Play in the Ontario Grade 1 Classroom: Teacher Beliefs and Barriers to Greater Implementation

Abstract

This study explored Ontario Grade 1 teacher beliefs and practices regarding play as an element of developmentally appropriate practice. The results, which are drawn from six interviews conducted with Ontario Grade 1 teachers, indicate that lack of time, insufficient funding, the school environment, inadequate professional development regarding play, and the Ontario curriculum constrained Grade 1 teachers from carrying out greater play activities within their program. This research underscores a shift in pedagogy between kindergarten and Grade 1, and that the early primary classroom is a difficult environment in which to carry out developmentally appropriate practices.