Teacher-led sensory play pedagogy, which specifically focuses on the sensopathic
senses, has the potential to facilitate sensory processing in Grade R (Reception Year)
children in preparing them for the transition from informal to formal schooling. In this study
the complexity of the nature of this inquiry became evident when the body of scholarship
was found not to reveal one single framework that represents play pedagogy, sensory
integration and best early childhood practices. A variety of theories are available, but not
a unifying conceptual framework that integrates cross-disciplinary knowledge systems to
inform a scientific research process. Constructing an encompassing teacher-led sensory
play pedagogy framework requires the integration of key principles of renowned and
trusted grand theories of play, sensory play and play-based pedagogies with international
best practice to preserve and advocate the importance of sensory play and learning in the
early years.
The newly conceptualised framework that represents the phenomenon had to be
implemented using scientific research principles. Interpretivism as methodological
paradigm guided the entire research process from selecting participants and sites to data
generation, analysis and interpretation. The nature of the phenomenon justified a
qualitative mode of inquiry with a multiple case study approach. The selection of the
research sites as well as the participants warranted a purposive sampling technique. The
five sites and ten participants represent teaching communities and learning environments
that value sensory play as pedagogy when implementing South Africa’s national
curriculum.
The conceptual framework informed the construction of sensopathic pathways for indoor
and outdoor learning environments. They served as a real-time exposition with actively
engaged children. The teacher-participants observed this engagement and expressed
their observations and interpretation through semi-structured interviews and reflective
journals. To ensure quality data, the participants were given access to a cloud-based data
generation application (app) with which they captured their experiences, impressions and
thinking textually and visually. Member checking and a reliable audit trail were ensured by
empowering the participants to capture their experiences as first-hand raw data
themselves.
The analysis of the data sets is aimed at determining how the conceptual framework
informs teacher-led sensory play pedagogy. Therefore, I conceptualised an a priori coding
framework using a deductive derivation of themes (statements), categories and codes to
make sense of the data sets. A pivotal part of the study was to scrutinise how the
conceptual framework inspired the integration of sensory processing and sensory play activities, as well as how teacher-led activities introduced sensopathic play opportunities
to children in an informal learning environment. The importance of aligning sensopathic
play experiences with the intended curriculum is key in preparing children for the
transitions from Grade R to Grade 1. The interpretation of the analysed data sets indicated
that the nature of this phenomenon is more complex than anticipated, as children
demonstrated a dire need for a sensory play programme whether they had been
diagnosed with sensory processing deficiencies or not. In other words, sensory play
pedagogy that stimulates sensory processing, self-regulation and problem-solving
skills readies children for formal schooling. The newly conceptualised framework affirms
that teacher-led sensory play pedagogy can be incorporated into teachers’ daily school
programmes and the national curriculum in South African preschools. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / pt2021 / Early Childhood Education / PhD / Unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/80456 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Lewington, Charlotte |
| Contributors | Van Heerden, J.C., u85560830@tuks.co.za, Du Preez, Hannelie |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2021 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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