Report - Investigating Scottish Primary Teachers Attitudes and Knowledge of Playful Pedagogy Research by Abbey McNeil.pdf

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed learning experiences for millions of learners,</p> <p>however, the recent relaxation in COVID-19 mitigations has allowed practitioners to</p> <p>reintroduce playful pedagogy back into their classrooms. This presents an opportunity to</p> <p>investigate Scottish primary teachers’ attitudes and knowledge of playful pedagogy postpandemic. This practitioner enquiry used a mixed methods approach to explore teachers’</p> <p>understandings of playful pedagogy, how they implement it and the potential barriers to the successful implementation of play-based learning. The sample consisted of 80 Scottish primary</p> <p>teachers ranging from Nursery to Primary 7 who were employed in 23 of the 32 Scottish local authorities (71.9% of Scottish local authorities). The researcher used an online questionnaire to gain an overview of teachers’ current attitudes and knowledge of playful pedagogy, then</p> <p>invited a selection of the sample to a semi-structured interview with the researcher via Zoom to gain a deeper understanding. The findings of the study suggest that Scottish primary teachers have a good understanding and intention to implement playful pedagogy. Differences in the extent to which the approach is implemented consistently and in a meaningful fashion were found between lower primary stages and older classes. Practitioners also identified the barriers which prevent implementation. This research provided practitioners with an opportunity to</p> <p>develop their knowledge of playful pedagogy by reflecting on their practice and presents an</p> <p>opportunity for school leadership teams, local authorities, and policymakers to reflect on some of the barriers to ensure all learners can experience play-based learning in Scottish primary</p> <p>schools.</p>