Learning through Play in Emergencies: A Review of Evidence from Education Interventions

• In Event: Learning through Play in Emergencies for Peace & Protection: Emerging Evidence from Crisis-affected Contexts

Proposal

While evidence of the impact of learning through play (LtP) on children’s foundational learning and well-being exists, the extant evidence base primarily comes from stable, global minority contexts. In recent years,given the restorative power of play and the potential for play to mitigate the negative impacts of toxic stress and trauma, LtP has garnered attention as a promising approach in emergency contexts. Moreover, given the inherent social nature to LtP, there is significant promise for LtP to support social cohesion and develop relevant social-emotional competencies in children in support of fostering peace. Thus, understanding the emerging evidence on LtP in emergencies (LtPiE) is critical for confirming the relevance, appropriateness, feasibility, and appropriate intervention modalities in crisis-affected contexts.
This presentation draws on an evidence review investigating the evidence base on LtPiE. From 82 studies reviewed, 43 studies were included and analyzed based on the following criteria: (1) focus on forcibly displaced, crisis-affected, or crisis-vulnerable populations; (2) include LtP activities; and (3) occur in education settings. In analyzing the characteristics of included interventions, we propose three primary modalities of LtPiE interventions and their associated evidence base: LtP as a targeted supplement to schooling; LtP as curriculum in nonformal learning; and LtP as classroom pedagogy. Utilizing the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC) conceptual framework, we present the evidence of LtPiE’s impact or associations on education access, quality, continuity, and systems coherence as key drivers for improved child foundational learning and well-being.
Overall, we finding a moderate evidence base for LtP as curriculum in nonformal learning and LtP as a targeted supplement but a limited evidence base for LtP as classroom pedagogy, primarily due to a lack of causal or experimental evidence. Collectively, however, research confirms the promise of LtPiE to strengthen education access, quality, continuity, and systems coherence, as well as child foundational learning and well-being. We therefore advocate for greater integration of LtP into EiE interventions to not only protect children’s right to play but to also strengthen education sector outcomes. Moreover, we find that a majority of evidence on LtPiE has been published in the last five years, indicating the growing attention programmatically for LtPiE but also growing evidence. Thus, we recommend a coordinated and comprehensive research agenda on the impacts of LtPiE on children’s holistic learning outcomes to strengthen the promising evidence base and coalesce learnings to further benefit children amidst crisis.

Authors

• Jonathan Kwok, International Rescue Committee

• Anne C Smiley, IRC

• Ashleigh Marie Sable, Ashleigh Sable