uant|tat|ve and qua||tat|ve research |ntegrat|ng them so they bu||d together a|| po|nts of v|ew

1o me quanLlLaLlve means LhaL a researcher ask more quesLlons abouL Lhe sub[ecL and lnvesLlgaLes more
sLep by sLep where as a quallLaLlve researcher ls Lo lnvesLlgaLe and alms Lo undersLands Lhe sub[ecL
dlfferenLly or explaln Lhelr aLLlLude Lo Lhe sub[ecL more
l consldered bellefs as belng developed and consLrucLed from pasL experlences and malnLalned ln a soclal
conLexL Lhus encompasslng feellngs knowledge meanlngmaklng expecLaLlons and assumpLlons
arLlculaLed or noL 1herefore l consldered bellefs as an accumulaLed and conLesLed sLronghold of personal
clalms reflecLed ln acLlons
1he dlssonance beLween Lheory and pracLlce wlLhln early chlldhood seLLlngs wlLh mosL llLeraLure
reflecLlng an underlylng efforL Lo alLer Leachlng pracLlces (uuffy 1993 SmlLh 1997 Snlder lu 1990)
MosL of Lhls research used survey meLhods consequenLly llLLle was known abouL Lhe ways Leachers
arLlculaLed Lhelr bellefs and Lhe lnLerplay beLween bellefs and pracLlces as undersLood by Lhese
professlonals (Ldwards 2003 LrnesL 2001 a[ares 1992 CharlesworLh ParL 8urLs Pernandez 1991)
1he llLeraLure also hlghllghLed LhaL ln order Lo undersLand Lhe lnLerplay beLween bellefs and pracLlces lL ls
lmporLanL Lo conslder how people make meanlng of Lhelr reallLy Coodfellow and Sumslon (2003) argued
LhaL bellefs are noL only slLuaLed wlLhln Lhe lndlvldual buL are also an lnLegral parL of Lhe communlLy ln
whlch Lhe lndlvldual evolves lurLher Lhe auLhors noLed LhaL Lhe early chlldhood Leachlng professlon has
developed lnLo a communlLy wlLh lLs own language and culLure
8y provldlng an envlronmenL and access Lo a wlde varleLy of open ended resources LhaL sLlmulaLe
chlldren's lnLeresLs and develop Lhelr curloslLy l wlll provoke quesLlons awaken Lhelr lmaglnaLlon and
lnsplre Lhem Lo explore Lhelr envlronmenL Chlldren wlll use all sorL of maLerlals Lo represenL Lhlngs and Lo
express and communlcaLe Lhelr ldeas As embedded ln vygoLsky's soclal consLrucLlvlsL vlew of
developmenL ls Lhe ldea LhaL learnlng ls Lhe ouLcome of collaboraLlve problemsolvlng and LhaL lL ls besL
faclllLaLed Lhrough Lhe use of whole and auLhenLlc acLlvlLles He observed how higher mental Iunctions
developed within particular cultural groups, as well as individually through social interactions with
insigniIicant people in a child`s liIe, particular parents. He believed in the psychology oI play, through play
the child develops abstract meaning separate objects in the world. 1hese concepLs appear Lo provlde one
explanaLory framework LhaL mlghL gulde Leachlng and learnlng acLlvlLles ln 8L (problem based learnlng)
hLLp//wwwnewfoundaLlonscom/CALLL8?/vygoLskyhLml 8eLrleved 17/08/2009
As adulLs we Lhlnk abouL play ln many dlfferenL ways We Lhlnk abouL ln Lerm of Lhe Lhlngs we do when we
are noL aL work however how we have fun and ln Lerms of Lhe parLlcular sporL or games we en[oy
Where we Lalk abouL knowledge" and learnlng" as Lhe keys Lo fuLure success Lhere may be a Lendency Lo
vlew chlldren's play ln much Lhe same way as someLhlng frlvolous and someLhlng Lo occupy Lhe chlldren
ln beLween educaLlonal" acLlvlLles When we devalue chlldren's play Lhls way we may be overlooklng Lhe
rlch opporLunlLles LhaL play provldes for chlldren Lo make cholces develop new skllls solve problems and
make sense of Lhe world ln whlch Lhey llve ln lageL sald LhaL chlldren's play reflecL Lhelr developlng
undersLandlng of Lhe world LxLracL from uLLlng Chlldren llrsL Lhe newsleLLer of Lhe naLlonal Chlldcare
AccredlLaLlon Councll lssue 14 !une 2003 (pg 1011)
8y fosLerlng a poslLlve aLLlLude Lowards learnlng Lhrough play we alm Lo exLend enhance and develop
chlldren's naLural curloslLy of Lhelr ldenLlLy envlronmenL and surroundlngs Many people Lhlnk LhaL
chlldren do noL learn anyLhlng unLll Lhey sLarL some sorL of formal learnlng slLuaLlon lroebel's vlslon for
chlldren ln preschools and chlldcare ls Lo have a naLural lnsplraLlonal and creaLlve envlronmenL ln whlch
chlldren could move freely play and soclallse (Lnhanclng Chlldren's uevelopmenL chapLer 4 Lxplorlng
soclal emoLlonal and psychologlcal developmenL Llana de Mamlel p39)
lroebel lredrlch he observed LhaL play was a necessary developmenLal phase ln educaLlng Lhe 'whole'
chlld enllsLlng all hls/her lmaglnaLlve powers and physlcal movemenLs ln explorlng hls/her lnLeresLs
Whlle he showed recognlLlon of Lhe unlqueness of each chlld's capaclLy and poLenLlal
Pe recognlsed Lhe lmporLance of play as a cenLral lnLegraLlng elemenL ln a chlld's developmenL and
learnlng also Lhe lnLegrlLy of chlldhood ln lLs own rlghL and LhaL Lhe chlld as parL of a famlly and a
communlLy
1he awareness LhaL educaLlon relaLes Lo all capablllLles of each chlld lmaglnaLlve creaLlve symbollc
llngulsLlc maLhemaLlcal muslcal aesLheLlc sclenLlflc physlcal soclal moral culLural and splrlLual
MosL lmporLanLly LhaL arenLs / carers and educaLors worklng ln harmony and parLnershlp ln provlslon of
lndlvldual and collaboraLlve acLlvlLy and play also Lhls allows free access Lo a rlch range of maLerlals LhaL
promoLe openended opporLunlLles for play represenLaLlon and creaLlvlLy