Literature on the concept of play suggest that play is a relative activity that has no universally agreed definition(Pramling Samuelsson & Fleer, 2010). Fromberg and Bergen (2006) attribute this to the shifting function of play in different settings. Different scholars have defined and theorised play in many different ways. Despite the differences, general agreements have been made concerning play that it is pleasurable and enjoyable, is characterised by freedom and spontaneity, elicit active engagement by players, and it occurs in separate space and time from other activities (cf. Schwartzman, 1978, pp. 326-327).
Play is regarded as a universal feature of childhood in every society and Schwartzman (1978, p. 290) argue that “young children play in one way or another in all societies of the world”. The activity is interwoven in the social life of children and this makes it a quintessential developmental activity of childhood (Pellegrini & Blatchford, 2000).
Although play may be a universal feature of every society, people’s views and interpretation of the concept differ from one culture to another and from one society to another. Play is viewed to have both temporal and spatial diversity(Sutton-Smith, 2009). It is a condition that changes in different contexts(Fromberg & Bergen, 2006) as such, Schwartzman (1978, p. 4) argue that “ perceptions of play are intimately related to one’s culture”. This makes play a cultural concept; it has different meaning to different people culturally and historically (Boushel, Fawcett, & Selwyn, 2000; Marfo & Biersteker, 2011; Sutton-Smith & Pellegrini, 1995).
Play relates to activities that children engage in whether informal or organised. It is characterised by thinking and activity that has symbolic meaningful, active, enjoyable, pleasurable, voluntary, rule governed, episodic but crucial to the process of learning and development of the child (cf. Gleave & Cole-Hamilton, 2012; Pramling Samuelsson & Fleer, 2010).
The importance of play cannot be overemphasised. Play has multiple functions and is believed to have significant contribution to children’s cognitive, social, academic, and psychological development (Youngquist and Pataray-ching 2004, in Fromberg & Bergen, 2006). It also lays a foundation for thinking, writing, and other forms of literacy (Fromberg & Bergen, 2006). In addition Schwartzman (1978, p. 328) explains that;
Children at play learn how to be sensitive to the effect of context and the importance of relationships; they develop the capacity to adopt and ‘as if’ set towards objects, actions, persons,
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and situations, and they continually explore the possibilities of interpretation and reinterpretation and with this the creation of new possibilities
Marfo and Biersteker (2011, p. 74) also state that “through play children learn social roles, cultural values and norms, as well as skills and competencies necessary for survival and productive community memberships”. Therefore, play has an important role in different domains of childhood.
Because of the ambiguity surrounding play, it is difficult to interpret it using one approach. Schwartzman (1978) advocate for the use of multi-perspective approach in defining play. Therefore, in this document I will use functionalist and materialist approach as well as play a childhood right.
Functionalists are concerned with the role that play has in the life of the children. They view play and games to have distinctive functions in relation to the development of the child’s sense of self (cf. Schwartzman, 1978, p. 100). Therefore, play does not just give children some fun experiences but also provide them with an opportunity of imagining themselves with various social roles which help them to build their own character and performs the function of enculturation8, socialization (Schwartzman, 1978) and education exercise (Fortes,1938 in Schwartzman, 1978). Furthermore, it promotes creativity, intellectual growth and social skills ( Smilansky,1968 in Schwartzman, 1978).
The materialist approach focuses on material objects that children use in play and the type of environment or context in which activities take place (Mtonga, 2012). It views the environment or context in which children interact to have influence on how children play. For instance Johnson established that play grounds that lack facilities encourage social contact but may also be a source of conflict among children (Johnson, 1935 in Schwartzman, 1978). Furthermore, the context or environment shapes children’s play preferences. Parten state that Children tend to play in small groups which changes as children grow up. In addition, playing groups tend to be unisex (Parten, 1933 in Schwartzman, 1978).
The conceptualisation of play as a children’s right has been enshrined in children’s rights conventions since they were enacted (Kernan, 2007). Play is not just something that children need to experience but it is an entitlement. Both in the UNCRC (Article 31) and ACRWC (Article 12), provisions have been made to ensure that children’s right to play is recognised. Since play appears interwoven into the fabric of children’s everyday life, it represents a
8 enculturation is a process of learning a culture in all its uniqueness and particularity while socialization is regarded as the set of species wide requirement and exactions made on human beings by human society (cf. Mead, 1963 Schwartzman, 1978, p. 106)
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primary form of engagement in everyday life which reflect the CRC articles on participation (cf. Lester & Russell, 2010). It presents children with the platform of expressing themselves.
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4 Chapter Four: Research Methodology
4.1 IntroductionThis chapter describes and elaborates on the methodological approach of my study. It elaborates on the research design and describes the methods employed to explore children’s and staffs’ experiences of urban Centred Based ECCD in Zambia under Mulumbo Early Childhood Care and Development Foundation (MECCDF) in Garden compound. It outlines the procedures undertaken in the study beginning with the perspectives on doing research with children. The chapter proceeds describing the research design and the choice of my field site and informants. This is followed by the description of how I entered and accessed the field. It further elaborates on research informants, ECCD centre, sample size, sampling procedures, sources of data, and my role as a researcher. The other aspects addressed in this chapter include how I left the field, data analysis, ethical considerations, challenges and limitations of the study.