‘He will play because it is play’. Exploring Ghanaian early years parents’ ethno-theories about play and learning

ABSTRACT

This study adopted a qualitative approach and analysed interviews from seven parents with children enrolled in nursery and kindergarten in Ghana. The interviews examined parents’ descriptions of play and learning and how they perceive the value of play in children’s learning. The findings revealed that the parents generally have doubts about the ability of play in bringing forth learning in the classroom. In general, they hold a narrow view of play as a break activity and a reward for learning, as well as viewing play and learning as mutually exclusive. The findings are discussed from a social and cultural perspective, drawing a picture of the ethno-theories about child development and the meanings of play and learning in Ghana.

KEYWORDS:

• Play
• learning
• parents
• early years
• Ghana

Acknowledgments

We thank the late David Whitebread, Jenny Gibson and Kathy Sylva for helpful comments on earlier versions of this work. The research was funded by the LEGO Foundation, the University of Cambridge Trusts and the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education.

Disclosure statement

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

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Ampe is a game that involves clapping, jumping and coordination of feet. Before the start of the game, each player chooses what counts as a win (throwing the same feet at the same time or throwing alternate feet at the same time). When the two players jump and thrust the same feet forward, then the one who chose that criterion wins and vice-versa. It is mostly played by females and can be played by two or more people.

2. Pilolo is a game that involves the use of small sticks (about ten), which are hidden for the players to find. The one who finds the highest number of the sticks is the winner of that session of the game and therefore takes the turn to hide the sticks. It normally involves more than two players.