Can an intensive professional development on play change child care providers’ perspectives and practice on play?

ABSTRACT

Early childhood teachers need knowledge and skills to support play and learning. However, the child care workforce often has limited or no preservice training on play, relying instead on in-service training. With policy shifts towards a standards-driven curriculum in the U.S., there is limited in-service play training available, creating a need for high quality in-service training on play. This study introduces a model of intensive professional development (PD) on play – a group workshop coupled with a group coaching model – implemented in the Mid-Atlantic area in the U.S. The play training focused on three areas: self-active play experience, the knowledge and skills needed to support children's learning through play. The group coaching component included feedback on self-recorded video practice and an opportunity for participants to share reflections on supporting play with each other and the coaches. We conducted an interview study with the participants about their perspectives on play and practice after the intensive PD. Qualitative data analysis revealed that: (1) all participants changed their perspectives on play after the play PD; (2) participants implemented strategies from the training and supported more play in practice; and (3) despite increased knowledge and skills, participants continued to experience challenges when implementing play strategies.

KEYWORDS:

• Play
• professional development
• child care
• coaching
• early childhood teacher education

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Myae Han

Myae Han, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, a past president of The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) and the current chair of Early Education and Child Development SIG at the American Educational Research Association. She studies early childhood education, a play-based intervention, and early language and literacy.

Martha Buell

Martha Buell, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. She is currently the Community Engagement Initiative Senior Faculty Fellow for Engaged Scholarship and a past senior member-at-large of the Early Education and Child Development SIG at the American Educational Research Association. She studies childcare systems, exclusionary discipline, and early language and literacy. She is also a Zumba instructor.

Di Liu

Dr. Di Liu is an Associate Professor of the College of Education at Jiangsu Normal University. Her research interests include play, Chinese cultural values about play, and early childhood educators’ professional development.

Annette Pic

Annette Pic is a doctoral student at the University of Delaware in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research interests include child-initiated learning through play, peer conflict resolution in the context of play, and early care and education access.