How Mobile ECCE Practitioners Leverage a Variety of Learning Materials in Resource-Scarce Communities

This study explored how curriculum policies support that Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) practitioners need to leverage a variety of learning materials in resource-scarce communities to enhance children’s holistic development. Mobile ECCE practitioners face a challenge of limited resources especially in rural areas. Yet there is lack of professional training on the use of variety of learning materials in a resource-scarce communities. The study was underpinned by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to understand the significance of how mobile ECCE practitioners scaffold children's learning experiences by using various materials and tools, considering the underprivileged sociocultural context. A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted to examine mobile ECCE practitioners leveraging of a variety of learning materials in resource-scarce communities. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from twenty mobile ECCE practitioners in the rural communities from two mobile ECCE units of the Free State Province, South Africa. Prolonged engagement was used to validate the results. Interpretative phenomenological strategy was used to analyse data with the help of Atlas.ti. This study found that mobile ECCE practitioners employed innovative methods to adapt and improvise the use of existing materials to improve children’ holistic development. In light of this, it is recommended that practitioners need to integrate sociocultural context into their innovative methods improve the quality of ECCE in the face of resource constraints. Thus, novelty of this paper contributes to the curriculum and professional development in resource-scarce communities in rural areas.