Examining Costs and Benefits of the U.S. Small Business Administration's 8(a) Program

One of the continuing issues for kindergarten bilingual certified teachers is whether or not to include play-based learning in their classroom practices.

A vast majority of research in early childhood education supports the value of play in the development of all young children, regardless of their home language or socioeconomic status (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008; Frost, Wortham & Reifel, 2005; Singer, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2006; Bredekamp & Copple, 1997).

However, with this new era of high standards and accountability for bilingual education programs, teacher's perceptions toward play-based learning and their teaching practices in kindergarten are changing.

This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of two certified bilingual education kindergarten teachers on the implementation of play-based learning and the impact it had on their teaching practices.

The teachers were interviewed and observed in an effort to determine if a relationship existed between what they reported as their educational understanding and perceptions of play-based learning and the instructional practices they implemented in their kindergarten bilingual classroom.

Data-gathering techniques included: direct observation, participant interview, teacher questionnaire, and the use of an early childhood classroom checklist during the field observations.

The results of this qualitative case study demonstrated that the teacher's perceptions influenced their instructional practices in their bilingual education kindergarten classroom.

Also, their responses to two interviews and a questionnaire regarding play-based learning in the kindergarten bilingual education classroom did not always match what was observed in their classroom.

Through this study, certified bilingual education teachers will gain insight on how perception may impact practices; a better understanding of how to support bilingual certified teachers in developing play-based learning opportunities for second language learners; and may lead to an understanding of factors that prevent bilingual certified teachers from using play-based learning in their classrooms.