Examining kindergarten teachers' beliefs about the relationship between play-based learning and children's self-regulation

Interactions in play-based learning between the children and the materials, the children with each other and the children with the teacher is not something that can be scripted or packaged. However, these complex interactions can be closely examined to ensure the learning is maximized including children's development of self-regulation competencies. The study used action research to examine teachers' beliefs about the connections between play-based learning and children's self-regulation and their thinking about practice. Findings indicated that when teachers moved away from a didactic model they stopped themselves from listening for a predetermined skill. Instead the pariticpants used strategies such as putting a critical lens on the amount of teacher talk, waiting more for children to respond or even speak first, observing how children co-construct their learning and thinking more deeply about the children who are communicating non-verbally. As a result, the teachers observed and learned about children's extensive knowledge, sophisticated thinking and self-regulation during their play.