IMPACT OF PLAY AS A TEACHING METHOD FOR COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY PU-

PILS IN GOMBE METROPOLIS GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA

1ABDULLAHI SABO; 2ABDULLAHI AHMAD ABDALLAH AND 3BUHARI SAIDU

1, 2&3 School of Early Childhood Care and Primary Education

Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe State, Nigeria

E-mail: Saboabdullahi921@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
This study Assessed the impact of play as a teaching method for cognitive development of primary
one pupils in Gombe metropolis Gombe state. Among the objectives of the study is to find out wheth-
er play method of teaching determines children participation in classroom academic activities, to de-
termine the extent to which different types of play method affect children's participation and learn-
ing process in nursery Schools. To find out the level of performance of the children using play meth-
od. Descriptive survey design was used, while Research questions were raised to guide the study.
Questionnaire was used to collect data from one hundred (100) respondents. Frequencies were used
to interpret the data obtained. The results of the analysis showed that Play develops pupils’ sense of
reasoning and teamwork abilities, it increases pupils’ comprehension of content and development of
practical skills, play provides Information, evaluation and creative reasoning among primary one pu-
pils, it allows Pupils to actively involved in problem solving. The study recommended that preschool
teachers should be going for seminars, workshops and refresher courses on their roles in provision
of play equipment, as well as on supervision of children during play activities. This will equip them
with more knowledge on how they can improvise most of the play equipment which could be used to
promote children participation in outdoor activities among others.
Keywords: Cognitive Development, Play method and Primary school

Introduction
Nowadays pupils are not given the time to play because of various reasons which include parental
commitment to work. Many parents leave their children with house maids who do not allow the chil-
dren to play well. Again, due to high population growth especially in urban areas, many primary
schools do not have play grounds and pupils are left to play in their classrooms. Play equipment in
some schools are not available at all, they are also expensive to be purchased or improvised. In addi-
tion, some schools have facilities which are old and are poorly maintained thus making them a health
hazards to the children. Facilities such as swings, Marry-go-round, See-saw and so on are not proper-
ly fixed thus exposing pupils to danger of falling during play. The work load in primary schools
seemed heavy as a result of that the pupils do not play as expected. Instead they spend their playtime
in classrooms not playground or with little play just in their classrooms.
Mwaura (2012) asserts that play method allows children to explore their environment on their own
terms and to take in any meaningful experiences at their own rates and on their own levels. Children
play can be seen as practice for tasks that will be useful to them as adult. It is during the early years
that children construct their own knowledge and interpret their own experiences through manipula-
tion and observation. Early primary education should therefore aim at producing children who are
physically, socially, emotionally and orally ready for the formal school education through provision
of numerous physical play facilities and experiences. Time has come to advocate strongly in support
of play method for all children. Play is to the child as work is to adult. It is a crucial activity during
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childhood years. Play is pleasurable, spontaneous; activity that has an end in itself and has no extrin-
sic goal. Play has a role in children’s development of social and emotional development. Children
pass through different stages as they develop and that this is reflected in their play. Every child has a
subconscious force shaping his or her personality. Children are only interested in things that provide
pleasure to them in order to satisfy their needs. Playing games with rules enables them to acquire
knowledge of right and wrong (Christine, 2016).
The play method provides room for children to use their creativity and develop their imagination.
Play method allows children to learn through experience, enhances confidence and self-esteem and
also develops interest towards learning language, children are given the opportunity to manipulate,
explore and experience with a variety of new materials which enhances learning. Through play, chil-
dren learn independence, knowledge and application of new vocabulary (Maria 2012).
Play method of teaching is universally the best way to stimulate the nerve cells in a child’s brain. It
improves alertness, improves memory and the benefit surely visible in the child’s interactive skills.
It is highlighted that young children learn best through play, games, stories, art, puppetry and social
interaction. The teacher employs various methods in the process of teaching and learning. The play
method helps children to adapt themselves to new social environments. Play should not be a forced
activity as naturally children love to play. It gives the opportunity to children to reveal their negative
emotions and to channel their opinions (Christine, 2012). Several research on play indicated that the
playful nature of children makes play the most natural technique of teaching which would if properly
used by teachers, ensures smooth transition from home environment to school environment.

