Conceptual PlayWorld pedagogical practices in an Australian playgroup to engage children in learning science concepts

Playgroups in Australia bring parents and playgroup leaders together to enrich children’s experiences through play. Facilitated playgroups, led by teachers with a pedagogical purpose, are less well understood. This cultural-historical study investigated 16 imaginary play sessions involving 16 children, aged 13 months to 4 years, and their families over a 10-month period. It focuses on two key aspects of pedagogical practices: object-oriented play pedagogy, which uses objects in play to facilitate communication, introduce a scientific concept and develop meaning and co-experiencing drama in collective play, where objects are used to create drama in the play problem. Together, these practices reveal the complexity of pedagogy and learning and create conditions in which children develop a motive orientation toward engaging in scientific play within the playgroup setting. The unique pedagogical practices of teachers in playgroups are theorised, contributing to deeper understandings of pedagogy, professionalism, and professional work across cultural and national contexts.