Abstract

In this research I investigated the views preschool educators in Taiwan on play and the role of play in the curriculum. Adopting a qualitative methodology, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 educators at preschools affiliated with elementary schools. The results indicate that preschool educators generally agree that, in addition to being a source of happiness for children, play also promotes learning and development. Thus play is seen as a meaningful learning activity which has a unique and valuable role in the preschool curriculum. However, the findings also indicate that participants need to give more attention to observing and understanding their children’s abilities, interests, and developmental stages, so as to adopt a suitable role in various types of play and find the optimal balance between play and structured learning.

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