Importance of Play
Piaget (1951) viewed play as an active process which involved a lot of activities whether physical
like tug of war or at times mental activity like: playing with words, imaginative play where children
build houses using blocks therefore arrange blocks to form a picture of a house. Karl Groos (2016)
view was that play allowed children to practice the skills needed in adulthood. He believed that
through play children would practice skills needed in adulthood without guidance from an adult and
suggested that if children did not have opportunity to play the result would be lack of intellectual
progress. Smith (2017) states that play enhance language development as an integral part of learn-
ing. That outdoor play gives children opportunity to interact with various play equipment as well as
other children forcing them to communicate and through communication children acquire
knowledge from each other. Play promotes socialization among children. It also enables children to
learn how to live with others harmoniously by thanking others for what they have received waiting
for one’s turn so as to accomplish an activity. Maria Montessori (2016) who said that each child pos-
sessed a capacity to develop and the development in them progressed in stages. Therefore, play is an
integral part of learning because as children play the thought capacity is developed through training
the senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting) she argued that play promoted physical
development and body coordination. The small and large motor skills are refined and developed dur-
ing play. Jensen (2016) stated that active brain makes permanent neurological connections critical
to learning. Inactive brains do not make permanent neurological connections. Research on brains
demonstrates that play is scaffold for development, a vehicle for increasing neural structures and a
means by which all children practice skills they need in later life.

Play and its impact on learning

Play can not only fill up spare time, but can also lead to changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviours,
and skills. Fenthaler, Eseryel & Ge (2016) stated that there exists various research today that dis-
cussed the impact of play on learning. A classification scheme of learning outcomes that covered the
aspects of cognitive, affective and motor skills. All of these learning outcomes can be further decon-
55
structed into more specific skills. Thus, one of the interests of this study is to explore the subcategory
of the learning outcomes (i.e. problem-solving skills, behavior changes, motor skills, social skills, etc.)
to provide a clear, direct, and comprehensive view on the impact of play on learning. By understand-
ing the potential of games in learning, educators, researchers, and game developers can make careful
plans to utilize games for learning.

Play and Child Development

Ginsburg (2016) stressed that play is so important for optimal child development that it has been
recognized by the United Nations for Human Rights as a right for every child. Play is essential for
development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being. As
such, primary school teachers should emphasize on play methods in the classroom because it en-
hances children’s learning processes and interest towards learning languages. The play method pro-
vides maximum interaction and corresponds with others in and outside the classroom as well as
helps children to master vocabulary through fun and enjoyment.
The play method provides room for children to use their creativity and develop their imagination.
Play allows children to learn through experience, enhances confidence and self-esteem and also de-
velops interest towards learning language. Scarfo & Littleford (2017) asserted that teachers should
allow children to play with things like sand, water and blocks. By setting up a play environment, chil-
dren are given the opportunity to manipulate, explore and experience with a variety of new material
which enhances learning. Through play, children learn independence, knowledge and application of
new vocabulary. Bodrova (2014) also stressed that play helps children master the symbolic nature of
words. A study by Istomina (2017) showed that preschool children could remember more items in
the dramatic play condition, functioning at the level that older children could demonstrate in the non
-play condition that was similar to typical school task.
Existing reviews on using games for learning lack detailed analysis on the dimension of age. Boyle et
al. (2016) and Connolly et al. (2018) reviewed game studies on various outcomes of learning, as well
as the potential for promoting, engagement and supporting learning. Although Connolly et al. (2018)
did focus on participants over the age of 14 years, the details for particular age groups were neither
analyzed nor discussed. On the other hand, Powers et al. (2017) analyzed and investigated the im-
pact of games on information processing skills for four general age categories, from young children
to older adults. Nevertheless, the range of each age category was too large to represent a specific age
group. Hwang and Tsai (2017) and Hwang and Wu (2018) analyzed the learning outcomes based on
school levels (e.g. elementary, secondary, and multi-level). Since each school level consisted of partic-
ipants within a wide age-range, the interest in both games and the level of challenge might be differ-
ent for each age. Although the above studies provide some useful information, educators and re-
searchers may not have sufficient guidance on setting an educational plan and using games within
teaching/learning strategies for a particular age group of children.

Effects of play method on interest in learning

Philip (2016) indicates that public schools have high population of pupils such that the play equip-
ment available is over stretched. As a result of this not all children in public primary school are get-
ting opportunity to participate in play way method of teaching in which provide the pupils with op-
portunity to manipulate a variety of play equipment. Primary head teachers also claim that Early Pri-
mary Education is run in partnership with the community members who are of low socio-economic
status, hence not able to equip the schools. The lack of qualified teachers, facilities like inadequate
and unconducive class rooms, with full utilize play equipment and poor curriculum planning, inade-
quate infrastructure, learning process (monitoring and evaluation) have great influence on the suc-

56
cessful achievement and performance of primary pupils’ educational objectives and hence students’
academic achievement is affected.
In the kindergarten room, children can do role play as shopkeepers, consumers, teachers, doctor,
dentists and so on, which help them to reach the outside world and explore them in interesting
manners, as the learning environment enhances the pupils’ interest in learning.
Montessori (2015) stressed that children are able to learn on their own, teachers should therefore
provide play materials. Children are born with the potentials from parent and other adults. Their po-
tentials should however be nurtured in order to make them achieve their goals, the only way a teach-
er can nurture children’s potentials is by providing them with a variety of play facilities so that they
can participate freely in play through manipulation of the facilities. The teachers need to provide
children with prepared outdoor environment that is: environment which allows play to take place
without any hindrances. The purpose of the prepared environment is to make the child independent
to the adult. Thus, working alone while being responsible, it is a place where the child can do things
for himself or herself without any instruction and at times without interferences (NACECE, 2017)

Statement of the Problem

Teaching and learning has become more critical and challenging in this modern era. This has created
the problems associated with teaching methods and techniques. Finding a suitable teaching method
for elementary school children has led many teachers to teaching ignorantly with wrong teaching
method without achieving set objectives. In primary school, the method ensures that more than half
of the teaching is successful. Unfortunately, many children have had to perform poorly in school be-
cause of the poverty of teaching methods employed by the teacher. Research has it that out of every
ten children in primary school that fails in continues assessment and terminal examinations, 6,5%
are directly or indirectly as a result of poor teaching method which must times are far away from
play methods or strategies. This study tries to find solution to this poor rate of performance using the
play teaching methods.

Objectives of the Study

1. To identify the impact of play methods in primary schools in Gombe metropolis.
2. To identify the effects of play method in primary schools in Gombe metropolis.
3. To ascertain the adopting play method of teaching in primary schools in Gombe Metropolis

Research Questions
1. What is the impact of play method in public primary schools in Gombe metropolis?
2. What are the effects of play methods in primary schools in Gombe metropolis?
3. What are the adopting play methods of teaching in primary schools in Gombe Metropolis?

Methodology
The study is a descriptive survey design hence it explored contemporary challenge of using play
method for effective teaching and learning of primary school children. The research was carried out
in selected primary schools in Gombe state. A specially designed questionnaire tagged Primary Play
Method Questionnaire (PPMQ) was used for data collection. A total sample of one hundred (100) pu-
pils was used through the systematic cluster sampling techniques. The mean and standard deviation
of the questionnaire was used to answer research questions. A benchmark of 3.00 mean was consid-
ered good enough for a positive result and decision on acceptance taken based on it.

57
Data presentation and analysis
Research Question 1: What is the impact of play among primary pupils in some selected pub-
lic primary schools in Gombe metropolis?

Table 1: Presenting the response of the respondents based on the impact of play among pri-
mary pupils in some selected public primary schools in Gombe metropolis.
S/N Impacts SA A D SD Total Mean Remark
1 Play develops pupils sense 40 10 20 30 100 3.25 Agreed
of reasoning and teamwork
abilities
2 It increases pupils compre- 40 40 10 10 100 3.87 Agreed
hension of content and de-
velopment of practical
skills
3 Play provides Information 40 50 10 00 100 3.99 Agreed
evaluation and creative rea-
soning among primary one
pupils
4 It allows Pupils to actively 60 10 20 10 100 3.87 Agreed
involved in problem solv-
ing. (Pupils learn by doing)
5 Pupils Understand the com- 30 40 10 20 100 3.50 Agreed
plexity and the ambiguity of
classroom activity via play
method
Source: Field Survey 2022

The table above presents the perceptions of the respondents with regard to the impact of play among
S/N Challenges SA A D SD Total Mean Remark
1 Lack of qualified teachers who are- 50 30 10 10 100 4.00 Agreed
acquainted with play way method of
teaching
2 Low self-esteem among the pupils to 50 40 10 00 100 4.25 Agreed
participate In the play learning ac-
tivities
3 Lack play environment within the 40 30 20 10 100 3.75 Agreed
school premises
4 lack proper play facilities in the vari- 10 70 10 10 100 3.5 Agreed
ous school
5 Cultural related issues (e.g. Boys and 50 10 10 30 100 3.50 Agreed
Girls Should play separately )

Source: Field Survey 2022 primary pupils in some selected public primary schools in Gombe me-
58
tropolis. Based on the result in the table above, it revealed that; all Items agreed with a mean score of
3.25, 3.87, 3.99, 3.87 and 3.50 respectively that Play develops pupils sense of reasoning and team-
work abilities, It increases pupils comprehension of content and development of practical skills, Play
provides Information evaluation and creative reasoning among primary one pupils, It allows Pupils
to actively involved in problem solving. (Pupils learn by doing), Pupils Understand the complexity
and the ambiguity of classroom activity via play method.

Research Question 2: What are the effects of play on pupils in primary one in some selected
primary schools in Gombe metropolis?

Table 2: Presenting the Views of the respondent base on the impact of play among primary
one pupils in some selected public primary schools in Gombe metropolis
S/N Effects SA A D SD Total Mean Remark
1 Development of psychomotor 70 10 10 10 100 4.25 Agreed
Skills
2 Improvement in social skills 30 50 10 10 100 3.75 Agreed

3 lesser or no need for special 20 40 20 20 100 3.25 Agreed

education
4 Play stimulate all the sense 70 10 10 10 100 4.25 Agreed
which foster proper under-
standing and comprehension
of learning content
5 It is inclusive learning strate- 50 30 10 10 100 4.00 Agreed
gies as variety of Teaching
pedagogy are employed
Source: Field Survey 2022
The table above presents the Views of the respondents based on the effect of play among primary
pupils in some selected public primary schools in Gombe metropolis, it revealed that; Item 12,3,4 and
5 all agreed with a mean score of 4.25, 3.75, 3.25, 4.25 and 4.00 respectively that Development of
psychomotor skills, improvement in social skills, lesser or no need for special education, Play stimu-
late all the sense which foster proper understanding and comprehension of learning content and It is
inclusive learning strategies as variety of Teaching pedagogy are not properly employed, are the ma-
jor effects of play among primary pupils in some selected public primary schools.

Research Question 3: What are the adopting play methods of teaching in primary schools in Gombe
metropolis?

Table 3: Presenting the Views of the respondent base on the impact of play among primary
one pupils in some selected public primary schools in Gombe metropolis.
The table above also reveals the opinion of the respondents with regards to the challenges in adopt-
ing play method of teaching in some selected primary schools in Gombe Metropolis; Item 12,3,4 and
5 all agreed with a mean score of 4.00, 4.25, 3.75, 3.50 and 3.50 respectively that Lack of qualified
teachers who acquainted with play way method of teaching, Low self-esteem among the pupils to
participate in the play learning activities, Lack of play environment within the school premises, lack

59
of proper play facilities in the various school and Cultural related issues (e.g. Boys and Girls Should
play separately ) are the major challenges.

Findings of the study

Based on the result obtained the following findings were made that:
1. Play develops pupils’ sense of reasoning and teamwork abilities, it increases pupils’ comprehen-
sion of content and development of practical skills, Play provides Information evaluation and
creative reasoning among primary one pupils, it allows Pupils to actively involved in problem
solving. (Pupils learn by doing), Pupils Understand the complexity and the ambiguity of class-
room activity via play method which response objective one seeks to addressed
2. Development of psychomotor Skills, Improvement in social skills, lesser or no need for special
education. Play stimulate all the sense which foster proper understanding and comprehension of
learning content and It is inclusive learning strategies as variety of Teaching pedagogy are em-
ployed are the major impact of play among primary one pupils in some selected public primary
schools.
3. Lack of qualified teachers who acquainted with play way method of teaching, Low self-esteem
among the pupils to participate in the play learning activities, Lack play environment within the
school premises, lack proper play facilities in the various school and Cultural related issues (e.g.
Boys and Girls Should play separately are the major challenges which objective three seek to ad-
dressed.

Discussion of the Findings

Research objectives one intends to identify the impact of play among primary one pupils in some se-
lected public primary schools in Gombe metropolis. In which the findings revealed that; Play devel-
ops pupils sense of reasoning and teamwork abilities, it increases pupils’ comprehension of content
and development of practical skills. Play provides Information evaluation and creative reasoning
among primary one pupils, it allows pupils to be actively involved in problem solving. (pupils learn
by doing), Pupils Understand the complexity and the ambiguity of classroom activity via play meth-
od and this goes in line research made by Smith (2017) states that play enhance language develop-
ment as an integral part of learning. That outdoor play gives children opportunity to interact with
various play equipment as well as other children forcing them to communicate and through commu-
nication children acquire knowledge from each other. Play promotes socialization among children. It
also enables children to learn how to live with others harmoniously by thanking others for what
they have received waiting for one’s turn so as to accomplish an activity.
Research objective two is to examine the effects of play on pupils in primary in some selected prima-
ry schools in Gombe metropolis. of which development of psychomotor skills, Improvement in social
skills, lesser or no need for special education, play stimulate all the sense which foster proper under-
standing and comprehension of learning content which was in line the study made by Jarvis, Odell &
Troiano (2012) believed that role-play as a teaching strategy offers several advantages for both
teachers and pupils. First, pupils’ interest in the subject matter is raised. Secondly, student partici-
pation in learning is increased (Fogg, 2011). The third advantage is that teachers’ empathy and un-
derstanding of the different perspectives increases (Poorman,2012).
Research objective three was to ascertain the challenges in adopting play way method of teaching in
some selected primary schools in Gombe Metropolis which reveals that Lack of qualified teachers
who acquainted with play way method of teaching, Low self-esteem among the pupils to participate
In the play learning activities, Lack play environment within the school premises, lack proper play
facilities in the various school and Cultural related issues (e.g. Boys and Girls Should play separately,
this in line with the Research made by Mwaura (2013) on the impact of play on academic perfor-
60
mance of pupils in primary school in Katsina state recommended that play fullness of pupils influ-
ences the development of cardinal concepts and also learning in the other areas. Therefore, teachers
must appreciate playfulness of pupils and encourage them by providing play facilities and materials.
In schools where parents are of low socio-economic status and cannot afford to equip their children
with all the play facilities the government should come for their help.

Recommendations
This study recommends that; primary school teachers should be going for seminars, workshops and
refresher courses on how to improvise local play equipment as well as on supervision of children
during play activities. As most of the teachers would like to have such an important idea. The study
recommends that school inspectors should ensure that primary schools have safe play environment
and equipment. This is necessary because in most schools visited teachers were not present at the
play field to check on what children played with.

Conclusion
The results of this study indicates that adopting play method of teaching in some selected primary
schools in Gombe Metropolis which reveals that there are unqualified teachers who in play method
of teaching, Low self-esteem among the pupils to participate in the play learning activities, Lack of
play environment within the school premises, unavailability of play facilities in the various schools.
The finding also indicates the need for play method of learning for better interaction of pupils with
each other during the activities; as such they master the vocabulary better. The instructional materi-
als also create opportunities for children to use their creativity especially in role play, playing games,
and making traditional crafts. Therefore, preschool teachers should consider the play as an alterna-
tive method to teach preschool children. The instructional materials provide opportunity for children
to learn through touch, feel and experience especially when they play games, thus the children in the
Experimental Group are able to remember the vocabulary related to the games better than those in
the Control Group. The instructional materials offer full benefits to preschool children in the process
of learning. There is need for nongovernmental organization involvement; government should pro-
vide a policy of building anything in the primary school field.

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