Investigating the Effectiveness of Play in Easing Daily Home- To- School-Transition Process for Nursery Pupils at UDS-Early Childhood Centre

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of play in easing the daily home to the school transition process for nursery pupils at University for Development Studies-Early Childhood Centre. The study employed a mixed design approach (qualitative and quantitative designs) to identify vital aspects of the process in helping to improve the daily home-to-school transition process for children. Ten children participated in the study for a period of two weeks. The children were observed, and their data recorded from 7am to 8am each morning. Informal interviews with ten (10) parents, five (5) teachers and two (2) administrators were conducted to find out more about children's home-to-school transition behaviour. The quantitative analysis was done with the use of SPSS and thematic analysis for qualitative data. It was concluded that: play is effective in smoothening children's transition, separation anxiety was the primary factor that caused poor transition, and that the use of play in school transition is obstructed by rigid school routines, inadequate play equipment and toys and teachers' attitude. It is therefore recommended that teachers and administrators should make provisions to allow children some time to play upon arrival at school before lessons begin, strategies such as window hugging and many others should also be employed to reduce the distress of separating children from their parents upon arrival to school in the morning.