IMPACT OF PLAY-BASED LEARNING ON COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTERS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

Play-based learning is turning out to be an effective pedagogical practice in early childhood education (ECE) to develop both cognitive and social aspects of learning. The paper examines the teacher-predicted educational effects of a play-based pedagogical curriculum on preschoolers (4-5 years) in Anambra State, Nigeria, where the ECE has challenges such as culturally irrelevant curriculum and lacks pedagogical reforms. The quasi-experimental character of the study suggested that 120 children in four selected ECE centers within two local government areas (LGAs) were divided into an intervention and a control group, to receive a 12-week play-based curriculum and the standard one, respectively. Cognitive (language, memory, problem-solving) and social aspects (cooperation, empathy, and peer interaction) were assessed with pre-and post-intervention evaluations. The findings indicated substantial differences in the language ability (p < 0.01), memory retention (p < 0.05), and social cooperation (p < 0.01) in the intervention group and the control group. Teachers have reported an increased pedagogical confidence, and parents have reported greater engagement of the children. These results imply that play-based learning can fill in the blanks of the ECE system in Nigeria in favor of child-centered and culturally relevant education. It offers such activities as the integration of play-based policies into the national ECE curricula.