(this photographic belongs to my personal archive)

Satomi Izumi-Taylor, University of Memphis
Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, Göteborg University
Cosby Steele Rogers, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Introduction

“Research regarding play is complex, and culture is a key factor in determining how people in different nations view play. People with different cultural backgrounds tend to pay attention to different characteristics of the same phenomena (Azuma, 1986); because teachers’ perspectives on play are influenced by their own cultures, these perspectives vary widely. Teachers’ perceptions of play affect children’s experiences in their classrooms. Thus, we felt, as scholars doing research in Japan, Sweden, and the United States, that comparing teachers’ perceptions of play in those countries could provide insights that might expand the discourse about play in those countries and internationally. We also felt that our findings could prove useful to those who wish to design effective early childhood education programs.

We anticipate that our research on perspectives on play expressed by American, Japanese, and Swedish early childhood educators can provide a basis for reflection and understanding among the educators in these nations who, in spite of cultural differences, all recognize play as essential in children’s development and learning (Izumi-Taylor, Rogers, & Pramling Samuelsson, 2007).”

…continue reading this article titled Perspectives of Play in Three Nations: A Comparative Study in Japan, the United States, and Sweden via the Early Childhood Research and Practice website