Fleer M. How conceptual playworlds create different conditions for children’s development across cultural age periods – a programmatic study overview

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Keywords: play drama cultural-historical theory cultural age periods conceptual play Conceptual PlayWorlds imagination

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Fleer M. (2023) How conceptual playworlds create different conditions for children’s development across cultural age periods – a programmatic study overview. Preschool Education Today. 2:16, 65–80 (in Russian)

This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

2023, 2

Marilyn Fleer
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Background. As educational systems around the globe increasingly focus on delivering outcomes and evidence of early childhood education, questions are asked about how increasing the cognitive load on children in preschool settings impacts their development.

Objective. To better understand this problem, a five-year programmatic study was funded by the Australian Research Council with the objective of researching conceptual play as an intervention, studying imagination in play and imagination in science, engineering, and technology.

Design. The study design featured 3,000 teachers, 100 families, and 120 focus infants and toddlers in Australia who were followed for five years.

Results. The study is currently underway. This paper gives an overview and conceptualisation of the research, and the midterm findings. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the concept formation of infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers under the conditions of a Conceptual PlayWorld in play-based settings and homes.

Conclusion. The projected outcomes are expected to include understanding about how concepts can be intentionally taught in play settings and learned at home for particular cultural age periods. Significant benefits will include increased knowledge of how exposure to these concepts in the formative years affects children’s development.

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