Unpacking activities-based learning in kindergarten classrooms: Insights from teachers’ perspectives

Abstract

Even though previous research points to the significance of kindergarten teachers’ practices which consider the nature of children and how they learn, there is still limited research regarding how learning activities impact children’s development. To address this gap in literature, a qualitative multi-case study into teachers’ perceptions of classrooms practices of four kindergarten teachers’ in two Ghanaian schools, Tata and Kariba, were carried out over a six-months period. One research question guided the study, namely, ‘what kinds of learning activities do teachers engage kindergarten children. The sources of data comprised transcripts of audiotaped semi-structured individual interviews, pair-based interviews and field notes of classroom observations. Both within the case and across case interpretive analyses were constructed. The study revealed that teachers in both rural and urban settings described child-initiated and teacher-initiated activities they believed impacted children’s development in diverse ways. Key words: Learning activities, cognitive constructivist theory, development, children, Piaget, spirituality.