CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Background to the Study
Play has been the natural phenomenon with children. According to Aziza (2000), children who are healthy and not disabled (physically challenged), cannot do without playing in their natural environments. In some climes, play has been denoted as a veritable mark of a healthy and vibrant child. This is because, play makes a child to be active and occupied.
Historically, the artifacts and documents have proved the fact that children have been in the natural habits of playing since the earliest times. For instance, toys have been found in the ruins of the ancient China, Egypt, Babylonia and other early civilizations. According to Encyclopedia Americana (1980), play is recreation or any activity done for amusement. It includes everything from playing with toys to participating in sports, to watching the television. Play is different from other kinds of human behaviour. In primitive cultures, play occasions were often regarded as sacred. Games were sometimes played in order to gain a decision from the gods about the future of a dead man’s soul or a tribe’s future affairs etc (Aldis, 2005).
Even today, games of chance are played most often by those members of modern society who have the least control over their affairs and the least scope for personal initiative. A game of chance brings the play an opportunity that life usually does not, as the example of the modern lottery illustrates. Games of strategy which emerged in human culture with the appearance of social classes and specialized military groups appear to have been developed as ways of training for diplomacy and warfare etc (Singer, 2003).
Modern-day children with their innumerable toys, practice the manipulative control of objects, just as their parents manipulate autos, thermostats, diswashers and computers. Both adults and children live in a world where the control of machines is critical to survival. In general however, children’s play today focuses on mental rather than physical activities. This mental activity is typically modeled in a great variety of types of make-believe play, the socio-dramatic play with other children, or the constructive play with toys or with arts and crafts materials (Butler and George, 2001).
According to Almonde (2000), an environment is the overall surrounding of a place. He claimed that, for any out-door play to be effective and result-oriented, the environment in which play is carried out ought to be well prepared. This, according to him, is because, the prepared play environment focuses on an organized and co-ordinated set of materials and equipment calculated towards achieving a significant learning in the child.
As Adamson (1999) puts it, the environment on which play is done, should be prepared based on the child’s need. The environment for out-door play ought to be well ordered physically and conceptually to give meaning and relevance to the child’s world. The Montessori house is part of the prepared play environment and includes a set for rooms each for intellectual work, and there are shelters for individual play or sleep. A recreation room for games or music, a dining room, a dressing room, and a garden. These are conceived as part of the set-up to teach the child self-care and care of property (Ebele, 1999).
Montessori held that the most characteristic feature of system is the prepared play environment. Since the child absorbs from the environment, it logically follows that the environment should be prepared in order to ensure that what is absorbed is wholesome. Therefore, the following should be put in place within the prepared environment before out-door play effectively is used as a teaching method in early childhood education:
(a) Freedom of movement: Everything is tailed to the child’s size, needs and interests to enhance movement. These will ensure self motivation and activities. Learning ought to be focused towards independence.
(b) Order of Structure: This is as regards arrangement and atmosphere (environment). The learning materials, for instance, have to be well ordered, well kept and presented in such a way to lead to greater refinement and control.
(c) Reality and Nature: The young child should be free to explore nature and to observe the harmony and order revealed in nature. Reality is practicalised with the use of tools and other equipment by children in their daily classroom activities (Amos, 2000).
Maduewesi (1994), observes that one of the most basic principles of modern teaching is that the teacher should find and use the most attractive approaches to help the learner to learn. Since the teacher cannot plaster the necessary skills, attitudes and processes on the child, as the masson will plaster the cement on the walls, the teacher has to resort to devicing methods sufficiently motivating to persuade the learner to learn what is necessary. According to Uzor (2000), in the case of young children, play is known to be their most natural activity. So natural is playing to children that they instinctively play without being taught or even specially motivated. Play is therefore self-motivated. It thus, follows that this natural activity is the best and most wonderful and sensible way to teach children, for as they play, they learn also.
There are various theories explaining the meaning and significance of play in human culture and human society. They include the surplus energy, which takes the position that man plays in order to get rid of surplus energy. Another view point is that, in out-door play, the man continuously recreates the society in which it takes place. Some sociologists such as Enoh et al (1990), posit that play is a symbolic process which has special significance for preparing the young to participate later in adult activities; thus, to this group, play is a preparation or rehearsal for adult roles. These and many other explanations have been given as to why almost from birth, all children in all cultures play spontaneously without prompting (Sutton-Smith, 2001).
In Nigeria, there seems to be high quality out-door environment in the private schools than the public ones. According to Adekoya (2002), the quality of out-door environment determines to a great extent, the effectiveness in teaching and learning process in the school setting. He opined that children learn more in schools where there is provision for quality out-door environment and materials. Alimi (2003) is of the opinion that, there is no functional out-door availability of equipment in most public schools in Nigeria, especially in Lagos State. Whereas, virtually all the private schools, especially the Montessori-based schools, have functional, qualitative equipment and out-door facilities/materials, put in place in a conducive play environment that warrants effective teaching and learning outcomes of children.
In his observation, Uzodinma (2005), studied ten (10) schools, five public and five private nursery schools located in Lagos State to see if there is a relationship between out-door play and learning achievement of children. The outcome of the study indicated tat a significant relationship exists between out-door play and learning achievement of children. Further observation that children from the private schools where out-door equipment and materials are available, coupled with the decent environment, out-perform those from the public schools where there exists no out-door equipment and materials to teach children through play. With this result, Uzodinma concluded that children perform well when they are taught with the out-door play methods with practical experiences. And that children learn by practical experiences than theories
1.2Statement of the Problem
The problems inherent in the non-inclusion of out-door play as a veritable method of teaching and learning in the early childhood education cannot be overemphasized. Also, the problem of where outdoor play is done is another headache that has worried educationists, researchers and other educational stakeholders. For instance, in Nigeria as a developing country, children between ages 2 to 6 years are educated in both the privately owned schools and the public ones. Suffice to say that these schools lack the appropriate and conducive environment where outdoor play is ought to be carried. Many private and public schools in Nigeria, and Lagos State in particular, lack spaces or play grounds, and those that have spaces, do not have the wherewithal to prepare the environment for unhindered play.
Not only the unwholesome play environment in many schools, there is the problem of lack of, or none availability of play materials such as walking and running materials, materials or equipment that allow children to jump, climb, hop, skip, slid, tricycle freely. Other equipment that schools lack are those that help children to throw, catch, kick, strike, bend, stretch, bounce, twist, swing and so on. Without this equipment being put in place by owners of both the public and private schools, it will be impossible for children to learn through the out-door play.
The above problems gave rise to the examination of a comparative study of out-door play environment in private and public schools in Lagos State.