Author Description

This research investigates preschool parents', teachers' and directors' perceptions of children's play in a Chinese context. Cultural values shape adults' play perceptions and influence children's play experiences in child care and early education programs. Thus, the current study seeks to understand how Chinese adult stakeholders' cultural values are associated with their perceptions of children's play, and how the stakeholders perceive children's play in different types of preschool programs. A convergent mixed-methods research design was employed to collect both survey and interview data on the topic of stakeholders' perceptions of play in preschool. The sample included 1,350 preschool parents, 90 teachers, and 15 directors from urban and rural programs and from public and private programs. Results suggest that based on contemporary Chinese cultural values, play positively contributes to child socialization goals. Parents and professionals in different types of programs generally showed positive perceptions of children's play in preschool. However, some parents and professionals still had pedagogical concerns about play in preschool settings. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.