The Place of Play in Ghana’s Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine how early childhood educators in the Tamale metropolis of northern Ghana feel about using play as an instrument of instruction at the early childhood level. In this direction, early childhood educators were asked to provide a conceptual definition of what constitutes play, indicate when play is used as an instrument of teaching, and to identify challenges that in their perspectives may be associated with the use of play in teaching. Definitions provided by participants were coded and grouped into five thematic areas. Responses on when early childhood educators use play in teaching were mixed, whiles a number of challenges were also identified. The study was a qualitative research of the survey type. Using a questionnaire, participants were asked to respond to a number of open-ended questions grouped into six categories. Overall, 108 early childhood educators drawn from public and private early childhood centers in the Tamale metropolis participated in the study.

Keywords: Indigenizing Play, Materials for Play, Play and Development, Play and Learning.