Introduction: It is no longer an exception that more and more preschools consist of children whose mother tongues are different from preschools’ main language. To move towards an egalitarian inclusive society, Early Childhood Education, in which most of the time children learn through play-based activities according to their knowledge, interests, and curiosity, can play an efficacious role in relation to second language children’s language development along with their general development. Purpose: The study aims to investigate how preschool educators who work with second language children’s language learning and development view play and its role in learning a second language. Method: Four preschool educators are selected using the focus group methods, who have experience working with children whose mother tongue is not Swedish, to collect empirical data through conducting semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Preschool educators’ views on the relationship between play and second language children’s language learning have been analyzed using thematic analysis. Theoretical connection: Play and interactions within the play, among second language children, preschool teachers, and other children who are native speakers as an opportunity for learning a second language, have been analyzed using Lev Semënovič Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach, which focuses on individual learning and development as something that takes place through people's interactions with objects, events, or other people. Artefacts, the zone of proximal development (ZPD), and scaffolding, which are some of the central concepts of Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach, are used to interpret and present the results of the study. Results: Among salient findings of the study, both free play and play as a planned activity are considered essential to children’s learning and development by educators. Imitation is one of the most common language learning tools used by second language children to learn the second language during play besides using the first language, non-verbal communication, and contextual use of the second language. All types of play are considered effective for stimulating language learning among second language children as long as the play is based on their interests and curiosity. Educators’ conscious involvement is beneficial for escalating language learning in second language children; however, children’s integrity and peace must not be compromised.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:sh-51269 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Sandhu, Amandeep |
| Publisher | Södertörns högskola, Lärarutbildningen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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