Uninterrupted play: An exploration of teacher interaction in early childhood settings

Abstract

This qualitative study explores two experienced teachers’ beliefs and practices around the notions of ‘uninterrupted play’ and ‘teacher interaction’, with a focus on infant and toddler settings. There are two potentially polarising theoretical perspectives that impact on early childhood education in New Zealand today: developmental theory (constructivism) and sociocultural theory (social constructivism). Because of the potential for polarisation the teacher’s role in relation to interacting with children during play can be uncertain, creating a tension. On the one hand there is a mandate for non-interference in children’s play and the promotion of independence and autonomy, and, on the other hand, there is a mandate for teacher interaction and responsibility for children’s learning. This study challenges the inherent theoretical polarisation and, instead, advocates for viewing the two perspectives as being intrinsically bound together in practice. This view was supported in the findings, generated by a methodology that drew on three methods which formed a process of triangulation: interviews, video recording and observations. This study argues for an alternative view that embraces the connections that lie beyond the polarised perspectives of constructivism and social constructivism, promoting the idea that ‘uninterrupted play’ and ‘teacher interaction’ are not exclusive of each other, but integrally linked.