Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education ─ Concepts, Contexts and Cultures

Bringing together a collection of chapters from international experts in the field of early childhood education, Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education seeks to explore how play in the Early Years is valued as a means of learning. The book discusses how play is presented, transformed by institutional and pedagogical discourses and ultimately experienced by children. Adopting cultural, conceptual and contextual approaches to play and pedagogy across its chapters, this book addresses contemporary emerging issues surrounding play and pedagogy including:



the application of critical and socio-cultural analyses to play in early childhood
renewed interest in the aesthetic, creative and affective dimensions of play in early childhood education
competing discourses of ‘performativity’, market forces, social reconstruction and child-centredness
children’s voice and participation within educational settings
globalization, migration and cultural pluralism
the role of digital technology in early childhood education
diversity, identity and social justice within early childhood settings.


With international appeal and relevance, this book will be of interest to students taking undergraduate, Masters and doctoral courses in early childhood education, childhood and education studies as well as academic teachers and researchers, policy-makers and international agencies working with young children.

Sue Rogers is Senior Lecturer in Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, UK.

1. Play and Pedagogy: A Conflict of Interests? Sue Rogers 2. It’s About Power: Researching Play, Pedagogy and Participation in the Early Years of School Jo Ailwood 3. The Challenge of Play for Early Childhood Educators Sue Dockett 4. ‘We are Hunters and Gatherers of Values’: Dramatic Play, Early Childhood Pedagogy, and the Formation of Ethical Identities Brian Edmiston 5. Revisiting Vygotskian Perspectives on Play and Pedagogy Elena Bodrova And Deborah J. Leong 6. Exploring Culture, Play, and Early Childhood Education Practice in African Contexts Kofi Marfo And Linda Biersteker 7. Play and Pedagogy framed within India’s Historical, Socio-Cultural and Pedagogical Context Amita Gupta 8. Learning Through Play in Hong Kong: Policy of Practice Doris Cheng Pui-Wah 9. Meeting at the Crossroads: Postmodern Pedagogy Greets Children´S Aesthetic Play-Culture Faith Gabrielle Guss 10. Deconstructing the Metaphysics of Play Theories: Toward a Pedagogy of Play Aesthetics Hae-Ryung Yeu 11. Digital Play in the Classroom: A Twenty-First Century Pedagogy? Tim Waller 12. Taking Play Seriously Liz Brooker