JCPSLP Vol 17 No 3 2015

Summary and clinical implications The four appraised articles contained minor methodological flaws and variations in delivery and/or content of play- based learning approaches. However, they present preliminary evidence to suggest that play-based curricula can lead to similar, and at times greater, improvements in educational outcomes including language for children in early primary school, compared to usual didactic teaching strategies. Play-based learning in the classroom is likely to support educational outcomes in oral language, literacy, and maths, and dispositions towards learning for primary school children. Successful techniques investigated through the appraised articles included: scaffolding, elicited explanation, worked examples, feedback, teacher responsiveness to child interests, child-initiated activities, and a caring and sensitive dialogue between teachers and students (Alfieri et al., 2011; Blanco & Ray, 2011; Reynolds et al., 2011; Sproule et al., 2009). Considering that all other appraised articles suggested a positive effect of play-based learning on children’s learning outcomes, Sproule et al.’s (2009) finding that there was no long-term negative effect of a play-based curriculum and increased interest in learning can be viewed as a finding supportive of play-based learning. This positive effect on young students’ attitudes towards learning is also reflected in Reynolds et al.’s (2011) findings that children receiving a play-based curriculum were less socially disconnected and disruptive at school. This not only decreases problem behaviours and social disconnection, but can also be directly linked to improved educational outcomes, particularly for children from low SES areas (Reynolds et al., 2011; Sproule et al., 2009; Weisberg et al., 2013). These findings are congruent with current expert opinion that recommends the use of play-based learning in primary school curriculum delivery and highlights that the child should always be an active participant in their learning rather than a passive recipient (Miller & Almon, 2009; Rautio & Winston, 2013; Weisberg et al., 2013). There is evidence that play-based learning in early-primary school classrooms can support educational outcomes for some children. Speech pathologists can draw upon this evidence when collaborating with educators to promote children’s educational outcomes. Acknowledgement Our thanks to Ms Kim Adams, speech pathologist, Department of Education and Child Development, South Australia, for posing and assisting with refining this clinical question, and reviewer and editorial support in shaping this article. References Alfieri, L., Brooks, P., Aldrich, N., & Tenenbaum, H. (2011). Does discovery-based instruction enhance learning? Journal of Educational Psychology , 103 (1), 1–18. Allen, L., Leitão, S., & Donovan, M. (1993). School age oral language assessment (SAOLA) manual . South Fremantle, WA: Language-Learning Materials, Research and Development. Blanco, P., & Ray, D. (2011). Play therapy in elementary schools: A best practice for improving academic achievement. Journal of Counseling and Development , 89 (2), 235–243. Fantuzzo, J., Sutton-Smith, B., Coolahan, K. C., Manz, P. H., Canning, S., & Debnam, D. (1995). Assessment of

Test (Hresko, Peak, Herron, & Bridges, 2000). There were greater combined outcomes for the treatment group compared to the control group, amounting to statistically significant differences from pre-test to post-test with the effect size for the treatment group double the effect size for the control group. The study employed rigorous methodology; however, generalisation to wider populations of children and play-based learning in educational settings is limited due to the specific intervention and small sample size within a certain geographical location and population. Reynolds et al. (2011) compared the outcomes for oral language, play abilities, and social competence for a cohort of children (n = 31) aged between 4.83–6.16 years participating in a play-based curriculum to those in a traditional curriculum. The students attended a school with a low socioeconomic demographic in Australia. Outcomes were measured using the School Age Oral Language Assessment (Allen, Leitão, & Donovan, 1993), the Child Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (Stagnitti, 2007), and the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (Fantuzzo, 1995). This study utilised a rigorous methodology, although could have been strengthened with blinded administration of all assessments. The findings indicated that the play-based curriculum had a greater positive impact than the traditional curriculum on the learning of children in low socioeconomic status (SES) schools across developmental social, language and play domains. Nevertheless, caution is required when generalising the findings to educational outcomes and wider populations of children due to small sample size and specific demographic profile of the children in the study. Finally, the longitudinal study by Sproule, McGuinness, Trew, Rafferty, and Walsh (2009) evaluated the long-term outcomes for a total of 3,414 children in 24 Irish schools providing a play-based curriculum compared with traditional didactic curricula. Three cohorts of children within each school were included in the study: one group followed the previously existing didactic curriculum (control); one group followed the play-based curriculum in its first year of implementation; and one followed the play-based curriculum in its second year of introduction. Educational outcomes were evaluated across several learning domains including literacy, oral language, and maths using the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS, 2001), the Wechsler Objective Language Dimensions (WOLD, 1996), and child and teacher self-rating scales. There were no long-term differences in outcomes for children in the two groups following play-based curriculum for 77% of comparisons of reading and mathematics. However, educational outcomes were improved for the schools with a higher level of disadvantage, with 20% of all comparisons showing statistically significant improved outcomes for the children who received play-based curricula. Children’s self-evaluation measures showed that the play-based curriculum had a significant positive effect on their learning dispositions. To illustrate, children who received the play- based curriculum reported having stronger belief that they could influence and shape their own learning, higher levels of motivation, greater curiosity, and a greater ability to take on and accept mental challenges and more difficult work compared to children who received the didactic curriculum (Sproule et al., 2009). The primary challenge in interpreting the findings is the lack of detail regarding selection of cohorts, increasing the risk of selection bias. The study stated that schools volunteered to participate, however it is unclear how the cohorts of children were selected within the schools, or whether a process of selecting or excluding specific schools took place.

157

JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 3 2015

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au