“Play is Play” and “Learning is Learning”: Beliefs and Practices Linked to Pre-Primary Children’s Play and Learning in Tanzania

The beliefs and practices of selected preschools in the Dodoma Region regarding the role of play in pre-class learning were examined in this study. The main goal was to understand how teachers and parents view play as a significant role in child development and how they incorporate it into their teaching and learning activities. The study's guiding questions concerned the status of play in the curriculum guidelines in Tanzania, how teachers and parents perceive the play for pre-primary school children and the challenges pre-primary teachers face in using play as a curricular tool. A qualitative research design approach was used with face-to-face interviews and documentary analysis to gather information from 17 participants, including heads of teachers, pre-class teachers, and parents. The study participants were expertly purposive and cluster sampled. Data were collected from four selected preschools located in the urban and rural Dodoma region. The study found that the play was almost unreal in all visited preschools and that pre-classrooms were dominated by academic instructions, despite teachers' awareness of the significant contribution of play in the cognitive and academic development of a child. The study also revealed that factors such as limited play materials, academic pressures on teachers, playground safety, and unqualified teachers to teach in pre-classes could negatively impact children's cognitive and socio-emotional growth. Based on the study's findings, recommendations included curriculum adjustments and enhanced pre-primary teacher education programs.