectives

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