Impact of Play-Based Learning among Preschool Children: A Case Study in the Province Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This case study examines the impact of play-based learning on the holistic development of preschool children in the Gujrat district of Punjab, Pakistan. The study employs a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess children's development across seven dimensions: personal and social, languages and literacy, basic mathematics, physical play, creative art and scientific play, poems and stories, and play in different subjects' corners. Twelve schools representing various types, including provincially-administrated public model schools, private schools, rural public-private partnership schools, and federally-controlled schools, were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. The study collected data on 360 ECE students' growth in various dimensions over two semesters through school administrators, teachers, and parents. The study considered students' overall performance as the independent variable and their marks/grades as the dependent variable. The hypothesis tested (oH1) was that students would achieve better results, and there would be a significant difference in children's attained marks through play-based learning. The study also determined parents' involvement in children's activities and the impact of their economic status on children's performance.