Curriculum reforms in Hong Kong have put more emphasis on play pedagogy juxtaposed with teacher-directed academic learning. Against this background, this study investigated the nature of the play-based learning approach by reviewing Fröbel’s play pedagogy (Spielpädagogik) and comparing it with the policies and practices of the play-based curriculum in Hong Kong. Data collection consisted of observations, interviews, and analyses of curriculum documents. Based on Fröbel’s educational philosophy on Spielpädagogik, policy documents and the results of empirical studies were analyzed and critically compared. The findings showed that Hong Kong’s play-based learning curriculum had some elements in common with Fröbel’s Spielpädagogik; however, the child-initiative (Selbstbestimmung) aspect emphasized in Fröbel’s Spielpädagogik was not commonly observed in Hong Kong’s classrooms because of time constraints and other sociocultural factors. There were also similarities between Fröbel's “play care” (Spielpflege) and teachers’ roles in children’s play advocated by Hong Kong’s curriculum policies. Yet, comparatively, Fröbel’s play care gave clearer directions on teachers’ roles, particularly on how to use language to guide children’s play. The research findings provide clearer insights into how the play-based approach in Hong Kong should move forward, and suggestions for which direction other places advocate play-based approach should take. Copyright © 2023 EECERA.

In discussions about how to implement learning through/in/at play, there is still not a commonly agreed view. This qualitative study investigated Chinese teachers’ and parents’ perspectives on learning in play to attain a co-constructed picture of learning in play through real classroom practices and perceptions using the Mosaic approach. Fourteen teachers and six parents took part in this study. Among the participants, six kindergarten teachers were interviewed to obtain their perspectives on learning in play. They assisted the researchers in the selection of exemplary play episodes, which were filmed in their own classrooms. Four three-minute videos containing the largest amount of learning elements based on the teachers’ views were selected for further in-depth focus group discussions. The selected multivocal video-cued interview clips were shown to eight other teachers and six parents in focus groups to elicit their perspectives on learning in play. The co-constructed picture of learning in play that emerged included discipline in the classroom, more difficult and complicated learning matters, more freedom to play, and teachers’ intervention to facilitate children’s learning in play. The findings revealed different social representations of learning in play in the Hong Kong context, the contributions of which are important and useful for professional education practices and curricular policy currently undergoing reform. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).

This study examines the practical and conceptual dimensions of children's play in German and Hong Kong Chinese kindergartens. German (n = 24) and Chinese (n = 24) children (3-6 years) were randomly selected and videotaped during their free play for 5 min continuously on five consecutive days. Play behavior was analyzed by adopting the Parten-Smilansky play scale. Ten teachers were interviewed to elicit their views on play, learning, and play arrangements. The findings indicate that a significant difference was found between all the play categories of Hong Kong and German children. The most frequent behavior in both contexts is non-playing behavior (Non-Play), which includes completing assignments and onlooker behavior. German children show a slightly higher level in the social and cognitive dimensions of play, compared with their Chinese counterparts. Moreover, there is an association between children?s play and teachers' views on play and, to some degree, the curriculum foci. This comparative study has implications for the curricula currently under reform, based on consideration of whether play should be applied to or removed from the curriculum.
[Copyright of Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2013.818936]

Commonalities and distinctions in Hong Kong-Chinese and German kindergarten teachers' conceptions of play and learning were examined. Six video clips of play episodes reflecting common play behavior and themes were selected from observations made during free play in two kindergartens in Hong Kong and two in Germany. Ten Chinese and seven German teachers viewed clips of children in their own and the other culture in small groups, participated in a semi-structured group discussion, and completed questionnaires, respectively. Results indicated that teachers in the two contexts had different views on the role of play in curriculum, teacher intervention during children's play, and learning objectives in play. These differences may be a function of different ecological environments and preset learning objectives. Findings suggest that teachers' cultural beliefs about play and learning are translated into actions (play arrangements) which, in turn, influence children's play behavior.
[Copyright of Roeper Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2011.623511]