Open Collections

Mueller, Anna Catherine

University of British Columbia

Play is critical for children’s learning and general development. However, little guidance exists for French immersion kindergarten teachers about including play in their classrooms while teaching French. This study examined teachers’ descriptions of play, accounting for their use of play, and the challenges these teachers describe when using play. The research employed an online questionnaire with an optional follow-up semi-structured interview. The resulting data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. I generated four themes from my analysis: (1) that teachers saw free play as a way to teach social skills and build social connections, (2) as teachers advance in their careers, they decrease their control of free play, (3) teachers describe guided play as inefficient, and (4) teachers talk about play and meeting curricular goals as two separate and unrelated activities. Beyond the themes I have imposed on the data, I also note a significant discrepancy between individual teachers’ definitions of play. I discuss possible pathways for future research into student understandings of play, outdoor play in French immersion, guided play, and assessment practices. I conclude with implications for teacher learning, staffing, curriculum, assessment, and a common definition of play.

Text

2025-04-28

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90875

Modern Language Education

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/