Transforming preschool language teachers’ beliefs of implementing play-based learning in a professional learning community

ABSTRACT

This two-year longitudinal study explores whether a professional learning community (PLC) helps shift language teachers’ beliefs about implementing play-based learning. Ten practitioners from a preschool participated in this case study. Data were collected through interviews and observations of participants’ practices engaged in the PLC. The emerged PLC characteristics found transform teachers’ beliefs that are (1) shared goals, (2) learning activities and (3) collegiality. All participants had different conceptual changes about implementing play-based learning towards a child-centred approach. The emerged change categories are the prime concern in lesson planning, learning objectives, types of lesson plans, instructional pedagogies, learning activities and teaching materials. Implications for teacher development are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional learning communities
• play-based learning
• teachers’ beliefs
• preschool

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 ECErefers to teaching of young children formally or informally up to the age of six.

2 Head Start is a programme that provides comprehensive early childhood education to vulnerable young children in America.

3 The curriculum aims to provide child-centred education while nurturing children’s development in moral, cognitive and language, physical, affective, aesthetic and social aspects.

4 The government has introduced the ‘bi-literacy and policy to enhance students’ language proficiency (Curriculum Development Council 2006). Biliteracy refers to written Chinese and English competence, while trilingualism refers to Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English. Cantonese is the mother tongue of most Hong Kong children and Putonghua is the official language in Mainland China for easy communication. Both Cantonese and Putonghua are spoken languages, whereas there is only one type of written language.