When Does Play Become Learning? Parents Negotiating Play in Türkiye and the US / ¿Cuándo se convierte el juego en aprendizaje? La negociación parental del juego en Turquía y Estados Unidos

This study examines how parents interpret playful learning and how these interpretations are negotiated in home and school contexts, comparing the contexts of Türkiye and the United States (US). This study approaches learning through play not as a pedagogical method but rather as a field of meaning negotiated between parents’ visions of childhood, learning, and academic future. The research was conducted using a comparative qualitative case study design; semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents living in Massachusetts (USA) and Ankara (Türkiye) who had children aged 3–6. The data were analyzed using interpretive thematic analysis. The findings indicated that parents do not view learning through play as a universal and unconditional pedagogical principle; rather, they evaluate it conditionally based on future-oriented academic concerns, perceptions of parental responsibility, and cultural expectations. Play emerges in both contexts as both a learning tool and a parenting practice that regulates children’s daily lives. The study contributes a unique theoretical perspective to the early childhood education literature by demonstrating that the play–learning relationship is temporally and contextually constructed.