University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2013 A Case Study of Jamaican Children's Lived Play Experiences Carol Ann Long University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons Scholar Commons Citation Long, Carol Ann, "A Case Study of Jamaican Children's Lived Play Experiences" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4913 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Case Study of Jamaican Children’s Lived Play Experiences by Carol A Long A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: Jolyn Blank, Ph.D. Ilene Berson, Ph.D. Roger Brindley, Ed.D Valerie Janesick, Ph.D. Date of Approval: August 27, 2013 Keywords: preschool, basic schools, sociocultural theory, video-cued interviews, children's voices Copyright © 2013, Carol A. Long DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my husband Wayne and my children, Meisha and Monique, for their patience, love, and support. Also to my parents Jack and Peggy Williams, my grandmother Geraldine, and great-grandmother Ada, who provided a solid foundation, which has been instrumental in shaping me and making me the strong individual I am today. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend first and foremost sincere praise and gratitude to the Lord, without whom this work would have never become a reality. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to my major professor, Dr. Jolyn Blank, for her encouragement, guidance, and invaluable advice. Also, I would like to extend my special thanks to the other members of my committee – Dr. Ilene Berson, Dr. Roger Brindley, and Dr. Valerie Janesick – for the invaluable suggestions and encouragement they provided. I wish to thank Dr. Stephen Graves and Dr. Liz Larkin, who not only gave of their time and experience, but also went beyond the call of duty on many occasions to assist me in this process. I owe special debts and appreciations to my husband Wayne, children Meisha and Monique, and the other members of my family for their encouragement and prayers. To my village of friends, especially my colleagues in the Early Childhood Department at Shortwood Teachers College, han’ guh, paki come. Because of their continuous encouragement and prayers delivered via social media and other means, I was encouraged, pushed, and enriched as they reached out to me. They ensured that during this process wi run t’ings, t’ings nuh run wi. Heart felt t’anks to all a oonu. Finally, great recognitions and gratitude are due to the children, parents, teachers, and the rest of the school community who participated in this study… wan han wash di oddah. I could not have done this study without them. Their cooperation was wonderful. Blessings and nuff respect to each of you. Walk gud, everyone. i TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 Statement Of The Problem...................................................................................................5 Purpose And Research Questions ......................................................................................12 Rationale For The Study ....................................................................................................13 Definitions..........................................................................................................................15 Organization Of The Study ................................................................................................15 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..........................................................................17 Definition And Theory Of Play .........................................................................................18 Defining Play: A Cultural Perspective ...................................................................21 Types Of Play ....................................................................................................................25 Pretend Play ...........................................................................................................27 Social Play .............................................................................................................30 Physical Play ..........................................................................................................32 Summary ................................................................................................................35 Play And Early Learning ...................................................................................................36 Social Development ...............................................................................................39 Physical Development ...........................................................................................39 Cognitive Development .........................................................................................40 Teachers’ And Families’ Perspectives ...............................................................................41 Summary ................................................................................................................46 Children’s Understanding Of Their Play ...........................................................................47 Summary and Concluding Thoughts .................................................................................51 CHAPTER THREE: METHOD AND METHODOLOGY ..........................................................53 Research Approach ............................................................................................................54 Site And Participants..........................................................................................................57 UPC Basic School ..................................................................................................57 Participants .............................................................................................................62 Data Sources ......................................................................................................................64 Observations ..........................................................................................................65 ii Video-Cued Interviews ..........................................................................................68 Semi-Structured Interviews ...................................................................................74 Field Notes and Reflective Journal ........................................................................76 Role of the Researcher ...........................................................................................77 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................79 Trustworthiness And Confirmability .................................................................................84 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................85 Confirmability ........................................................................................................86 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................................88 Young Children in Research ..................................................................................89 Selection of Participants ........................................................................................90 Informed Consent...................................................................................................90 Summary and Concluding Thoughts .................................................................................92 CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF THE DATA ...............................................................93 Setting and Contexts ..........................................................................................................95 The Classroom .......................................................................................................97 The Playground ....................................................................................................101 Participants .......................................................................................................................104 Pop Story Gi Mi – Tell Me About The Latest Information .................................106