Whippy, Kelesi (2014) Utilising playfulness to maximise learning and development in the early years. [Conference Proceedings]
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
It is widely accepted that play makes a positive contribution to children’s development, particularly in the early years. More so, the traditional perceptions of what play constitutes is said to capture the attention of young children (Wood, 1986), children are more enthusiastic about
participation (King, 1979), and are free from the fear of failure in the safe learning environment play provides (Moyles, 1989). This is particularly important when the act of play is distinguished from the internal quality of playfulness.
This paper summarises part of the findings of my fieldwork towards a doctoral thesis which focuses on the Indigenous Fijian (IF) or the iTaukei children’s perceptions and expressions of vakatatalo or play. Nabobo-Baba (2006) explicates the use of the vanua research methodology
framework to articulate the indigenous Fijian values, protocols of relationships, knowledge, and ways of knowing, and in this case, to elicit and reflect the realities of the iTaukei children researched in the village context. The research tools utilised to stimulate children’s views were (vei) talanoa (exchanging stories) and vakatatalo (engaging in child play). The findings suggest that children’s perceptions are related to everyday experiences and, to some extent, reflect traditional roles and responsibilities. Further, vakatatalo as perceived and expressed by the iTaukei children in the study context is considered and manipulated from an educational perspective. Consequently, in the effort to rethink early childhood education, practitioners need to be reminded that children’s experiences during vakatatalo in the community are inseparable from the essence of play in the early childhood curriculum. The significance of understanding children’s perceptions for comprehending and exploiting playfulness is articulated, to offer some possible resolutions for guiding educational reform, particularly in enhancing developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) for the early childhood/early years curriculum in the Pacific Island
Countries (PICs).
| Item Type: | Conference Proceedings |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) |
| Divisions: | School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE) |
| Depositing User: | Ms Shalni Sanjana |
| Date Deposited: | 19 May 2025 21:40 |
| Last Modified: | 19 May 2025 21:40 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/14965 |
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