Researching Play from a Playwork Perspective

Play is of critical importance to the well-being of children across the globe, a fact reflected in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet existing literature on the subject is largely confined to discussing play from a developmental, educational or psychological perspective. Researching Play from a Playwork Perspective offers a new and exciting angle from which to view play, drawing on the authors’ own experience of conducting research into various aspects of this all-important and pervasive phenomenon.

This innovative work will act as a compass for those looking to undertake research into different aspects of play and child welfare. Each chapter explores how the author has combined established and new research methodologies with their individual playwork approaches to arrive at emergent understandings of playwork research. The overall conclusion discusses directions for future research and develops a new model of playwork research from the four common themes that emerge from the contributions of individual authors: children’s rights, process, critical reflection, and playfulness. Examples from the United Kingdom, Nicaragua, and Sweden give this unique work international relevance.

Researching Play from a Playwork Perspective will appeal to researchers and students around the world working in the fields of playwork, childcare, early years, education, psychology and children’s rights. It should also be of interest to practitioners in a wide variety of professional contexts, including childcare and therapy.

Pete King is a senior?lecturer in Childhood Studies at Swansea University, and his current research has been published in both national and international journals, including Journal of Playwork Practice and the American Journal of Play. Pete currently lectures on Children’s Rights, Developmental and Therapeutic Play, Perspectives on Play and Research Methods.

Shelly Newstead is a doctoral candidate at UCL Institute of Education, London, and has worked in the playwork field for over 25 years as a practitioner, trainer, author, editor and publisher. Shelly is the founding editor of Journal of Playwork Practice and the Vice-President of ICCP (International Council for Children’s Play).