Chinese and German teachers’ and parents’ conceptions of learning at play – similarities, differences, and (in)consistencies

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study investigated Chinese and German teachers’ and parents’ conceptions and understanding of learning at play. A total of 28 teachers and 12 parents took part in this study. Among the participants, 12 kindergarten teachers (6 German and 6 Chinese) were interviewed to obtain their perspectives on learning at play. These participants assisted the researchers in the selection of exemplary play episodes used in their own classrooms. Four three-minute videos containing the largest amount of learning elements based on the teachers’ views were selected from each culture. Applying video-cued multivocal ethnography, the selected video clips were shown to 16 other teachers (8 German and 8 Chinese) and 12 parents (6 German and 6 Chinese) in focus groups to elicit their conceptions and understanding of learning at play. The findings revealed different social and cultural representations of educational activities between Hong Kong and Germany, the contributions of which are important and useful for professional practices and curricular policies in these two countries currently undergoing education reforms.

KEYWORDS:

• Qualitative study
• conceptions of learning at play
• cultural comparison
• education practices and orientations
• individualism–collectivism distinction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 In Germany, Lehrer (teacher) is used to denote primary school teachers only, while Erzieher (educator) is used for kindergarten education. For convenience, ‘teacher’ will replace ‘educator’ accordingly in this paper.