(iPoster) Reclaiming Free Play: Resisting Neoliberalism in Early Childhood Education

• In Event: Poster Session: Foundations of Political Theory 3 (Critical); Education Politics and Policy; & Political Science Education
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Education Politics and Policy

Abstract

Neoliberal reforms have transformed early childhood education, embedding market-driven priorities such as standardization, privatization, and accountability into its policies. These reforms prioritize academic outcomes over holistic, play-based learning, reducing opportunities for free play—a critical practice that fosters creativity, autonomy, and democratic values. Despite extensive theoretical critiques of neoliberalism, the lived experiences of educators and parents navigating these pressures remain underexplored.

This study aims to use meaning-field analysis and reconstructive horizontal analysis to investigate how neoliberal policies shape perceptions and practices surrounding free play in early childhood education. Through interviews with educators and parents, the research will uncover the implicit values and ideological tensions embedded in their narratives, while tracing connections between individual experiences and broader systemic forces. Early findings suggest that neoliberal frameworks redefine play as a means to achieve measurable outcomes, undermining its developmental and democratic potential. Simultaneously, acts of quiet resistance reveal free play as a space for fostering agency, inclusion, and critical thinking.

Grounding this analysis in the developmental theories of Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey, alongside Henry Giroux’s concept of critical pedagogy, this study will advocate for institutionalizing free play as a policy response to neoliberal imperatives. The research anticipates contributing to discussions on equitable and democratic education by demonstrating how free play can serve as both a developmental necessity and a political act of resistance.

Author

• Sinan Yozgatli, Indiana University