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Category: International Research

Using young children’s perspectives in research and practice

3 December 2024

PEDAL staff present research which uses playful methods to elicit the perspectives of young children to better understand their experiences of school and hospital. Kuri discusses a research study titled ‘My Play Life: A Qualitative Study of Children’s Play in Bangladesh’ jointly undertaken by the BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED) and PEDAL.

What is a common elements approach?

27 November 2024

This short animation explains what a common elements approach is, and why PEDAL are using it in our research.

A playful retrospective on the power of play for young children and children living in contexts of conflict and crisis

27 November 2024

In his keynote, Paul Frisoli playfully reflects on the last 5 years of The LEGO Foundation funding in humanitarian settings.

Universality without Uniformity: Appreciating High-Quality Practices in Low-Resource Settings

22 October 2024

In this keynote, Professor Junlei Li speaks about the power of everyday interactions in early childhood.

Creating Classrooms for Change: Developing cognitive flexibility in schools in Rwanda

1 March 2024

This research looked at how schools in Rwanda foster students’ skills for adaptability - their capacity to create, innovate and adjust to shifting circumstances. It uses the psychological lens of cognitive flexibility. Findings highlight teachers’ activities to make lessons more practical and participatory, but also the ongoing obstacles posed by overcrowded classes, resource constraints, inadequate training and limited contact time.

Why and how do healthcare professionals use play in clinical practice?

1 March 2024

We explored what healthcare professionals in different roles and different countries understood to be important and useful about the role of play in paediatric practice. According to healthcare professionals, play in clinical practice can be used to communicate and build relationships with paediatric patients and thus potentially help provide patient-centred care.

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Prisons, hospitals and schools: challenges and opportunities introducing play in different settings

5 December 2023

In this lecture Dr Paulina Pérez-Duarte (PEDAL), Dina Fajardo (PEDAL) & Mercedes Castañeda (Reinserta) explore and advocate for the use of play in challenging settings, as well as those opportunities where play can enable a powerful change in children’s mental health. This presentation was recorded on 7th September 2023 as part of the PEDAL Play […]

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A future for the world’s children? Play as the basis of a new paradigm for a world on fire

5 December 2023

In this keynote lecture Professor Mark Tomlinson (Stellenbosch University) discusses the important role of play in building minds and brains in the future that are built for creativity, adaptation, collaboration, connectedness and resilience. This presentation was recorded on 7th September 2023 as part of the PEDAL Play Conference, an event which brought together play researchers, […]

All Work and No Play? Busting the Binary in Majority World Settings

21 June 2023

In this Play Piece, Stephen discusses whether work and play are different, and the value of play as distinct from work.

Play in South African autism schools: why are formalised ethical processes important?

3 May 2023

Why are culturally sensitive approaches to research ethics so important?