A Phenomenological Study on Play in Early Childhood in Korean Early Childhood Education Institutions

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to make a phenomenological research on early childhood play in Korean early childhood education institutions in an effort to explore the phenomenological characteristics of play in early childhood including the ways of looking at and doing it. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The subjects in this study were three teachers and 30 preschoolers who were selected by random sampling from three different kindergartens located in the city of Busan. Data were gathered by making participant observations and having individual interviews with the preschoolers and the teachers from October to early December, 2015, and a qualitative analysis was made to analyze the collected data. Findings: The findings of the study were as follows: First, as for the features of play among the preschoolers in the Korean early childhood education institutions, that was characterized by five: wanting to go outside, finding time to play, wanting to make something without any restraints, moving is the very play, and living in a world different from that of adults. Second, concerning the roles of the teachers and the preschoolers, there were three different groups of teachers and preschoolers according to their ways of looking at and doing play. One was the teachers who viewed everything as play vs. the preschoolers who regarded just part of what they did as play, and another was the teachers who just looked vs. the preschoolers who wanted a loving hand. The third was the teachers who wanted the kids to follow them vs. the preschoolers who disliked to be scolded. Application/Improvements: Allowing communities to play with peers brief is required implications should create a play environment that supports the recovery of social relationships and happiness.