Perceptions of Play and Drama in Education in Early Years Classrooms in China

Abstract

Set against the background of the Chinese government’s commitment to universalise early childhood educational provision, this exploratory study investigated the value attributed to play and drama-based teaching and learning in early childhood education from the perspectives of parents, teachers and Head Teachers from Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Adopting a mixed methods approach involving online surveys and semi-structured interviews, the findings indicate that while parents expressed interest in dramatic play-based approaches to education in their children’s classrooms, broader societal and philosophical influences about the purposes of education prevail, and they were concerned about their children falling behind in a highly competitive education system. Teachers and Head Teachers were similarly aware of the value of dramatic play in young children’s development, but lacked the knowledge, skills and resources to implement a dramatic play-based approach to teaching and learning in their classrooms. The data support proposals for greater investment in initial teacher education and in continuing professional development in the areas of play-based pedagogies such as Drama in Education.