Chinese Preschool Educators’ Perspectives on Play-Based Learning and Its Relationships with Their Language Use in Free and Structured Play Contexts

The pedagogical value of play-based learning is well established, yet its effectiveness depends on contextual factors such as play type, educators’ perspectives, and their language use. In the background of China’s curriculum transformation, this study examines 28 early childhood educators’ perspectives on play-based learning and their language use during free and structured play. Interviews identified two perspectives on the relationship between play and learning: interdependent (19) and independent (9). Drawing on systemic functional linguistics, educators’ speech functions were analyzed in terms of how speakers give or demand information and goods & services, expressed through statement, question, command, and offer. Findings showed that language use differed across play contexts: while offers were rare in both, free play featured a balanced use of statements, questions, and commands, whereas structured play was marked by a greater use of statements and commands. Educators’ perspectives were also associated with their language choices. In structured play, educators with an interdependent perspective used significantly more statements than those with an independent perspective. In free play, educators with an interdependent perspective used questions and commands within role-play scenarios to extend children’s play experiences, whereas those with an independent perspective tended to use confirmatory questions outside the play scenario to direct children’s attention. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing how play type, educators’ perspectives, and language use interact and may provide children with different learning opportunities in play-based contexts.