PLAY-INTEGRATED TEACHING AND LEARNING IN BENEFICIARY SCHOOLS OF THE RIGHT TO PLAY LEARNING THROUGH PLAY PROJECT IN THE SAVELIGU DISTRICT OF NORTHERN GHANA

This study examined kindergarten (KG) teachers’ implementation of play-integrated teaching and learning in beneficiary schools of the Right To Play (RTP) learning through play initiative in the Saveligu District of Northern Ghana. An intrinsic case study design was adopted. Thirty KG1&2 teachers were purposively selected and willingly took part in this study. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect data. The data were manually coded, summarised, and analysed using a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis. The study identified three groups of teachers with three different ideologies and practices. They all admitted that play was an avenue for children to have fun, learn, and develop holistically. However, they approached play-integrated teaching and learning differently. While some discouraged the practice, others encouraged it partially and some other teachers embraced it fully. These disparities in teachers' views and practices of play-integrated teaching and learning revealed some infrastructural and curricular deficits in Ghanaian KG education. The study recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) should address the infrastructural deficit identified in most KGs in the Saveligu District and invest more in play-integrated teaching and learning. Also, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) should revise the current KG curriculum to include explicit instructions on the use of play-integrated pedagogies in KG.  Article visualizations: