Volume/Issue :

Article type :

Case study

Page No :

45-57

Abstract :

The research analyses the expression of inquiry skills of 5–6-year-old children in free play and teacher-organised play-based educational activities. The study is based on the premise that play and inquiry constitute an integrated process of meaning-making in early childhood, while the quality of inquiry is shaped by the nature of teacher involvement, the structure of the learning context and opportunities for reflection. A qualitative research design was applied. Non-participant observations were conducted in three groups involving 45 children, and additional data were collected through a focus-group discussion with three early childhood teachers. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings show that during free play inquiry emerges authentically from children’s curiosity, sensory impressions and the play situation, yet often remains episodic. In teacher-organised play-based activities inquiry becomes more purposeful, coherent and reflective: children formulate hypotheses, suggest ways of testing ideas, compare objects according to multiple features, explain causal relations and structure their experiences through language. Teachers’ reflections highlight their role as partners in inquiry, designers of learning contexts and facilitators of reflection. The study demonstrates the complementary relationship between free play and intentional pedagogical support and conceptualises the transition from spontaneous curiosity to more conscious inquiry as a key outcome of play-based learning.

Keywords :

5–6-year-old children, inquiry skills, play, play-based learning, learning contexts, teacher support

References :

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Cite as :

Čiuplytė, G., & Neifachas, S. (2026). 5–6 metų vaikų tyrinėjimo gebėjimų raiška žaidimu grįsto ugdymo kontinuume [The expression of inquiry skills of 5–6-year-old children across the play-based learning continuum]. Švietimas: politika, vadyba, kokybė / Education Policy, Management and Quality, 17(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.48127/spvk-epmq/26.17.45