Learning through play in Global Majority countries: Reflections from the PEDAL Centre on understanding and adapting the concept in four different contexts

This paper in the International Journal of Play interrogates the concept of learning through play in different global contexts, drawing on the experiences and reflections of PEDAL PhD students who have carried out their doctoral research in Global Majority countries.

At PEDAL, we are passionate about carrying out rigorous research on play. This means ensuring that our research is culturally sensitive and ethical. We wanted to explore how the concept of ‘learning through play’ might be understood differently in countries that do not share the same frames of reference as Western countries in which most research on play has so far been carried out. Whilst research shows the benefits of play to learning in Western countries, play is not equally valued in all cultures and conceptions of learning and education may be different too. We drew on examples from research carried out by PEDAL researchers to highlight what learning through play looks like in four Global Majority contexts: Nigeria, Mexico, South Africa and Kenya.

The key takeaways from this article are:

• Play research must adapt to the contexts it seeks to understand, and researchers should not assume that the values they carry will be echoed by those involved in their research.
• It is vital to acknowledge how culture, social and economic disparities drive differences in how play is valued and understood. Building relationships and trust are the key to approaching these issues sensitively.
• Including children’s own perspectives about play and learning is essential to fully understanding play and empowering local communities.
• Embracing the diversity of play around the world enriches our collective understanding of what play is, and what play can contribute to children’s learning.

This research was conducted by Soizic Le Courtois, Chika R. Ezeugwu, Dina D. Fajardo-Tovar, Stephanie K. Nowack, Domnick O. Okullo, Stephen Bayley, Sara Baker and Paul Ramchandani.