Challenges presented to personal theories, beliefs and practices of play in Abu Dhabi kindergartens: the English Medium teacher perspective

Abu Dhabi Education Council’s new school model recognizes the value of play, although anecdotal evidence suggests that there are challenges to play in the preschool context. This article reports on challenges from the English Medium teacher perspective. Findings show that challenges are related to: (a) children meeting teacher expectations for play which may be limited by: real-life exposure, the nanny’s role, a desert climate for outdoor play, overuse of technology; and English as an additional language; (b) acquiring adequate resources for play, including open-access to Internet sites, meaning teachers have to use their own money to provide resources for play; (c) establishing boundaries and managing behaviour, especially for boys; (d) working with conflicting time pressures caused by academic performance benchmarking, accountability and workload; and (e) working with diversity, including meeting parental expectations, collaborating with colleagues and understanding the cultural and linguistic background of children. Recommendations to lessen the challenges of nurturing appropriate play experiences are made within the context of the findings.