Efficacy and perception of feasibility of structured games for achieving curriculum learning goals in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten low-income classrooms

This paper reports results of an experimental study that assessed the efficacy and teachers’ perception of feasibility of a set of structured games for promoting curriculum learning goals in 12 prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in Chile. We developed four structured games aligned with the Chilean curriculum learning goals, and that were adequate to the material and human conditions of low-income classrooms in Chile. Six classrooms implemented the games in the course of 6 months, and the other six received them at the end of the intervention. One-hundred-and-twenty-one children were evaluated in letter-word identification, math problem solving, phonological awareness, and science word knowledge at the beginning and end of the school year. Head teachers were interviewed about the games’ feasibility in their classrooms and their ability to engage the children. Multilevel regression results show that children in classrooms that implemented the games increased more than children in no-game classrooms in their letter-word identification, math problem-solving, and phonological awareness scores, controlling for grade level, entry receptive vocabulary, and entry executive function. Head teachers found the games engaging and fun for the children. They reported few difficulties in implementing the games in authentic classroom conditions. Results are analyzed regarding contributions to extant literature on playful learning and games, as well as implications for the successful use of playful methodologies for the promotion of academic learning goals in preschool classrooms in low- and middle-income countries.